Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we will close out the week exploring the secret to overcoming misunderstandings.

In Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 (NLT) states…
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

And Proverbs 4:7 (NLT) exhorts…
Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.

Also, James 1:5 (NLT)
encourages…
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Finally, Proverbs 2:6 (NLT) promises…
For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Consider…
If you had a choice between getting advice on a product or process from the inventor or an expert who has studied it, who would you choose?

• Certified car mechanics seek guidance from manufacturer’s guidelines to diagnose and fix problems.
• Restaurants follow the Master Chef’s recipes to prepare meals
• Teachers follow the Author’s guidelines to instruct and assess students

We all rely on the wisdom of the creator of a product or process to use or operate it, and troubleshoot any issues that arise. So, why would we go to anyone other than our Creator, for wisdom on how we should operate.

Today’s verses all encourage us to seek God’s wisdom. However, there is a caveat, God’s wisdom is based on operating within His will.

We find the perfect example of what I mean in 1 Kings 3:10‭-‬14 (NLT), provides an example of the benefits of seeking God’s wisdom. It says…
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

This scripture says that God was pleased that Solomon asked for wisdom, which tells me that asking for God’s wisdom is in His will. We are also the beneficiaries of Solomon’s granted request, because he wrote the two books of wisdom, Proverbs and Ecclesiastics.

Also, we see God’s demonstration of Matthew 6:33 in Solomon’s life, according to 2 Chronicles 9:22‭-‬23 (ERV), …
King Solomon became greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. People everywhere wanted to see King Solomon. They wanted to hear the great wisdom that God had given him.

This tells me if we seek to do right for God, He’ll make everything right for us.

Truly, Solomon is a wonderful example of seeking God’s wisdom and experiencing the fullness of all that God planned for him. Notice I said what God planned for him, I say that based on 1 Chronicles 22:6‭-‬13 (ERV)…
Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, I wanted to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. But the Lord said to me, ‘David, you have fought many wars and you have killed many people. So you cannot build a temple for my name. But you have a son who is a man of peace. I will give your son a time of peace. His enemies around him will not bother him. His name is Solomon. And I will give Israel peace and quiet during the time that he is king. Solomon will build a temple for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his Father. I will make his kingdom strong, and someone from his family will rule Israel forever!’” David also said, “Now, son, may the Lord be with you. May you be successful and build the Temple for the Lord your God, as he said you would. He will make you the king of Israel. May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so that you can lead the people and obey the law of the Lord your God. And you will have success, if you are careful to obey the rules and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid.

Did you see it? The passage said, “But you have a son who is a man of peace. I will give your son a time of peace. His enemies around him will not bother him. His name is Solomon. And I will give Israel peace and quiet during the time that he is king. Solomon will build a temple for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his Father.” God planned for Solomon to only know peace and build His temple before he ever asked for wisdom. In fact, I believe King David actually set the desire for wisdom in Solomon’s heart when he told him, “May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so that you can lead the people and obey the law of the Lord your God.”

This tells me that, not only should we seek wisdom for ourselves, we should also encourage others to seek God’s wisdom too.

Finally, let’s see what wisdom that comes from God looks like. James 3:13‭, ‬17 (ERV) says…
Are there any among you who are really wise and understanding? Then you should show your wisdom by living right. You should do what is good with humility. A wise person does not boast. But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest.

This means when you ask God for wisdom you should ask yourself if what you’re asking for is:

• Pure
• Peaceful
• Gentle
• Easy to please
• Ready to help people
• Does good for others
• Fair and honest

Those attributes of wisdom seem very humble to me. They also describe Jesus, who is the standard of humility and obedience to His Father’s will. Philippians 2:5‭-‬9 (ERV) exhorts…
In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross. So God raised him up to the most important place and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.

So the secret to overcoming misunderstandings is to open your heart to God’s wisdom, like Jesus and Solomon. When you seek God’s wisdom, you will achieve and experience all that God has planned for you.

Today, the Holy Spirit wants you to know that God is waiting for you to sing the chorus from the song ‘I Give You My Heart ‘…

Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for you alone
And every breath that I take
Every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me

I also believe He’ll welcome us simply singing today’s lyrics too…

I open up my heart to You.

If you make both sets of lyrics your life’s refrain to God, you’ve unlocked the secret to becoming a misunderstandings overcomer!

Today’s song is…
Open My Heart
https://youtu.be/2aYzc0Z0Z8Q?si=dT-nRed2rC00zqAb

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)