Demonstrating wisdom

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

Today I replaced the map light in my car. It took me under two minutes to be completely done because I knew how to take it apart and how to put it back together. I learned how to do it on Saturday morning when I discovered my burned out bulb. That afternoon I bought a replacement bulb but didn’t have the tools I needed to fix it. Knowing how to change the bulb didn’t fix my problem though, I had to actually go in and do something about it.

If we know how to do something, the only thing that is holding us back from doing it is…wait for it…doing it! I could have just believed that since I knew how to change the bulb that it would work on its own, but I didn’t. I changed the bulb so that I could demonstrate the light rather than having to try to persuade people that the light works even though their experience doesn’t line up with what I am telling them. It’s like telling someone that God is good and loving but that He made them deathly ill to teach them to rely on Him more.

If we have wisdom we need to put it into practice. If we know God heals the sick we need to go out and heal the sick! James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Typically if you know God heals the sick you would have faith for it too. Well, I think you get the point. We owe the world an encounter with God’s love and goodness and we don’t do that by persuading them with our eloquent words, we do it through demonstrating His power, goodness, and love.