Unwise Gods

12.03.14

Romans 16.27 27 …to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. – St. Paul to the Roman church

The above is the last sentence in the Epistle to the Romans. I have to admit Romans is a weighty book with grand theological arguments and masterful common sense. I think the Church in every age has needed both. Theological arguments without love however lead to self-righteousness. Love without theological arguments leads to license. We need both theology and love and we need a wise God, the only wise God, to lead us into both.

Why I S.O.A.P. (my personal choice of Bible reading and exploration) is because of the meanings of the initials. S – is for Scripture. I need to read scripture every day. I need to look for wisdom and meaning in God’s word every day. The Bible’s wisdom, although misunderstood and maligned has withstood the test of time.

O – is for observation. What did I see in God’s word today that stands out to me and affects my life, my personality, my worldview, and my preferences (among other things)? What did I observe in the reading of God’s book today that will make a difference in my faith and my relationship with God and others?

A – is for application. How can I apply what I just observed and make it a part of my everyday practice? Theology without love leads to self-righteousness; love without theology is license.

And P – is for prayer. Can I stop long enough to talk with God about what just I saw and how it impacts me; perhaps asking for His strength and guidance to make it real to me, and move it beyond words on a page? To that, I bow before the only wise God for His leadership in my life.

So, if He is the only wise God, could there be unwise gods? Not sure I want to go there but I think I bow down to some unwise gods in my life.

The unwise gods in life make me ignore the only wise God. Unwise gods encourage me to lean on my own understanding, cleverness, energy and effort. Unwise gods bid that I ask God to bless my plans without seeking Him first for His wisdom available to me. (Unwise gods are not real, but the results in my life of ignoring the only wise God makes it seem that they are…)

I saw this saying today: Every choice you make has an end result. Choosing to ignore the only wise God has an end result. The other side is true too: choosing to seek the presence, power, and person of the only wise God has an end result. That’s the result I want. Unwise gods, however they may be – real or perceived – lie to me and tell me that my choices and the results thereof can be manipulated to my own preferred future. S.O.A.P. showed me otherwise that I need the only wise God in all I am and do…

Father, lead me in the way everlasting and help me to make wise choices today. Help me to live according to the reality of Your presence within me, and to seek You in all I do. Amen.