19/04/13

Can wisdom profit you? Can you profit God?

Job 22:2
Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?


When I got this scripture it took me aback for a moment, what kind of question is this 'can a wise profit himself?' We all know wisdom is very important and it is only through wisdom we can thoroughly be profitable.

But yet we know the Bible does not put anything without reason or foolishly. It is only when we put along the other question do we understand the truth the scripture is trying to bring out.

The other question is 'can we as humans profit God? God who has created us by His breathe and moulded in His image but is now corrupted. Can such a corrupt being without power and without any ability to live by himself without God's help be of any profit to God?

We need to first understand wisdom. To understand wisdom we need to be clear the difference between knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

Knowledge is the data or information that we receive. When we read (i.e. the Bible) or hear people or see things or even smell or taste or touch we receive knowledge.

Understanding is what we derive from the knowledge we have. Without knowledge we cannot have understanding.

Wisdom on the other hand is the ability to derive the right understanding from knowledge. Wisdom can come in 2 ways, one as a gift and the other by experience (our experience and from the experiences of others).

i.e. The raw ingredients used in the food is 'knowledge', the cooked food is 'understanding', and 'wisdom' is the processing of the food like cutting, heating, stirring etc...

So we see without wisdom we cannot get understanding from knowledge, and to get it only when we use wisdom not just have. Today's message is telling us without using wisdom how can wisdom profit a wise man. We may be very wise but unless we use that wisdom how are we to be profitable as wise people. In the same way man by himself cannot be of any profit to God unless man is used by God.

Does God who is almighty need the help of man? No.

When we understand wisdom, which when used generates understanding, and this understanding increases and betters our knowledge and also increases our wisdom. So we see the more we increase in knowledge and use wisdom we grow in understanding and wisdom.

The same way when man is used by God, it actually helps man himself, and helps him to grow. God does not need us to be used by Him. We need to understand it is for our own reason and profit that we be used by God and for God, since by this we ourselves are benefited.

Many people do God's work thinking they are doing a favour to God. They do not understand they are doing not God a favour but God is doing a favour using them, for this only helps themselves and no one else. That is why Jesus said when we become His disciples and when we know the Truth, then the Truth will set us free. People skip the discipleship, they think by studying the Bible they will be set free which means overcome.

People actually become spiritually worse when they study the Bible and do not follow it. Bible study is just knowledge and without experiencing it they do not get wisdom and thus no understanding. Then this knowledge without becoming understanding starts to do things like puffing up the person or hardening his conscience.

Thus coming to God and not being used by Him will also make us worse people than what we were before coming to God. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and not the other people for the Pharisees knew God, studied scriptures but never understood them nor did they want to be used by God, they hid behind a wall called traditions, this led them to be hardened inside and caused them to be dead in conscience, in guilt; they could kill or stone people and not feel anything.

Today's message is very clearly telling us, we need to understand God has called us to Him for a mission and unless we submit to that mission we are going to be destroyed, we will be worse than when we came to Him. And by taking up the mission we are not going to do God a favour but ourselves a favour. We should thank God to find us worthy to be used by Him.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, many do your mission thinking they are doing You a favour and thus think they put You in debt and expect things or worldly blessings from You. They do not realize that being called to the mission itself is an blessing and how much they need to thank You for it. Lord, we pray sense into those people and also we pray for mercy for those people who are meaningless 'Christians' sans mission...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
1 Corinthians 7:22 - For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.

Ephesians 6:5-9
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Luke 17:7-10
7 But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
8 and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded?
10 Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.

John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Mark 7:8-9, 13-15
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)