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“A Word or a Running Commentary?”

Thoughts for Today:

The gift of wisdom is a message given to us supernaturally in order to answer a question or solve a particular problem. For example:

Acts 15:13-20: "When they finished, James spoke up: 'Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name," says the Lord, "who does these things that have been known for ages." It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.'"

The wisdom James reflected in these passages is far beyond his own understanding. It could only have come as a result of revelation by the Holy Spirit. This is not to mean that the Lord imparts to any one individual all of His wisdom or knowledge. He just gives us a word, or small portion of His ability to deal with a specific issue. It is also important to realize that the message given by the Holy Spirit is just a "word" on a particular subject. Unfortunately, some people turn a word into a running commentary on a whole host of unrelated topics.

Questions to Ponder:

Have you ever received a word of wisdom for the benefit of another person? Have you surrounded it with personal commentary and opinion? Has God's wisdom been lost as a result of your translation? Keep things simple.

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.