UNCOMMEN: Wise Men – Day 2 – Consider it pure joy when you face trials – not sure how then ask for wisdom.

You have not because you ask not or you are asking with the wrong heart. Are you asking for help or advice believing God exists? Do you remember how God’s Word tells us to ask for wisdom and how He will provide without finding fault? Let’s check out the context for today’s title:

‘Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides]. ‘

James 1:2-8 (AMP)

I’m not sure where you are today but I know there have been various trials and yet God showed up! Never lose hope, even when you can’t see it! Never give up, even when you can’t see it! Thrive by trusting God even when you don’t see it!

Scripture for Today’s Devotional:

Let’s never grow weary in doing good! Let’s always get our day, our lives, and our experiences in God’s Word! God’s Word never returns void! God’s Word to this dark world is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths! Let’s be the dads who when faced with trials turn to God so that we can consider them pure joy and allow the testing of our faith to build perseverance and that when perseverance has completed its work we will be complete and lacking nothing! Let’s be the dads who turn to God first when we are in need of wisdom because we know we can trust Him and that He will give it to us generously without finding fault! Let’s be the dads who ask for wisdom with faith and without doubting God’s willingness to help because we trust God rather than our own understanding!

Today’s devotional has been provided to us by UNCOMMEN.

Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me: (check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)

For more information, please visit https://www.uncommen.org/.

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Asking for Wisdom“

• Today’s devotional gets us started with a different translation of the scripture reference:
  • “Scripture Reference: James 1:5  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”“
• Let’s be the dads whose first stop is God when we are in need of wisdom!
• Let’s be the dads who trust God’s provision when we come to Him seeking wisdom!
• Let’s be the dads who like today’s devotional look to God because we face each day needing “truckloads of wisdom“!
• Let’s be the dads who lean in and keep coming back to God for wisdom!
• Today’s devotional shares the strain life can put on us when he shares:
  • “I work in an industry that is continuously changing, and you always need to learn something new. It can be exhausting, but I consider myself a student of life and a gleaner by nature. “
• Let’s be the dads as described in today’s devotional who are each a “Student of Life“!
  • Let’s be the dads who “love to learn new things“!
  • Let’s be the dads who are aware of where we are at and if we “find that we only have so much bandwidth and need to watch our intake“!
  • Let’s be the dads who choose to “fill our hearts with the word of God” over filling our heads with the latest and greatest information of the world like “all kinds of creative trends, website advancements, and social media tactics“!
  • Let’s be the dads who look to “become more like Jesus” because we know that it can do more for our lives and our businesses than any research or training!
  • Let’s be the dads who look to “become more like Jesus” so that we can “care for people more“, “serve people better“, and “communicate with kindness“!
  • Let’s be the dads who choose to reflect Jesus in our lives so that we can “enjoy what we do” and others will get to “enjoy the benefits of both“!
• Let’s be the dads as described in today’s devotional who are each “a Gleaner by Nature“!
  • Let’s be the dads who become content by “Asking God for wisdom” “when it comes to comparing what we know to what others know“!
  • Let’s be the dads who are humble enough to know that we don’t know everything!
  • Let’s be the dads who are interested enough to ask questions to be able to learn more!
  • Let’s be the dads who can filter from the information we gather about “a multitude of careers, cultures, points of view, and more” because we know that “not everything that glitters is gold“!
• Today’s devotional concluded with this point along with some questions and a challenge:
  • “There is so much wisdom in the Bible that it will take a lifetime to realize. We should be mindful of how we spend our time and what we spend our time pursuing.
    1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.“
  • Uncommen Questions:
    • “1. How do you gain wisdom? (Prayer, books, people, school, etc.)“
    • “2. Do you spend more time learning earthly things or Godly things?“
  • Uncommen Challenge:
    • “I challenge you to ask God for wisdom daily and see how your life begins to change. Use that wisdom to serve and bring Him Glory.“
• In my readings over the covid years, I learned that my prayers can be simplified into needing wisdom and discernment from God and asking God for health and protection over me and my family.