Divine Operating System

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways. JAMES 1:5-8

Wisdom is a gift from God. Ask for wisdom. But before you do, better know what you're in for. Divine wisdom is God's template for living. It's totally incompatible with the operating systems of the world. That's why, when you pray for WISDOM, you must not be double-minded about it.

That was the problem with James'  readers. They're trying to live by the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God at the same time. This fragmented their souls so badly that James found no word in the Greek vocabulary to describe them. He had to invent a brand new word for their condition: double-minded. Ut literally means two-souled in Greek.

The modern Church is overrun with two-souled Christians. We accept God's operating system on Sunday. But come Monday morning, we switch to.the operating system of the world. James won't have it. It's like trying to run a computer on Windows and MacOS at the same time. Your system will crash. You have to choose one or the other.
This is the sort of doubt that James condemns. It's a doubt that borders a dispute with God. A doubt that looks for proofs, guarantees, contingencies before venturing out in faith. Such doubt stems from double-mindedness. It cripples prayer.
So before you pray for wisdom, make sure you know exactly what you're asking for. Be singleminded. Because heavenly wisdom, if you receive and apply it, it will set you on a collision course with the world and all its humanistic thinking. Then you will know the agony of Abraham when he laid his son on the altar. If he acted on worldly wisdom when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, he would have never gotten round to it. It was divine wisdom that enabled him to deny himself, defy his natural inclinations, and obey God, despite his great love for his son. And great was his reward.

Are you sure you want this kind of wisdom? Most Christians won't have it. Will you be different? Then simply ask your loving Father who gives and gives with no strings attached.

PRAY AND OBEY

Rocket science can take us to Mars. Medical science can improve our quality of life. But when it comes to knowing and doing the will of God, worldly wisdom can be a devastating liability. Time for a serious self-examination:

• Are you a double-minded Christian? Have you been straddling the fence between God's way and the world's way? Stop being tossed to and fro by conflicting values.  Let God's wisdom be your inner compass, your guiding light - even though it sets you on a head-on collision course with everything in the world around you, including the advice of well-meaning Christians! Seek God. Love God. Fear God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment (Proverbs 9:10). Resolve to live by God's Word, God's standard, God's wisdom from above. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

• First world Singapore is a hotbed of competing ideas and influences. How do we fortify our young against the tossing waves of worldly wisdom, secularism, and liberal ideologies? Deuteronomy 6 is the key: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by your way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Dare believe for a God-sent revival, connecting Church and Home for generational discipleship. (D6 FAMILY)

• Fathers and Mothers: You play a crucial role. The home is the first school where truth is lived, where faith is cultivated, where values are shaped. Will you prioritize this unglamorous home-based ministry to mould the minds of your children, tutor their hearts in wisdom, and sensitize their spirits to the power of the Holy Spirit? Truth is mightier than eloquence, the Spirit greater than genius, faith more than education. (MARTIN LUTHER)

• Ponder and pray this counsel from a wise judge: God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools...and he has not been disappointed. Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society. We are fools for Christ's sake.  We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world...Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world. (JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA)