What Makes a Wise Person

True wisdom is clearly described in these short Scriptural passages:

"Who is wise and understanding among YOU? Let him show out of his fine conduct his works with a mildness that belongs to wisdom." - James 3:13

"But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical. Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace." - James 3:17,18

Such wisdom brings never-ending benefits and blessings to those who possess it.


For related topic, feel free to visit this link:
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20070615/article_02.htm

Wearing our Suit of Armor

In this world filled with wickedness,  it's not easy for one who strives to live a virtuous life to fight his way out of this jungle of a world that has turned dismal. Everywhere there are attacks of wicked forces in different forms, whether outright or subtle. The master enemy, Satan the Devil, is preoccupied with setting up schemes to get the virtuous ones veer from their godly course. Because he knows that his time is short, that soon he will be wiped out of existence, he's doing all he can, employing all means that he can think of, to drag all the righteous ones with him to destruction. He is especially aiming his assaults to those who keep their stand in God's side. He never stops until he succeeds in his evil intent.

Nevertheless, no matter how powerful he is and all his machinations, he can never get us if we wear a special suit of armor designed to fight against him and his destructively wicked missiles. Figuratively wearing this all the time can protect us from all his weapons of destruction. We can keep our ground and come out victorious.

The following is the suit of armor that we should put on:

"Stand firm, therefore, with YOUR loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness,  and with YOUR feet shod with the equipment of the good news of peace.  Above all things, take up the large shield of faith, with which YOU will be able to quench all the wicked one’s burning missiles.  Also, accept the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word,  while with every form of prayer and supplication YOU carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit." - Ephesians 6:14-18

He Keeps Watching Over Us

"Were I to take the wings of the dawn,
That I might reside in the most remote sea,

There, also, your own hand would lead me

And your right hand would lay hold of me." 

- Psalm 139:9,10

Wherever we go in the world, whether in the brightest of places or in the deepest of shadows, our Heavenly Father has his eyes upon us, taking note of what we do. Whatever we do, be it  pleasant in his eyes, or unpleasant, still he takes note of it. Even if we try to hide from him, we cannot escape from his ever watchful eyes.

 

However, this fact should not make us uncomfortable. On the contrary, we should be happy because he is always there on the lookout for our own safety. He is not out to find fault with us or to make us feel exposed or unworthy because of some mistakes that we make. Rather, he is there, watching over us, in order to find opportunities for him to help and protect us from anything that may put us in danger. He is a loving and caring Father who wants his children to live a happy and successful life.

The Beauty of Our Creator's Law (video version)

Oh The Beauty of Our Creator's Law!

One reason why I love to read God's Word and share its message to others is  that of the wonderful benefits that it brings to me personally. It gives me joy that can help me cope with adversities. It makes my life beautiful amidst all the ugly things in the world that invade our lives. It gives light to my path and brightens up my days as I strive to follow its wise instructions. It makes my life meaningful and entirely satisfying.

If God's Word does wonderful things to me, I'm sure that it also works beneficially for others who truly desire to be guided by the best Instructor in the whole Universe.

"How I do love your law!
All day long it is my concern.

Wiser than my enemies your commandment makes me,
Because to time indefinite it is mine.

More insight than all my teachers I have come to have,
Because your reminders are a concern to me.

With more understanding than older men I behave,
Because I have observed your own orders.

From every bad path I have restrained my feet,
For the purpose that I may keep your word.

From your judicial decisions I have not turned aside,
For you yourself have instructed me.

How smooth to my palate your sayings have been,
More so than honey to my mouth!

Owing to your orders I behave with understanding.
That is why I have hated every false path."

- Psalms 119:97-104

Adding Meaning to Our Lives Permanently

Most of us are interested in the meaning of our existence. But if we take a closer look at how short life is and full of misery, it seems like our existence is meaningless. It's like these lines from Shakespeare's Macbeth:

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player         
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”—Macbeth, Act V, Scene V.

But our existence need not be like that. We can make it significant by first acknowledging the fact that humans are not the true center of meaning. "Our Grand Creator is that center, and any real meaning to our existence logically involves him and depends upon him. To find such meaning and the deep satisfaction it brings, we need to come to know the Creator and bring our lives into harmony with his will." (Creator book published by WTBTS)

It is therefore vital to turn to the Creator for guidance in order make our lives meaningful. Psalm 90:12 says, 

 “Show us just how to count our days in such a way that we may bring a heart of wisdom in. Satisfy us in the morning with your loving-kindness, that we may cry out joyfully and may rejoice during all our days. And let the pleasantness of Jehovah our God prove to be upon us.”

These three phrases here ,‘Satisfied in the morning.’ ‘Rejoicing during all our days.’ ‘God’s pleasantness on us’, signify a truly meaningful life which is brought about by turning to our Creator and revolving our lives around him. We can only understand and experience the deep impact of this if we apply godly wisdom in our lives.

There Won't Be Any Beggars If...

....Everyone would live a righteous life.

Well, I'm not referring to those who have become rich because they have worked hard or received some inheritance or the likes.

This is about those who may not have the advantage of having a job due to some complicated situations, those who may not have guts and impetus enough to live a better life, or those who have lost hope, feeling that the world conditions are too much for them.

The following quote shows us that the righteous ones will never be left entirely, even their offspring. This is the observation of an ancient king, which is also confirmed by my personal observation and experiences.

"A young man I used to be, I have also grown old,
And yet I have not seen anyone righteous left entirely,
Nor his offspring looking for bread." - Psalm 37:25

Being righteous here means keeping the laws and guidance of our heavenly Father, who is ever loyal to those who completely trust in Him. We can develop such trust by carefully examining His Word and exerting efforts to apply in our lives the righteous principles that we have learned from it. Then our loving Father will always be there to guide us and provide for our spiritual and material needs in different ways.

Seeing the Future Through Faith

"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld."

- Hebrews 11:1

Mankind's future seems uncertain, especially in view of world conditions that are getting worse each passing day. Many spend their lives just to "live and let live", believeing that this life is all there is, followed by nothing.

However, as what I've stressed in my previous blogs, there is a wonderful future that lies ahead of us. It may be hard to believe, considering that it's an ancient promise and that mankind has been waiting for too long for its realization.

Here now is where faith comes in. It's believing in something that we cannot see and knowing in our heart that it's there, or it will come. That is why the quote above says that "faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for." If we have faith, we don't doubt at all that our hopes will become realities.

This Is The Way

"And your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: “This is the way. Walk in it, YOU people,” in case YOU people should go to the right or in case YOU should go to the left." - Isaiah 30:21

Following the direction of our loving heavenly Father will surely lead us to a successful and satisfying life now even amidst this world's "dismal jungle" where we can easily get lost sans proper direction. This way is called the way of life because it will take us to the kind of life that our Creator has meant for us. Most of all, this way extends to the New World where we will attain the real life that will last forever, which is the purpose why God created us and put us in this planet.

We only need to listen to His voice and obey His instructions in order to get there. And we can do this through careful examination of His written Word, the Holy Scriptures, which He gave to us like a letter of a loving father to his children.

The Hearer of Prayers

Some people feel that their prayers are not being heard, let alone answered. So they begin to doubt whether there's a God who cares about us. Some cease to believe in Him.

This video shows that there's a caring Father who listens to us when we speaks to Him in prayer. It also outlines how we should pray so that our prayers will be answered.

The Most Valuable Friendship in the World

We are blessed if we have friends who can stand by us no matter what happens.  Each time we need them, they are always there, ready to support us. They make us feel secure and well-cared for. They are happy when they see us happy. They feel for us and comfort us when we are in difficult situation. They bring sunshine to our lives by their unfading thoughtfulness and loving-kindness. 

Is there someone whom we can call a perfect friend? There is, and He's genuinely interested in our personal welfare. He welcomes us to be a guest in His tent. But we must meet certain qualifications in order to deserve that most precious friendship of all. In the following quote, a famous king outlined these requirements.

A Melody of King David :

"O Jehovah, who will be a guest in your tent?
Who will reside in your holy mountain?

He who is walking faultlessly and practicing righteousness
And speaking the truth in his heart.

He has not slandered with his tongue.
To his companion he has done nothing bad,
And no reproach has he taken up against his intimate acquaintance.

In his eyes anyone contemptible is certainly rejected,
But those fearing Jehovah he honors.
He has sworn to what is bad for himself, and yet he does not alter.

His money he has not given out on interest,
And a bribe against the innocent one he has not taken.
He that is doing these things will never be made to totter."

-Psalms 15

Yes, friendship with the Most High keeps us strong and secure, and it will also give us eternal benefits, which He promised to those who remain loyal to their friendship with Him.
 

Meditating on our Significance

I specifically created this 3d image to stress one Scripture that inspires us to examine ourselves in comparison to celestial creations. Such awe-inspiring heavenly bodies tell us about the Great Creator who placed them up there for us to marvel at and enjoy  in the dark of the night. If we look at them, we can see that we are just like tiny dusts in the vast universe that is filled with gargantuan creations, so insignificant as it seems. But then, behind all these creations, along with all the other earthly ones, there is a powerful message that our Creator is trying to instill in our hearts and minds: WE ARE NOT INSIGNIFICANT AT ALL BUT ARE PRECIOUS IN GOD'S EYES. He highly values us so that He took the initiative to provide the means for our eternal salvation - that of his giving his beloved only-begotten Son. He let him die in our behalf so that we can live forever.

"When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers,
The moon and the stars that you have prepared,

What is mortal man that you keep him in mind,
And the son of earthling man that you take care of him?"
- Psalm 8:3,4 

And yes, God takes good care of us and sees to it that we have the power to overcome obstacles that might get in our way to His promised Paradise. All we need to do is humbly submit to His sovereignty and obediently follow His direction.

A music video about living in wisdom

 "Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me." -Proverbs 27:11