Category Archives: Wisdom

Waking up in Barcelona, with one word on my mind…dispensation.

03 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in 2017, Bible, Dispensation, God, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Words

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After a day and a half of travelling, I finally made it to Barcelona.

Upon landing, my first visit was to a pharmacy, and then this morning I went to the doctor…not the ideal start to a trip that looked very promising as I was flying in.

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I took the ‘opportunity’ of waking up early to pray and ask God for his guidance in this trip…and one word came to mind: DISPENSATION.

That’s not a word that I come across every day so I went to look up what was the biblical use for this term; I found the following:

Bibliography Information

“Entry for ‘Dispensation'”. A King James Dictionary.

DISPENSATION

dis-pen-sa’-shun:

The Greek word (oikonomia) so translated signifies primarily, a stewardship, the management or disposition of affairs entrusted to one. Thus 1 Corinthians 9:17, the King James Version “A dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me,” the Revised Version (British and American) “I have stewardship entrusted to me.” The idea is similar in Ephesians 3:2 parallel Colossians 1:25 (the Revised Version, margin “stewardship”). In Ephesians 1:10 God’s own working is spoken of as “dispensation.”

The Greek word ‘oikonomia’ is pretty easy to remember because we have a similar word in English…Economy.  Dispensation is God’s economy entrusted to us, hence it’s translation as management or stewardship.

As I was thinking about God’s economy the first thing that came to mind is the multiplication rules of His Kingdom, they are very counter-intuitive to what we expect from our human experience.  We can see the unique nature of God’s math throughout the Bible; God multiplies resources in supernatural ways for those who serve him.

Not surprisingly, my favorite stories of resource multiplication are related to food. We can find those in Old Testament (ex. the story of Elijah and the Widow in 1st Kings 17), and New Testament accounts (ex. the feeding of the 5000 in Mark 6).  What strikes me about those two stories is that God used unlikely people (a widow and a young man) who had very little to offer from the perspective of ‘human economy’ and multiplied the little they had not only to fulfill a need, but create a surplus (a.k.a called abundantly provide).

fishandloaves

Those stories exemplify the dispensation of God in a very practical way; God works in us and through us as we trust Jesus and follow his word.  Our human limitations are not an obstacle, but a tool that God uses to showcase his love, power, and presence in the lives of those around us.  All we have to do is bring what we have and put it in his service.

After starting the trip at the doctor, and having to take antibiotics for the next couple of days, I was not feeling very optimistic about this trip…but then there came this word…DISPENSATION…and it changed everything in light of God’s word.

Wisdom and Outliers…what I learnt from Malcolm Gladwell, Parks and Rec, and the book of Proverbs

10 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Bible, BibleBeans, Wisdom

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I am one of the many people who enjoy reading Malcolm Gladwell, he is undoubtedly one of the most influential authors in the last few decades.  His poignant arguments and narrative genius make him an exceptional writer, or should we say ‘an outlier’ in his field.  *pun intended*

His books are reactionary as much as they are rational.  He tends to explain away pre-conceived notions and common held beliefs like nobody else.  One of my favorite examples is his book ‘Outliers’.  In it, he highlights how much of the popular success literature tends to emphasize the ‘individual achievement’ aspect of public figures without taking into consideration the contextual aspects that contributed to that individual’s success.

The author dissects various examples where the main propellant of those ‘famous’ exceptional success stories that deviate from the norm (hence the name of the book) was not necessarily an isolated, individual quality…but a combination of favorable factors in an individual’s environment which provided a clear advantage, and created the conditions for those individuals to stand out from the pack.

outlierxy

An Outlier clearly stands out from the pack

A few lessons that I learnt from the book include

  1. Do not be quick to praise individual achievement (there are a lot of factors going on in the background that you did not see)
  2. Do not hold yourself to a higher standard than you should (by comparing your real life with an idealized version of success)
  3.  Do treat yo’ self every once in a while…(that last one is more Parks and Rec).

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NO, really, treat yo self! 

Treat yo self to wisdom…

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is in the book of proverbs chapter 9…where wisdom is personified as a woman who’s preparing a banquet and inviting everyone to join in this ‘soiree’;

” Wisdom has built her house;
    she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet,
    mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”…

According to the book of proverbs, having wisdom brings many other benefits with it;

  1. Improved Quality of Life           Proverbs 8:18-20

I have riches and honor,
    as well as enduring wealth and justice.
19 My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
    my wages better than sterling silver!
20 I walk in righteousness,
    in paths of justice.
21 Those who love me inherit wealth.
    I will fill their treasuries…joyful are those who listen to me,
    watching for me daily at my gates,
    waiting for me outside my home!

       2 Blessings from God                         Proverbs 8:35

35 For whoever finds me finds life
    and receives favor from the Lord.

       3. Longer Life                                         Proverbs 9:11

“Wisdom will multiply your days
    and add years to your life.”

Interestingly, one of the most incredible ‘outlier’ stories is the author of the book of Proverbs…King Solomon was an expert among experts…in pretty much every field and discipline of knowledge;

1 Kings 4:29-34 New International Version (NIV)

Solomon’s Wisdom

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, …32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

He was clearly the outlier of his time…and he made Israel an ‘outlier’ nation…going from a conflicted and divided socio-political place to one of the most prosperous in its time.

The interesting part is that when I look at Solomon’s life…I do not identify any early contextual advantages like the ones described in Malcolm Gladwell’s stories.  He was not given any early access to any type of technology or training, his mother was probably the least ‘worthy’ of all the wives of David…and he was neither the oldest or most charismatic among his David’s children (see 2nd Samuel 14:25).

Solomon is an outlier among outliers, because his context clearly did not provide any type of springboard…what provided the springboard was his wisdom…which was something he asked of God…

1 Kings 3 says;

5 That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

6 Solomon replied, ….9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— 12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 

The best part is that the same asset that God gave Solomon is freely available to everyone …the bible says in James 1:5;

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

So when we think about it, the banquet that wisdom prepares…which is a freely given gift from God…the one we’re invited to, is a banquet fit for a King…so why not treat yo self? 

Lent and Leap Day

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Dan Ariely, God, Jesus, Joshua Bell, Joshua Bell Subway Video, Leap Year, Lent, Provebs, Values, Washington Post experiment, Wisdom

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Has this ever happened to you; you put on a pair of jeans you hadn’t worn in a while and unexpectedly, you find money in the pockets???  



This has happened to me a couple of times…

Sometimes when I get change from a quick purchase, instead of putting the money in my wallet, I put it in my pocket, and forget about it…days later I find the money and it makes me happy; it is an unexpected bonus.

It seems to me that there are similarities between leap day and the money you find unexpectedly in your pockets.  Leap day -much like the money we find unexpectedly in our pockets- is not something that “magically appears”…it is time that has been stored up and emerges at one point in time. 

Leap Year Explained

In the gregorian calendar, the years are mostly 365 days long.  This period of 365 days should coincide with the time that it takes for the earth to circle once around the sun.  However, in practice it takes the earth 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to complete its trajectory around the sun.  So for three years, the extra hours are stored up and put away. On the fourth year, this extra-time -which now adds up to one whole day- appears in the calendar on February 29, which is leap day…a bonus day in the year.  

It is funny how much people enjoy leap year…it is the perception of an “extra day” that makes it special…much like the perception of the “extra money” makes me happy when I find unexpectedly some change in my pockets.

Perceptions and Values

Leap day illustrates how our perception affects the value we ascribe to things, and in turn affects the way we experience events in our lives.  February 29 is considered a “special day” in the calendar, even though it is nothing more than the extra six hours leftover in the past four years.  

This phenomenon was discussed by Dan Ariely in his book “Predictably Irrational”.  Through his experiments on behavioral economics, Ariely found that what we perceive to have value can affect our lives in concrete and significant ways.  In chapter 11 of the book, Ariely describes one particular experiment, where  students were given the same medication at different prices; one group was given the medication at 2.50 dollars a pill, and the next group was given the EXACT SAME medication at .10 cents a pill.  

Even though the medication was the exact same chemical composition, the reported relief resulting from this medication among the two groups was drastically different; ALL of the students who paid the “expensive” price for the pill reported pain relief, while only half of the students who took the “cheap” medication reported pain relief.  The experiment -according to Ariely – demonstrates how our perceptions, and the value we ascribe to things can drastically affect our concrete experiences.

It is a pity, that people who took good quality medication were prevented from experiencing the fullness of its benefits because of their perceptions of this medication as “cheap”.  The truth is, that sometimes we may perceive that are affordable and available as “cheap” but in reality…they might be very valuable.

That Which is Truly Valuable

Recently, a similar story about a study on perception, taste and priorities was circulating the web. According to this story, the Washington Post arranged for Joshua Bell, a world renowned Violinist, to play his 3.5 Million Dollar violin at the metro-station in Washington D.C.  Just a few days before, Bell had sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.  However that day in the subway, barely anyone stopped to listen…

The report on the experiment describes how this famous violinist played for 45 minutes, and during this time, it was mostly the children who wanted to stop and enjoy the performance…but the parents rushed them along.  Out of the approximately 1000 people who walked by during this time, nobody recognized Bell, or even worse, none of the adults appreciated the value of his music.  Why?  Probably because their perception of what should be valuable prevented them from appreciating the real value of the performance.  

This experiment brings to my mind the passage in Luke 10:17 where Jesus said to his disciples; I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Perhaps what Jesus was referring to in this verse, is the quality of children that was displayed in the example of Joshua Bell…Children were the ones who took the time to appreciate that which is truly valuable, and made room to allow the transcendent into their lives.    


Lent and Leap Year

In a similar fashion to Joshua Bell’s music in the D.C. metro,  the book of Proverbs, chapter 8 describes how God’s wisdom is readily available for all of us…calling to us like a street performer.

1 Does not wisdom call out?   Does not understanding raise her voice? 

2 On the heights along the way,   where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 

3 beside the gates leading into the city,   at the entrances, she cries aloud: 

4 “To you, O men, I call out;   I raise my voice to all mankind…. 

6 Listen, for I have worthy things to say;   I open my lips to speak what is right…. 

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,   knowledge rather than choice gold,11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,   and nothing you desire can compare with her.


Lent this year began exactly one week before leap day…on ash Wednesday.  May this time be a time where we stop to appreciate that which is truly valuable and readily available for us…God’s grace, his love, and his wisdom in our lives given freely through Jesus Christ. 

USING WORDS WISELY

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in Bible, Hannah Jordan, Jesus, Letter, Tommy Jordan, Wisdom, Words

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A story that been navigating the web this week; it is the story of a fifteen year old girl named Hannah Jordan, from North Carolina in the U.S.
 
Like many other girls her age, Hanna is a high-schooler who has a Facebook account.  One day, Hannah got really upset with her parents…and she decided to vent her frustrations by writing a letter about it and posting it on Facebook.  

She made sure however that she blocked her parents on Facebook so that they could not read what she said about them.
 
Hannah’s father however, is very tech-savvy…and he was upgrading her daughter’s computer software when he saw the letter she had written, which he was not supposed to see…

The Letter 

To my parents,


I’m not your “lowly” slave. It’s not my responsibility to clean up your “stuff”.   We have a cleaning lady for a reason. Her name is Linda, not Hannah.

If you want coffee, get off your “butt” and get it yourself. If you want a garden, shovel the fertilizer yourself, don’t sit back on your “butt” and watch me do it. If you walk in the house and get mud all over the floor that I just cleaned, be my guest, but clean it up after you are done getting “dirt” everywhere.

I’m tired of picking up after you. You tell me at least once a day that I need to get a job.You could just pay me for all the “stuff” that I do around the house. Every day when I get home from school, I have to do dishes, clean the counter tops, all the floors, make all the beds, do the laundry and get the trash. I’m not even going to mention all the work I do around your clinic.And if I don’t do all that every day, I get grounded. Do you know how hard it is to keep up with chores and schoolwork? It’s freaking crazy.

I go to sleep at 10 o’clock every night because I am too tired to stay up any longer and do anything else. I have to get up at five in the morning, to get ready for school. On the weekends, I have to sleep with my door locked so my little brother won’t come get me up at six. This is all true.And I’m tired – I’m tired of this “nonsense” Next time I have to pour a cup of coffee, I’m going to flip “…” I have no idea how I have a life. I’m going to hate to see the day when you get too old to “care for yourselves” and you call me, asking for help. I won’t be there.

Signed,

Your “angry” Kid,

Hannah


(OBVIOUSLY I HAVE CENSORED SOME OF THE EXPRESSIONS IN THIS LETTER)

The Video


After Hannah’s father read this letter, he was really angry – to say the least – and he decided to respond to this letter in a youtube video, and to post the video on his daughters wall on Facebook.
 
In this video, he reads the letter that Hannah wrote, and tells his side of the story (basically Hannah had exaggerated a lot about her housework duties)…and then after he sets the record straight, he informs his daughter hannah, that she is GROUNDED 
until COLLEGE, and proceeds to SHOOT her computer 10 times!!!



The Fallout

This video has been the source of much debate and discussion…also it has been the source of a lot of funny spoofs on youtube (which I have personally enjoyed).

People criticize the father –whose name is Tommy – for being too drastic, other people commend him on his resolve not to put up with her daughter’s rebellious behavior.  

I personally was sad to see the computer get shot, what a waste!!!! But one thing that I think everyone would agree with, is that it would have been better if Hannah would have not written the letter…some things should not be said…and Hannah crossed the line.

Words for Christian Living

As Christians, everything we say comes before God, and like Hannah –who was unable to hide her letter from her father – we are unable to say things without God hearing/knowing about them. God wishes us to be careful with our speech; he encourages to use our words wisely…the bible says:

Ephesians 4:29
NIV: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Easy to Read When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you.
New Living Translation: Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
From this passage, we can see that GOD cares about what we say, and he has specific expectations regarding our speech; he says that we need to ABSTAIN from unwholesome talk, from saying bad things, or using abusive language.  Also, God encourages us to say things that are uplifting to people around us.  This is a very clear directive of what we ought to do…and what we shouldn’t do.

The Reason 

Why do you think god cares so much about what we say? Simply because words are powerful.  They can destroy/hurt people, or they can heal…

Proverbs 12:18
 NIV: The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Easy to Read: Speak without thinking, and your words can cut like a knife. Be wise, and your words can heal.
New Living Translation: Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
Think about the last time you were really, really sick…mine was Beijing 2009.
Sick in Beijing

Two years ago, Tim and I went to Beijing.  It was December, and we were really excited to go see the great wall.  We were staying in a really nice hotel, that had a huge bed with an amazing T.V. in front of it…we were in HEAVEN. 

So the first night when we arrived we watched tv, ordered room service and went to bed.  I was asleep, and then suddenly I woke up, I felt sick…really sick.  I got up and had to throw up…and I never stopped throwing up.

At seven in the morning, we decided it was time to go to the hospital…and I couldn’t get there fast enough!  Once we arrived at the hospital, the doctor gave me an i.v. to get me re-hydrated, and also he gave me medication to stop the vomiting.  He recommended that I should try to rest and to stay for half a day in the hospital. 

Half an hour after I got the medication, I was able to fall asleep…it was the best sleep ever!!! The hospital bed felt like a cloud…even better than the hotel bed!!!  What was the difference???  That I had received MEDICATION…and the medications had changed my circumstances drastically, I was getting healthy.

Similarly, God wants that the words we say work like that medicine in the lives of those who hear them; that those words help change people’s circumstances for the better in a tangible way.

What are some obstacles to us speaking the right words?
1   1. The wrong thoughts 
     2. The wrong motives
     3. Lack of confidence
Matthew 12:35-37 outlines how that which comes out of our mouth, basically reflects the thoughts, motives, and self-image that we have inside us.
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

This passage says, that we need to give account for every word that we say…so we should weigh our words.  

David prayed;


“Who can discern his errors? 
   Forgive my hidden faults. 
Keep your servant also from willful sins; 
may they not rule over me. 
Then will I be blameless, 
innocent of great transgression.
  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 
   be pleasing in your sight, 
   O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” –Psalm 19:12-14


David understood the importance of words. Do we?   

– May this Psalm, also be our prayer, and may our words be like medicine for those who hear them.