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In one sense, the Bodhi tree is to Buddhists what the cross is to Christians, representing the core of each religion. But the difference is stark: the Bodhi tree is where Buddha supposedly attained enlightenment, whereas the cross represents God reaching down to us when we had no way of reaching Him.
Christianity is unique in its teaching that true wisdom comes from God alone—it is a gift from Him.
By His wisdom, God created, shaped, and populated the macrocosm. Not only that, He transformed matter into life—with all our knowledge, we cannot even create a functioning protein, but our God created every living being.
Even though we sojourn in a fallen world, God has immersed us in exquisite design and intricate beauty. This created order should remind us that God can take any chaos and transform it into order—even our own unruliness. The One who spoke, “Let there be light,” in the beginning is the same One who brings light into our lives. He transforms us so we reveal the beauty of Christ through the prism of our personality.
Wisdom is more than pithy statements. Proverbs teaches us that wisdom relates to the boundless Wellspring of wisdom, the One from whom all that is good, true, and beautiful springs forth. We do not invent wisdom from something inside of ourselves; instead, wisdom comes from having an intimate relationship with the One who is the source of all wisdom.
There are different types of wisdom. One is the wisdom of the world, which is crafty and conniving. The other is heavenly wisdom, coming down from above. The first type of wisdom leads to disorder and deception, but the second leads to peace and righteousness.
As we trust in the Father, abide in Son, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we learn true wisdom, which results in the fruit of the Spirit.
Ultimately, true wisdom is a gift from God. We cannot obtain it through our own endeavors; only He can provide it for us. And as He does so, we become more and more conformed to His image, bearing the aroma of Christ.
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The Proverbs transcripts used in this video are available online.
These are the last recorded statements of Jesus Christ before His death on the cross. Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and
Mortality and the purpose of life are prominent themes in Thomas Cole’s paintings. Through his paintings, he vividly brings out the human dilemma of mortality, a dilemma we ourselves must wrestle with. Given the inevitability of death, what are we to do with our days? We can try to stave
In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
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