Wisdom Hunters

Boyd Bailey

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:25–27).

Moms are magnificent, especially the ones placed in my life by the Lord. My mom and the mother of our children, in particular, are emissaries of encouragement. They are messengers of comfort and care. No one loves more unconditionally than mothers. They see only the good and forget the bad. A mother’s love extends way beyond what is required creating a reservoir of hope.

Furthermore, they are not afraid to speak the truth laced with an attractive attitude. It is not unusual for moms to become their child’s best friend. This is a natural outcome of their acceptance and relational relentlessness. Because their emotional intelligence quotient is high, they are able to discern and remedy heartfelt needs in an instant. Indeed, they are compulsive givers with a propensity to out-serve everyone.

“Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2 nkjv).

This outlandish outpouring of love concerns me. It does not bother me that moms love so generously. What troubles me is their need for unconditional love. Are moms being mothered to the extent that their needs are being met? An un-mothered mom is a good candidate for a miserable mom. If moms are not receiving what they need in emotional and spiritual support, they whither under the pressure. Like a flower in an arid climate, they need the saturating love, nurture, and security of their Savior Jesus.

Lastly, they value being valued and desire acceptance. They are secure, living in security, and long to be loved.

Lord, lead me to model this for my mom and the mother of our children. Show me how to shower on them what they have rained upon relationships, season after season, in unselfish service. I want to give back to them in the same way they have given to me and our children. I long for You to bless moms!

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her” (Proverbs 31:28).

Prayer: Lord, lead me to another mother whom I can mother on Your behalf.

Related Readings: Ruth 1:22; 1 Timothy 5:4; 2 Timothy 1:5; Titus 2:2–4

Post/Tweet: No one loves more unconditionally than mothers. They see only the good and forget the bad. #moms

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. Luke 16:8

Christians can be guilty of not being shrewd for Jesus. I can falsely feel like the Lord will take care of things without my best efforts. On the contrary, Christ expects us to be as innocent as a dove and as shrewd as a snake (Matthew 10:16). Gentleness and astuteness go hand in hand. The gullible miss out on God’s best, but the shrewd know how to manage well the wisdom of God. Engaged and mature thinking considers creatively and calmly how to capitalize on a difficult situation.

Apathy breeds despair and panic creates contempt. However, we who know God, have the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit is our advocate, whose insights transcend conventional solutions during tough times. The Spirit will lead us as we move forward by faith, but if we remain immobile in an anxious state, we will fail. As children of the light we have heavenly resources at our disposal. God’s favor rests on us when we attempt to influence people for His purposes.

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 1 Corinthians 14:20

How do you use your resources to reach people for Jesus Christ? One gauge of your effectiveness for the Lord is how well you make friends who grow in their faith. People are attracted to your authenticity and audacious faith. Bold risks breathed over in prayer become trophies of God’s grace and work. Use your business or work as a platform of creativity for Christ. Shun the status quo and lean into innovation. Last year’s success needs this year’s relevance.

Lastly, do business with other believers who are excellent in their field. You support the economics of God’s Kingdom when you support other brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, Christians will let you down, but learn how to work together and look for those whose values and maturity are similar to yours. Unite your community of faith around Christ. Use the synergies of other Jesus followers to leverage service to society and in the process build eternal dwellings!

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me Your wisdom to be shrewd for Jesus.

Related Readings: Exodus 1:10; Psalm 18:26; Ecclesiastes 11:1; Ephesians 5:8

Post/Tweet today: The gullible miss out on God’s best, but the shrewd know how to manage well the wisdom of God. #shrewd

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry

info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. Luke 15:28-29

Some religious people feel responsible for monitoring other’s behavior with moral smugness. They judge people’s motives, while their own heart becomes filled with a sense of superiority. These defenders of their definition of decency feel no need for mercy, nor do they offer mercy. The Bible becomes a “billy club” to whip people into shape with bouts of shame and guilt. Ironically, moral police lack moral authority. Their pronouncements are birthed from pride, not pity.

The moral police person is driven by anger. They are not satisfied until everyone they know conforms to their standards. They become especially perturbed when a sinner repents and is accepted back into the fold of faith. Cynically they say, “Is his conversion real?” “If anyone deserves recognition and rewards for their behavior, I do, because I have always been a good person.” Indeed, their pious prayers preach down to those less religious. They become a closed minded judge and jury.

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry... But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry? Jonah 4:1,4

Has your religious zeal drifted into the arrogant attitude of the older brother in Jesus’ story: jealous, judgmental and joyless? Are you bound up within because life doesn’t seem to listen to your demands? The same Lord you represent can free you from being a self appointed judge. Take a step off your religious pedestal of pride and kneel in humble brokenness. Confess the need to be free from an attitude of moral superiority and admit to being a chief of sinners.

The moral police of Jesus’ day had Him crucified. Today we are called to be crucified with Christ, so we are reminded of our weak condition outside the love and grace of God. Yes, there are standards God expects us to obey. Christ calls us to a high level of moral and ethical behavior. However, it is the inner work of the Spirit that conforms us into the image of Christ. Truth transforms us from the inside out, so we walk in humility not pride. God is our judge.

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Matt. 7:1-3, The Message

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for judging others and neglecting my own proud heart.

Related Readings: Luke 6:41-42; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 5:12; James 4:11

Post/Tweet today: A person who feels morally superior is not satisfied until everyone else conforms to their standards. #moralpolice

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry

info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

The great God of the Universe and those in the presence of angels rejoice when a single sinner repents. A conversion to Christ is a big, big deal to the Lord. Like a body healed of disease celebrates wholeness, a soul healed of sin’s terminal illness can’t help but bring glory to God in celebratory praise. What was lost is found. What was estranged from the Holy Spirit is unified with God’s Spirit. What was sentenced to hell is pardoned for heaven. New life deserves a party!

Do you make a special effort to recognize a friend or relative’s decision to trust Christ? Perhaps you attend their baptism, buy them a Bible, or lead them through a discipleship process for new believers. Maybe you throw a party with a delicious meal and a time of affirmation for the one who has passed from death to life. Just like caring attention is deservedly given to a physical birth, so time and money are great investments in a new birth. Celebrate a new Christian’s faith!

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14

Be intentional not to take for granted someone, who by grace, engaged God for the very first time. A faith that becomes too familiar with itself is a tired faith. However, a faith fired by the flames of a fresh faith is energized and reminded of its past zeal. Oh the joy of being a spiritual parent and grandparent. Alive and well are disciples who are blessed to experience a soul’s new creation within relationships they love. Yes, there is no greater joy than serving as a spiritual obstetrician.

Our Heavenly Father throws a party for those who have come home to Christ. He laughs and sings songs of jubilation when His children repent of foolish living and turn to trust in Him. He expects His other children to join Him in a euphoric expression of gratitude over one sinner who has come to their senses. A saved soul is extremely valuable in eternity’s currency. Like a found silver coin on earth is a converted soul in heaven. A conversion to Christ is cause for rejoicing!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I rejoice with You over those who have come to faith in Jesus.

Related Readings: Psalm 51:12, 95:1; Isaiah 65:14; Daniel 12:3; 1 John 2:1

Post/Tweet today: A faith too familiar with itself is a tired faith. However, a faith fired by the flames of a fresh faith is energized. #newbelievers

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry

info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. Matthew 18:35

Forgiveness is a serious matter to our Heavenly Father. It is so significant that He gave His only son, Jesus, on a cruel Cross as forgiveness for our sins. Forgiveness wipes clean a debt that was humanly impossible to pay: only the sinless One can forgive sin. Because of God’s monumental mercy on us, He expects us to extend this unconditional grace to our offenders. Gratitude has a long memory of His great grace. We forgive freely because God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us!

Our heartfelt forgiveness gives us freedom. It frees us to be who God wants us to be. Forgiveness frees us from the need to pay back or heap guilt and condemnation on the one who hurt us. When we let go of anger, even bitterness, our emotional energy is free to comfort and care for the needs of other searching souls. A heart bound up in its own hurt cannot even care for itself. Indeed, forgiveness shifts our focus from the idol of self pity to the praise of God’s mercy.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

You sin when you chose not to forgive. Furthermore, your fellowship with your Heavenly Father is stifled without your heartfelt forgiveness. Your intimacy erodes without the clean slate of forgiveness from Christ. So, how can you know if you have truly forgiven someone who has hurt, even violated you? You begin to bless them instead of curse them. You talk well about them behind their back. You pray for them to grow in God’s grace. Forgiveness frees you to love well.

There is a risk involved in your heartfelt forgiveness. Your offender may continue their disrespectful, potentially harmful behavior. They may take advantage of your goodwill. Your forgiveness is no guarantee they will change, but you will change. Christ will conform you into His work of grace, mercy and love. God will deal with the unruly ones in His timing. Their conscience is the Holy Spirit’s auditor who will bring them into account. Your heartfelt forgiveness reveals God’s heart.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your great forgiveness compels me to forgive freely.

Related Readings: Luke 6:37; Ephesians 4:2, 4:32; Colossains 2:14; James 2:13

Post/Tweet today: Our conscience is the Holy Spirit’s auditor who brings us into account. #accountability
© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry
info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Luke 15:4

Love takes the lead in looking out for the needs of another. Grace is a prayerful process of anticipating how someone may be hurting or feeling insecure in their loneliness. Love does not wait until a suffering soul solicits relief, rather compassion is a cure in search of a wounded spirit. Friends or family may wander away to do their own thing, but love keeps up with them. Mercy connects creatively with a cavalier comrade. Love leaves the many to care for the one.

Is one person really worth our effort? Absolutely! Jesus died for us as individuals. A schoolmate or relative probably reached out to us when we were outside the faith. Yes, our prayers for a single soul need to be followed up with expressions of their worth to God and to us. Your love is irresistible in its affect on those sucked into the world’s system. Thus, give without expecting anything in return and you will see some return to their Savior. Go love for God.

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. Ezekiel 34:11
Moreover, your Heavenly Father is relentless in His love for you. Sin may have scattered you to the fringes of His green pastures, but He still desires you. Your soul may feel distant from faith’s security, if so, surrender back to your Great Shepherd’s care. If your confidence is crippled let Christ lift you in His arms of love and carry you back to the care of His faith community. The Lord of the Universe is concerned about your one concern, so cast your cares on Your Lover.
Above all, receive the love of the Lord and the love of others. Pride resists help, but humility invites support from Jesus and His followers. Love retained is hope regained. Other green pastures beyond the fence posts of faith are a fallacy. Nothing can compete with Christ’s love. Allow Him to shepherd your soul through anger, conflict, rejection and disrespect. Your Heavenly Father initiates love for you, so you can propagate His love to lost people. Love initiates!
He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely. Micah 5:4

Prayer: Heavenly Father thanks for pursing me when I drift away from your love and care.

Related Readings: Psalm 23:1-6, 119:176; Jeremiah 31:10; Luke 19:10; Hebrews 13:10

Post/Tweet today: Pride resists help, but humility invites support from Jesus and His followers. Love retained is hope regained. #love

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry
info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men.  Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there.  If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”  Judges 7:4

Less of some things can mean opportunity to trust in God with more things. This is why the sifting by your Savior need not be discouraging. His goal is not to harm you, but to strip you from any dependence on yourself or others and to rely solely on Him. Your financial limitations are an occasion to watch Him provide in ways that give Him the glory for your life. Less money means you have the occasion to trust Him with His creative provision.

When some of your friends fall away it stings; but your best friend, Jesus, still remains. You can become involved with numerous relationships and miss engaging in intimacy with your Heavenly Father. Fewer true friends will lead to richer relationships and more time with God. If your life is driven by one new relationship after another you will drown in shallow living. Having fewer earthly relationships means you have more time for your Heavenly One. Less is more.

Take the time to shed the weight of worry and watch God work. A surrendered life can be efficiently leveraged. However, a life independent of God is severely limited in its influence. He is positioning you for unprecedented leadership and influence. Now is the time to quit mourning your losses and move on. You have a new lease on life with the Lord, so follow His lead. Watch Him take your “five loaves of bread and two fish” (Matthew 14:17-19) and multiply them way beyond your efforts and enthusiasm. What God breaks He rebuilds to be dependent on Him, and more influential. This rebuilding process has simplified your life; so don’t revert to complicated living. Less is truly more.

If “more is more” is your motto, you can easily become mean-spirited and hard to live with. A “more is more” mantra eventually becomes meaningless. You achieve and receive more, but to what end? There is no fulfillment outside of Kingdom-minded motives. If it is all about you, you will become miserable. If, on the other hand, it is less of you and more of Him, everyone is happy. This is how God works. “‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble’” (Luke 1:52).

Therefore, lower the volume of activity and wait in quietness. It may be time to talk less and listen more. The calming presence of Christ is priceless, so tap into His reservoir of renewal. Less worldly thinking and more heavenly thinking leads to discerning the will of God. Don’t just stand in awe of His robust accomplishments through your meager efforts. Now is the time to use this momentum generated by your Master. God is on a roll and you have the privilege of joining Him. By faith, stop doing two things before you add one. Slow down so God can speed up. Focus on quality and watch Him multiply the quantity. God wants to do more with less so He gets the glory. Decrease, so He can increase (John 3:30, KJV). Less is more—less of you and more of Him.

Post/Tweet: Shed the weight of worry and watch God work out His will. #Godworks

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

“Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you”?’” (Exodus 4:1).

Moses experienced the “what if” trap. “What if they do not believe me or listen to me?” And several thousand years later we struggle with the same doubts. What if they reject me? What if they say no? What if they say yes? What if I fail? What if I am hurt? What if they do not understand? If God has led us thus far and if His track record is one of faithfulness, are we not really saying, “What if God does not do what He said He will do?” Doubt detaches us from trust in the character of Christ.

If we are not careful, our beliefs and behavior can reflect this kind of irrational thinking about God. We really struggle at times (right before we take that step of faith) and wonder if God is really true to His Word and if He will come through for us. Yet we know that God has never failed us. His timing may have been different than we expected, but He has not failed usand He will not fail us. Knowing this, we still struggle with doubt. Why is this?

“Then he [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe’” (John 20:27).

Doubt is a normal part of the trust process. We go through doubt on the way to trust in the Lord. Even the most faithful followers of Jesus deal with doubt (see Matthew 11:2). However, the danger of doubt is remaining in doubt. Extended striving over doubt can paralyze you. It can paralyze your relationships, your finances, your career advancement, and, worst of all, your obedience to God. He is either trustworthy or He is not.

Lastly, the greatest difficulty is when we are in the middle of tremendous adversity or uncertainty. God’s posture is one of continual compassion and sincere love. He is there to walk with you. He is leading you, and He will provide the needed skills, finances, health, and relationships for you to accomplish His will. Let Him use this time of trial to, once again, show that He is God.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory”(Ephesians 3:20–21).

Lord, how do You want to empower me to face my doubts and fears by faith in You?

Related Readings: Jeremiah 1:6; Mark 11:23; James 1:6; Jude 1:22

Post/Tweet: The danger of doubt is  remaining in doubt, so we move through doubt by faith. #doubt

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. Genesis 3:17

Work, many times, is work. Painful toil is a consequence of what happened in the beginning—God cursed the ground because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Labor became laborious; instead of paradise in the sinless Garden of Eden there was blood, sweat and tears mingled with sin. Work is not meant to be ease, but intense effort.

“So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:23).

Is your work a struggle? Are you in one of the most stressful seasons of your career? If so, God doesn’t waste pain. It’s in your discomfort that He comforts and in your unease that He gives courage. If the Lord has your attention in an environment out of your control, stay true to what you can do and leave the results with God. In stress seek Jesus. “So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:20).

Furthermore, see work as worship to Almighty God; a sacrifice of service you lay before Himfor the Holy Spirit to ignite with power and effectiveness. Lift your heart and head in humility; present your hands and feet by faith—all for God’s glory. Silently sing in sincere worship while you work. Worshipful music does for the ears what the Sistine Chapel does for the eyes—it's lovely to listen to for the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Lastly, look at your work as a testament to excellence on behalf of Jesus. Your ministry is your work and your work is your ministry. Monday through Saturday are not secular days of service, but a Christian’s sacred obligation to model their faith with first rate work. Perhaps you facilitate a Bible study at lunch, or before or after hours. Your outstanding effort in the enterprise earns you the right to prayerfully and graciously share your faith.

So—when job security is jittery and insecure—exhibit  God's peace  in the form of calm contentment and patient perseverance. Work struggles are the scenario where others can see you act out what you say you believe. Perhaps your bold belief during adverse work conditions activates believers and leads unbelievers to begin their belief in Christ.

“Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9).

Prayer: Do struggles at work lead me to worship my Savior Jesus and model excellent work?

Related Readings: Ecclesiastes 8:15; 2 Corinthians 11:26-31; Revelation 9:19-20

Post/Tweet today: Our ministry is our work and our work is our ministry. #work

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry

info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com

Boyd Bailey

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything cannot be my disciples. Luke 14:33

Abandonment is the attitude of disciples of Jesus Christ. Utter abandonment to fame, fortune, friends and family to carry out Christ’s calling. I don’t like these hard words of Jesus, but they are a test of my true love for Him. Am I a casual Christian or am I a committed Christian?Motivations of convenience and comfort bear the fruit of shallow spirituality while the desire of death to self bears the fruit of unencumbered obedience. Count the costs before commitment.

Zealous fools begin, but do not proceed down the path of the Lord’s purposes for their life. However, as a sober minded disciple who counted the costs, you answered Christ’s call to follow Him. Your commitment was based on the courage and resolution to do the next right thing, regardless. The gates of hell do not prevail, because you are executing God’s game plan. There is a visceral sense of destiny because you are following the most trusted One, Jesus. He is worth it!

Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 2 John 1:8

Furthermore, tribulation and persecution will come when we persistently love and serve in Jesus' name. The outside forces of radical resistance are not meant to be met with our radical activism. A combative and harsh religion loses its attractiveness to the spiritually unattractive. Thus, when we feel pressure to conform to the culture, we invite the Holy Spirit to conform us into the likeness of Jesus. He raises the stakes with our radical love, forgiveness, acceptance and service.

Have you given up everything for God, only to experience His generous return policy? All we have is His anyway, but our gracious Heavenly Father allows us to steward His assets. What we desperately hold on to, He often  takes and gives away. What we freely let go of, He may give back, since we can trusted with His blessings. Therefore, count the costs as a Christ follower by being a radical doer of the Word. Be known by how well you love. Give up everything for Him!

I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

Prayer: Heavenly Father, my heart is to die to self and to live for You.

Related Readings: Jeremiah 9:23-24; Psalm 73:25; Romans 8:36; 1 Corinthians 15:31

Post/Tweet today: When we feel pressure to conform to the culture, we invite the Holy Spirit to conform us into the likeness of Jesus. #conformed

© 2013 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.

Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry

info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com