@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“The professions and trades of those who are going to be accepted into the community must be examined. The nature and type of each must be established… brothel, sculptors of idols, charioteer, athlete, gladiator…give it up or be rejected. A military constable must be forbidden to kill, neither may he swear; if he is not willing to follow these instructions, he must be rejected. A proconsul or magistrate who wears the purple and governs by the sword shall give it up or be rejected. Anyone taking or already baptized who wants to become a soldier shall be sent away, for he has despised God.”
~ Hippolytus (170AD – 236AD)
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

Choose Wisdom

Our age has witnessed an incredible growth in the communication of knowledge. The rise of computing and the internet have made available vast swathes of knowledge that may be accessed by anyone with a suitable device and an internet connection. Developers are working on ways of combining this technology with living cells so that the devices we use today will become largely obsolete. But the rise of information does not necessarily correlate with an increase in wisdom. We do not have to look far to see that despite this dramatic increase in knowledge, poor decision making has not been eradicated at any level of society. A big part of the reason for this is the weakening of Christianity, for God is the Source of all wisdom. As Jesus’ brother James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). As individual men and women choose to daily practise the presence of God, using their imagination to actively listen to His voice as He speaks with them, and then diligently taking what He says to heart, they will grow in wisdom and discernment. It is only then a matter of time before a critical mass is reached and a whole nation become wise.