7 Keys to Wise Christian Living
Ask God for guidance so that you can live wisely.
What is Wise Living?
King Solomon is considered to be the wisest man that has ever lived, and he declared that "wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom" ( Proverbs 4:7). The fact is, Solomon himself asked for wisdom to govern his people at the start of his reign as king of Israel.
God was pleased with his request and promised him:
“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be" (1 Kings 3: 11, 12)
We too can ask God for wisdom to take the appropriate actions in every situation. We simply have to ask. We are told, that if we lack wisdom and ask God for it, he will give a generous supply to all who ask (James 1:5 ). Look to God for wisdom to meet the challenges of your daily life and to make decisions.
It is easy to lose sight of the things that are really valuable in life and become focused on the gloss and drama in the lives of the rich and the famous. But our loving Heavenly Father wants to help us to get a good sense of what is valuable. These seven steps could help us to live wisely.
1. Nurture Your Faith
As Christians, our faith is central to our ability to live wisely. We received Jesus Christ through faith and were born into the family of God. We need then to continue to live by faith. In fact, the Bible shows that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrew 11:6 NIV).
Just as we responded by faith to the Gospel, our response in every situation in our Christian walk should be anchored in our faith in God. We began by faith, and we continue in faith; responding by faith to God's grace in every circumstance.
We must take steps to build our faith daily by spending time with our Father who wants to fellowship with us. We need to take time to talk to him and read and meditate on his Word. Prayer is conversation with God; talk to him and listen to what he has to say to you.
God sent his Holy Spirit to help us, and to lead us along the right path. Then he strengthens and gives us the wisdom and power to deal successfully with the issues of life.
2. Demonstrate Love and Compassion
A mark of being a Christian is the love we show to others. The people around us, our families colleagues, and friends will know that we are disciples of Christ by our love (John 13:35). While it is easy to love some people, loving others is sometimes challenging, yet we are called to love.
The good news is that God gives us the ability to love. His love flows into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). As we freely receive God's love that we don't deserve in our own lives, we have more than enough to pass on to others whether they are lovable or not.
In my own life, there were times when it was difficult to love people who hurt me, but over the years I have drawn on that verse. I tell myself, "I can love this person because the Word of God says God's love is poured in my heart."
Let us also remember how Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the needs of the people. For example, when he healed the man with leprosy (Mark 1:41). Like Jesus, we need to show compassion to those in need and not turn a blind eye.
3. Build Strong, Healthy Relationships
An important ingredient to living wisely is to cultivate strong healthy relationships and friendships. We all need a community of mutual support, encouragement, and inspiration to share our joys, and cheer us on when the going gets tough.
Such friendships are capable of weathering the storms of life, and we see the best in others. Wise Solomon in the book of Proverbs points out that “a friend loves at all time” (Proverbs 17:17 NIV). All of us need a feeling of belonging, and this comes through our relationship with God and with others.
As we build our relationship with our Heavenly Father, out such riches should flow nurturing relationships with others. Reflect for a minute on the relationship between David and Jonathon in the Bible. This illustrates true friendship to the extent that Jonathan disclosed his father's wicked scheme to David and saved his life (1 Samuel 20).
Promote Healthy Family life
Strong family ties are very important. We need to treasure our marriage relationships and take steps to build intimacy that holds our marriages together. Out of this commitment to each other in our marriages, will flow nurturing family environment in which our children can thrive. An important goal should be to raise our children to develop values, qualities, and skills that will prepare them for life.
4. Make Good Use of Your Time
What is God's purpose for our lives? Knowing God's will for our lives should be the guide we use to largely determine how we use our time. When we use this knowledge as our monitor, then we are better able to put the responsibilities and activities of our lives in proper perspective.
Like, David in the Bible we need to ask God to, "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts" (Psalm 90:12, CSB). In the fast pace of today's world, there are so many things we need to do. But every step of our journey, we need God's wisdom to chart the course.
It is through God's wisdom and guidance that we are able to manage and make the most of our time. This enables us to heed the Apostle Paul's admonition to "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5).
We have abilities, spiritual gifts, and talents, that we must use to achieve God's purpose in our lives, serve the welfare of others, and glorify our Father in Heaven. Take the prophet, Nehemiah for example, although he was far away in another country when found out about the state his own country was in, he asked God's guidance as to the steps to change the situation.
We need to truly understand the value of time and make good use of it. Like Nehemiah, we can gain the godly insight to make the right decisions for time is truly a gift to us.
5. Manage Money Wisely
Money is important to our lives, and so we need to learn to manage it wisely. As Christians, we need to see ourselves as stewards of the money we have. It means, therefore, that our attitudes to money should reflect proper balance to use it wisely.
So much emphasis is placed on material success in the world today, and while God wants us to prosper, abundance is not just to spend on ourselves. So we are reminded in the Bible that God loves a cheerful giver, so giving to the work of God and others should be an important part of proper management of our money.
We need to ask God for insight as to the best ways to use money. Afterward, we should set proper priorities for our finances by making realistic budgets and sticking to them. Taking care of our bills and establishing savings accounts are important parts of being good financial stewards.
“So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise” (Ephesians 5:15 NLT).
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we might gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).
6. Learn from Your Failures
Throughout life, there are times when we face failures and disappointments. But we should never allow them to cause us to give up on our dreams, and stop us from achieving the purpose God placed in our hearts. We will be able to triumph in the face of our storms as we learn to trust our lives to our loving Heavenly Father.
Even in challenging times, we must continue to stand on God's promises. For example, the promise is true for us as it was for Joshua, when God told him, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). In addition, in all our failures and disappointments there are important lessons we can learn. We can learn from our mistakes and be resilient in face of adversity, for God is with us.
Living Wisely: Points to Consider
Nurture Your Faith
Show love and compassion
Build strong, healthy relationships
Make good use of your time
Manage money carefully
Learn from your failures
Promote a balanced life
Find satisfaction in the work you do, but also find the right balance with other aspects of your life including your spirituality and your relationships.
7. Promote a Balanced Life
We must find purpose and balance, by pulling all the aspects of our lives together in a cohesive whole. Life balance is finding equilibrium among the components of our lives.
Our overall well-being is dependent on looking at life from a holistic perspective. While life balance might be different for all of us, the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical aspects of our lives must be considered.
Our work is essential to us, and so we earn money through work as we use our time and energy. In the process, we pursue career goals and develop our talents and abilities that will bring glory to God. We should find satisfaction in our work as channels of serving others
In all of this, we must find balance in our work and guard against burnout caused by over-extending ourselves. Also, while work is important to us, it cannot take the place of other areas of our lives such as our relationships, health, involvement in our churches, and other activities.
We must take care of our emotional well-being, for example, managing our stress levels. This begins by castings all our worries and concerns on God for he cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). Physical wellness is also important and this includes eating right, and adequate sleep and exercise.
Prayer for Wisdom
"Heavenly Father, I thank you for life. I surrender my life to you. I ask for your divine wisdom to empower me to live my life well. Help me to glorify you with my life and serve others. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen."
