wisdom | Craig T. Owens

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Thursdays With Oswald—All Of Me

May 15, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

All Of Me

Never run away with the idea that you are a person who has a spirit, has a soul and has a body; you are a person that is spirit, soul and body. Man is one; body, soul and spirit are terms of definition. My body is the manifest “me.” Some of us are so dominated by the body that our spirit lives only in the physical domain, instead of the physical being slowly taken into the spiritual by a series of moral choices. Our spirit goes no further than we bring our body.

From Conformed To His Image

God created us as a three-part, integrated being. Quite simply, all parts are interdependent on each other.

If my body is diseased, it’s hard for me to develop my soul and spirit. If my emotions are out-of-balance, it adversely affects by body and spirit. If my spirit is still weighed down by sin, it cannot but affect my body and soul.

I love the brief description Dr. Luke gives us about how Jesus grew up: Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people (Luke 2:52). Let me state this verse differently. Jesus grew healthily…

…in wisdom (His mind)
…in stature (His physical body)
…in favor with God (His soul)
…in favor with all the people (His emotions and relationships)

Jesus showed us well-round, healthy growth. If you are diseased in your body, talk to a doctor about remedies; if you are diseased in your soul, talk to a counselor or psychologist about your emotional health; if you are diseased in your spirit, talk to God about forgiveness.

**Don’t let one part of you hold you back from being all the you God created you to be!**

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: emotional health, forgiveness, God's favor, Gospel of Luke, interdependent, Jesus Christ, mental health, Oswald Chambers, physical health, relationships, sin, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

But Power!

May 14, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

It’s not quite a League Of Justice superhero power … but it’s pretty close! Beginning in the first verse of Proverbs 10, King Solomon introduces a small, but powerful, conjunction—

The wise son brings joy to his father, BUT a foolish son grief to his mother (10:1).

Starting here and in nearly every following verse for the next 12 chapters(!) you will find this powerful little 3-letter word.

Sometimes it’s a “yet” and sometimes the semicolon implies the “but,” but it’s there in all of it’s life-changing strength!

**Whatever the scenario, Solomon lists the stark contrast between a life on which God’s blessing can rest, and a foolish life that is immune to God’s blessing.**

There’s almost a year’s worth of BUT POWER in these chapters. Why don’t you contemplate just one contrasting statement everyday and see what God begins to reveal to you.

BUT POWER is here to save the day!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, blessing, God's Word, proverbs, Scripture, Solomon, superhero, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

I Can’t Really Know

April 30, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Solomon wrote, “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).

Conventional wisdom teaches me to persevere no matter what—keep going! head down and power through! don’t quit! Yet Solomon’s counsel is unconventional—there is a time to stop and take refuge; there is a time that persevering leads to more pain and no gain.

Prior to Solomon’s writings, the other uses of the Hebrew word he uses for “prudent” (aruwm) are always in the negative sense: the serpent was more crafty (Genesis 3:1), God thwarts the shrewd (Job 5:12), to name just a couple. Solomon uses the same word, but in a positive sense.

It comes down to this: I can’t know whether I’m being shrewd or prudent. I can’t know whether I should stop or press on. Only God knows!

Only the Alpha and Omega knows my end from my beginning. Only the One Who created me with a purpose knows my purpose and my path. Only my Shepherd can tell me when to go forward into green pastures, and when to take refuge beside quiet waters.

My takeaway: I must constantly be in God’s presence, listening for His Voice. I can’t really know when to stay or when to go, but He does know and He is delighted in telling me.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, God's purpose, God's voice, patience, perseverance, proverbs, Scripture, Solomon, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

6 Quotes From Profound Thinkers From “Humility”

April 22, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. David Bobb’s book Humility (you can read my full book review by clicking here). The book was partially a challenge for us to cultivate this virtue in our individual lives and in the fabric of our nation. These are some noteworthy quotes from some noteworthy thinkers that Dr. Bobb referenced.

“This way is first humility, second humility, third humility … if humility does not precede and accompany and follow every good work we do, and if it is not set before us to look upon, and beside us to lean upon, and behind us to fence us in, pride will wrest from our hand any good deed we do while we are in the very act of taking pleasure in it.” —Augustine

“But devout humility makes the mind subject to what is superior. Nothing is superior to God; and that is why humility exalts the mind by making it subject to God.” —Augustine

“Real wisdom is never pretending to seem to know what one does not know.” —Plato

“The Christian virtues are not natural and reasonable virtues of a golden mean but radical virtues of grace.” —Karl Löwith

“Nothing more certainly makes a man ridiculous than an over-forwardness to display his excellencies.” —John Witherspoon

“Smoke has no weight.” —Augustine

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Augustine, book review, David Bobb, grace, humility, John Witherspoon, Karl Lowith, Plato, quotes, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

10 Blessings From Doing Things God’s Way

April 16, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Solomon opens the third chapter of Proverbs with these words, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.” Then he goes on to list the blessings that come from doing things God’s ways. Here they are—

A prosperous, long life (v. 2)
You will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man (v. 4)
Straight paths (v. 6)
Health to your body (v. 8)
Overflowing success for your work (v. 10)
God’s discipline—yes, His discipline is a blessing (v. 12)
God takes you into His confidence (v. 32)
God blesses your home (v. 33)
He gives you grace (v. 34)
He gives you honor (v. 35)

With a list of blessings like that, why would I ever want to try to do things my way?!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, blessing, confidence, discipline, God's favor, grace, health, honor, prosperity, proverbs, Scripture, Solomon, success, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

No Exceptions

April 2, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

King David wrote a coronation psalm for his son Solomon as he ascended the throne in Jerusalem. The opening words say, “Endow the king with Your justice, O God, the royal son with Your righteousness. He will judge Your people in righteousness, Your afflicted ones with justice” (Psalm 72:1-2).

David was calling on God’s blessing on his son, but He was also reminding Solomon that he couldn’t rule without God’s help. David’s singular focus was for God to receive all the glory. He closes the coronation psalm like this: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen” (vv. 18-19).

Solomon started out well. “Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great” (2 Chronicles 1:1). Even when God gave Solomon the option to ask for anything, he choose wisdom “to govern this great people of Yours” (1 Kings 3:7-9).

David strongly impressed on Solomon that obedience to God was the key to God’s blessing on Solomon and on the nation of Israel. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to Him, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (1 Kings 2:2-3).

But there is an ominous word that creeps in very early on in Solomon’s reign. Just one word that foreshadows the downfall that is to come—

Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, EXCEPT… (1 Kings 3:3).

As you’ve probably heard, Solomon’s many foreign wives began to lead him astray from “observing what the Lord your God requires” and eventually became his downfall. But it began right here with the EXCEPT.

It’s all or nothing.

I cannot pick and choose which words from God I’m going to follow and which I’m going to “except.” If God says I must do it, then I must do it!

The EXCEPT will lead to my downfall just as surely as it did for Solomon.

Heavenly Father, may I be so sensitive to the prompting of Your Holy Spirit if I’ve let any EXCEPTs creep into my life. Reveal them to me so that I may repent, show myself a man, and follow You wholeheartedly.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Bible study, blessing, God's glory, Holy Spirit, King David, obedience, prayer, Psalm, Scripture, Solomon, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

The Greatest Words Ever Spoken (book review)

March 18, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

The greatest Man to ever walk the earth had His words recorded for us. The Bible contains the words of Jesus, intermingled with the descriptions of the things He was doing and the reactions of those who heard and saw Him. In The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, Steven K. Scott has given us the words of Jesus gathered together in easy-to-search categories.

Many Bibles print the words of Christ in red to distinguish them from the rest of the text. In The Greatest Words Ever Spoken almost all you will read are red letter words. With only minimal chapter and category headings, and a few brief introductions to each chapter, Steven Scott steps aside and lets Jesus speak for Himself for over 500 pages.

I don’t think I’ve said this about another book before, but one of the most helpful things in this book is the table of contents. Seriously! It is so cool to be able to find a topic on which I want to absorb the perfect wisdom of Jesus Christ, and turn to that collection of His words on a specific topic. And with so many red letters greeting me on each page, I can let my guard down and drink it all in.

I quickly scanned through this entire book to be able to give you my thoughts, but now I am right back into it, reading slowly and hungrily. It’s so good! The full Bible cannot be beat for giving you the context and setting for Christ’s remarks, but when you want to get right down to the bare essence of what the Master said, you can’t beat The Greatest Words Ever Spoken.

I am a Waterbrook Multnomah book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, book review, Jesus Christ, Scripture, Steven Scott, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

Hyper-Mega Dynamite

March 10, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Elf is when Buddy is discovering all the amazing human things in New York City. In a public restroom he stands up on the toilet in his stall to shout to the person occupying the stall next to him, “Have you seen these toilets? They’re ginormous!” It was so amazing to him that gigantic wouldn’t cut it, and neither would enormous, so he combined them together … it’s ginormous!!

When I read Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Ephesus (see Ephesians 1:17-23), I get the sense that even the well-educated apostle was having difficulty finding enough adjectives to describe the amazing inheritance we have in Christ. He mentions things like…

Out-of-this-world wisdom,
divine revelation,
deep and intimate knowledge of God,
a flooding of heavenly light,
supernatural hope, and
an overflowing, incalculable, inestimable, eternally-compounding inheritance!

But then he comes to God’s power and his vocabulary almost fails him. Like Buddy the elf, he starts putting words together to try to convey the vast majesty of this power.

Most Bible translations say something like incomparably great power. But when you look at the Greek you see prefixes like hyper! and mega! and you realize that Paul is saying it’s so beyond gigantic or enormous … it’s ginormous!!

The word for power is “dynamis,” and many people have said that God’s power is like dynamite. But they have it exactly backwards! Dynamite has only been around for 200 years. When dynamite was created it was named after Christians who were living in the hyper-mega, ginormous, dynamic power of Jesus Christ. Christians’ power wasn’t named after dynamite; dynamite was named after empowered Christians!

This is the power in which Christians can live everyday in every way! This is the power God has for you! If you’re living in anything less than hyper-mega dynamite power, perhaps you should pray for yourself the prayer that Paul prayed for us!

We’ll be continuing our series in Ephesians this coming Sunday, and I’d love for you to join us.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle Paul, Bible, Calvary Assembly of God, Christian, dynamite, empowerment, Ephesians, Ephesus, God's power, God's Word, Holy Spirit, hope, inheritance, Jesus Christ, prayer, Revelation, Scripture, sermon, vocabulary, wisdom. 1 Comment »

Keep The Questions Coming

September 9, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Every year I look forward to our Q Series, where I field questions folks have about spiritual matters. Not that I’m an expert, but I’m following the example of The Expert.

Jesus never tired of answering people’s longing questions. Sometimes He gave them a direct answer; sometimes He asked them a question in reply to their question; sometimes He answered their question with a story or parable. But one thing was always consistent: Jesus answered every question in a way that pointed people to His Heavenly Father.

That’s what I am attempting to do in our Q Series.

Yesterday I fielded questions about creation/evolution; Christ’s passion week and His death, burial, and resurrection; the names given to God; and even suicide. I pray each answer created a desire for others to dig deeper in Scripture and learn more about God.

In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as one calling out to those who want help to come to her with their questions. In the New Testament, James writes, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God for help.” So we need to keep asking The One who is The Truth.

If you would like to participate in our Q Series, please join us next Sunday at Calvary Assembly of God, or submit your question in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer it. But even if I can’t, you know where to go!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle James, Calvary Assembly of God, God questions, Jesus Christ, proverbs, Q&A, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

God Chooses Dads

June 17, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

This is an amazing thing God says to Abraham:

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.” (Genesis 18:16-18)

Notice some very important aspects in this passage especially for Dads.

(1) God chose Abraham to be a father.

God doesn’t haphazardly give children to fathers; He places children in homes on purpose. God chooses Dads!

(2) God chose Abraham for a specific paternal responsibility.

God chooses a Dad today for the same reason He chose Abraham: So that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.

(3) Because God gave Abraham this responsibility, He revealed intimate details to him about Abraham’s household.

God asks, “Should I hide this from Abraham?” And then answers His own question with a resounding “No!” by telling Abraham specifically what is about to happen that will affect Abraham’s household (vv. 20-21). God wants to tell you, too, what’s happening in our culture that will affect your children.

(4) Abraham used this insight wisely.

Verse 22 tells us, “Abraham remained standing before the Lord.” Dads, there is no better place for you to be than in God’s presence. If God chose you to be your children’s Dad, and if He specifically gave those children to you, He is your best resource for help in raising God-loving children!

Billy Graham said, “Parenting is the most important responsibility most of us will ever face, and none of us does it perfectly.” But rest assured, God wants to help us do it better!