Episode 11
A Heart of Godly Wisdom
Psalm 90: 10,12
© Dani Banggo 12/28/2023
Hello everyone! From the beautiful island of Maui, I want to greet you with a warm ALOHA! I hope you are doing great today as this devotional meditation finds you. Welcome to “Gospel in the Air,” a 30-minute devotional program that will inspire and encourage your daily walk with Jesus. May I invite you again to join me in this short devotional meditation. May you be enlightened with new insights for living as the Spirit of God reveals His passion for humankind to be saved, that is, that no one should perish but all will come to repentance. But before we begin our devotion may we have a word of prayer. Let us pray:
Dear God, Heavenly Father, bless your holy name! Thank you for giving your servant another day of airing this podcast which, is a rare opportunity to proclaim the Good News that is available to anyone who will accept your offer of grace through Jesus your Son for their salvation. May you touch lives as I preach your words today and I ask your Spirit to convict my listeners wherever they are today in any part of the world. I ask the same that your word will not return to you empty but it will succeed and will bring result according to what you desire to accomplish. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Our devotional meditation is taken from the book of Psalms 90: 10, 12
10 The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Our devotional meditation is entitled, A Heart of Godly Wisdom
Today’s lesson is a prayer of Moses to God. A prayer based primarily on the actual account of God’s wrath against the stubbornness of the Hebrew people. Instead of trusting God wholeheartedly they never ceased grumbling and complaining and treated the Lord with contempt. While it is true that the Lord’s faithfulness endures, which Jonah the prophet addresses Him as a “gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4: 2b) this character of God did not apply to them because of their blatant disobedience by testing Him not only once but ten times, meaning repeatedly without end despite seeing His glory and the miraculous signs He performed in Egypt (Num.14: 22). As a result of their sin every one of them 20 years old and above died in the desert and never had a chance to enter the Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua who never relent their faith but obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly and those children of Israel 19 years old and below. They were the only ones allowed by the Lord to enter His rest. Not even Moses was spared but he was only given a chance to view a glimpse of the Promised Land at Mt. Nebo and then he passed away.
King Solomon was right when he said that now we must remember our Creator while we are still young because whether we like it or not as we approach our years, we will always face sorrow and pain (Ecc.12: 1). And then he adds, “God will bring judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed” (Ecc.3: 17). In other words, what will be our countenance when at the end the Lord judges us? What can we say then when we face the final arbiter of our soul? Where will be the proud, and the arrogant and the boastful philosophers and wise of this world when the Lord faces them in all His splendor and glory? Can they withstand Him when He appears in His shining glory?
Moses’ prayer implies that while our life here on earth is too short to live by, we must not waste our opportunity but spend it wisely by asking the Lord to teach us to number our days so that we can apply our hearts unto wisdom. The same holds true with Paul’s letter to the Christians at Ephesus when he wrote them saying, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5: 15, 16). There are some who take life for granted with this hedonistic principle by saying boastfully, “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you will die.” Indeed, regret always comes to an end. The true value of one’s life is always realized when it is already too late; and this is the pitfall of many who dare not to open their eyes and ears to the offer of God’s grace. Like the early people of God who were stubborn and never learned their lesson the same holds true today in many instances. In other words, Moses is telling God, Lord when will we ever learn your wisdom? How long will we ever change our ways and listen to you wholeheartedly? When will we change our lifestyle and follow your ways and stop sinning? Our life here on earth is but 70 or 80 years and then we pass away. Since that’s how short we live then we need to be conscientious and be wise and ask the same prayer of Moses. Have you somehow thought of that prayer too?
Let us look deeper and consider fully the life expectancies before and after the flood of Noah and compare it to the present time. Accordingly, before the flood the book of Genesis records some of the years of the ancient people. Adam lived for 930 years. Seth 912, Enos 905, Cainan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jared 962, Enoch 965 (but he did not die but was taken up to heaven), Methuselah 969, Lamech 777, and Noah 950 (he was 500 years old when he begat Shem, Ham, & Japhet). After the flood there was a great reduction in life expectancy. Consider the following: Abraham lived only for 175 years; Jacob 147, Moses 120, and Joshua 110. Today it is reported that life expectancies in developed countries are only up to 71 years; while in less developed countries 52 years. That’s how short our life today is compared with those in ancient times. Why is this so? How come our lifespan is now reduced to a very limited number of years? The answer according to the Bible is because of man’s wickedness. Genesis 6: 3 say, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years (120)” And furthermore the Bible continues “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (Gen.6: 6). In short, God was totally disappointed and even regretted that He created man. Hence, He reduced our days because of the increase of wickedness. Notice the trend of our years from 969 to 120 to 80.
Today I want to share with you some spiritual insights that I believe would help you in some ways organize our lives for God’s greater glory.
The first is to resolve and plan things out.
In Proverbs 16: 9 it says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” This simply means that if we commit our plans and desires to the Lord His promise is that He will always guide us along the way. He will determine our steps. How reassuring to know this promise of God to His children who trust Him. We will not lose any opportunity but will always succeed if we follow this great principle of life. It is us who make the difference of how we want to live today and if we abide with His word then surely the same God who blessed Joshua and Caleb and all those who trusted Him will be the same God who never changes. He is always faithful and good, and His love endures forever. Yes, this is what the Scripture says that we must be people who have foresight regarding our future. We must think and plan things out. If you want to succeed and be blessed by God, then you must start it today what you want to accomplish in the future. You must begin now what you want to become in the years ahead. Bear in mind, however, that there is more to everything we value and cherish dearly in this world, which is the kind of life with God, that is eternal. In other words, have you considered your future life hereafter? Have you already decided where you will spend eternity? This is the most important question you must settle now. Life is not a guarantee and tomorrow may already be too late. I invite you then to the author of life, our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ. Make Him your priority today and be assured of His salvation. This is what Moses meant of a man having a heart of godly wisdom. This leads us to the second point which is…
To stick to your plan.
Prov.28: 20 says, “A faithful man will be richly blessed…”
In other words, carry out your plans faithfully. You will be blessed if you commit it to Him. You should always be inspired to accomplish things even how small it is as long as it is something worthwhile or of great value, which will not only be beneficial to yourself but even to others as well. You should always be proactive in our view of life and always be positive in our dispositions. You will indeed be a blessing to others. It is not a question of whether one is young or old. Anyone can still accomplish a lot and be beneficial especially when you commit your ways to the Lord. If you are in the middle of a storm right now hold on patiently with your faith and wait upon the Lord. The prophet Isaiah exhorts us to entrust our cares to God instead of relying on our own strength. This is what he said, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40: 31). In short, his message to you is not to give up but to rest all your cares to God (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7). What you are undergoing right now is only temporary because the Lord has greater plans for you. His plan as the Bible says is to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). What the Lord wants to see in you is your faith coupled with action (Jas. 2:14). He wants to test your faith in how you handle the pressures brought about the cares of this life. In other words, He wants to know how much you trust Him. King Solomon reminds us of his proverbs by saying: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Prov. 3:4-5). There is no reason for you not to surrender your life to Jesus Christ by faith and keep postponing your desire to fully commit your life to Him. This is now the time for you to act by receiving His grace of forgiveness and be saved. He is knocking at the door of your heart right now. The Lord wants to commune with you. Why don’t you welcome Him in your life? Commit your ways unto Him who gives you His grace and mercies. This leads us to the third and final point which is …
To rest on God for everything.
Prov.16: 3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” There are many promises of the Lord written in the Scripture, but you don’t have them due to lack of knowledge for not reading the Bible or even if you know them you don’t claim them and as a result you end up miserably. In most cases when being faced with a problem you want to solve it in your own terms instead of relying on the living God. As a result, you don’t have peace in your heart, but trouble haunts you until you turn to Him.
How are you today? What is your situation right now? Are you in the middle of a crisis? Are you struggling? Are you hurting? God promises that He will show you which path to take if you lean on Him (Prov. 3: 5). He also promises to take care of everything if you go to Him and cast all your anxieties to Him (1 Pet. 5:7). Furthermore, He promises to give the desires of your heart if you enjoy serving Him (Ps. 37:4). These are some of the promises of God and there are a lot more of them as you discover His Word. So, whatever your situation right now, trust Him and count on His promises. God’s love endures forever (Ps. 136:1). Sometimes He allows you to face a blank wall to teach you a lesson in life to equip you and to develop in you a strong character. Remember again the prayer of Moses? The average span of our life is too short, 70 to 80 years only! And as we advance in years, we will not be exempted from experiencing all sorts of trouble and sorrow before we die. That should be a wakeup call for us not to take life for granted by keeping on accumulating wealth that only lasts for a while. Why waste any given opportunity that is available right now? Your plans and desires in life can only be fulfilled if you depend and rely on the Lord.
This is God’s message to you that you need to make a right decision now for your life. You need to think about it deeply and plan the course of your actions otherwise you will miss the mark. This is a very serious matter to consider because even God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in order that no one will perish but everyone will come to repentance and be saved (2 Pet. 3:9). If this is not a serious matter, then our Lord didn’t have to die on the cross and suffer all the shame. If this is not important then there wouldn’t be any preaching of the gospel message today. My faith and your faith would have amounted to nothing. The preaching of God’s Word is a very serious matter, and this means heaven or hell. This is the reason why Jesus Christ was born and took the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7) to save humankind by His sacrifice on the cross.
The Holy Spirit testifies about the truthfulness of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection (Rom. 8:11) so that you may have life and you may have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10b). He is calling you today to accept Jesus Christ in your heart by making Him to be your Lord and Savior. Where do you invest your life today? Are you busy with the cares of life that you have forgotten the Lord who provides you with everything? Consider your life right now, why do you worry so much and have so many concerns? Make God as your priority by seeking his reign in your heart and live righteously. The Lord is waiting for you to decide for your life. This is now your chance – your greatest opportunity because life has no guarantee of the future. You might be enjoying life with a high paying job. You possess good fortune and own several properties. In short, you are a definition of worldly success. This is very noble and there is nothing wrong with it. But I say it again, life is not a guarantee. You do not know what will happen today, or tomorrow, or the next day. Unless, you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ by faith then truly your life is not secured, your future is not guaranteed.
In closing, I want to illustrate our devotional lesson by quoting what our Lord Jesus Christ has warned about the danger of getting rich in one of His parables regarding a rich man who is a fool which is found in Lk. 12:16-21:
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matt.16: 25). Yes, choose Jesus Christ today for eternal life in heaven. He is the only hope of your salvation and there is no other name whereby anyone must be saved. Consider your life today. Where do spend the rest of it? You may not even realize that the Lord has extended your life because he has been waiting for you for a long time now? Do you realize that He loves you so much and that He cares for you? What are you still waiting for my friend? Why don’t you commit your life to Him and make Jesus Christ your Master and Savior? As the Scripture says there are only 2 choices you can choose from and that’s either heaven or hell. If you choose to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, then act now and don’t delay it. Salvation will be yours!
Let us pray: Dear Lord in heaven, thank you so much for this opportunity of declaring your message through this podcast. Continue to touch lives. I pray that your words will not return to you empty but that they will continue to take root in the lives of those who listened today. May your grace abound and your mercies overflow in their hearts. May you name be glorified and praised through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen!
It is my prayer that you have been blessed today. Listen to this podcast, Gospel in the Air, and be encouraged in your daily walk with Jesus. Gospel in the Air is a podcast ministry of Cornerstone Christian Church. We are located in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Our number is (808) 463-8859. You can also visit our website at www.cornerstonemaui.org or you can send your email to danibanggo@gmail.com. This is your host, Brother Dani Marantan Banggo saying, keep punching the good fight of faith. Mahalo!
