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Part 3 Wanted: Wisdom – One Head, Not Two!

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God . . . only it must be in faith . . . For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].”
James 1:5-8 AMPC

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have two heads, thus having two minds? For most women that could be a rather disconcerting thought. I often have a difficult time making up my one mind, much less two! For most of us, I doubt we’d be as cheery as the two-headed woman pictured here.

Sometimes I have no problem making a firm decision and sticking with it. Yet, there are the harder choices such as which restaurant to pick when your husband decides to take you out, or which shirt looks best with these jeans. Then, there is the ultimate daily “What shall I cook for dinner tonight?” dilemma!

All jokes aside, we have much to learn from James’ warning in the Scripture text for today. The Amplified Bible portrays the doubter as having two minds. Other translations use descriptions like double-minded man, unstable, divided loyalty between God and the world, two-souled, indecisive, and two ways of thinking at the same time.

I saw a good illustration of the double-minded mentality on a Bonanza episode recently. The show centered on a man and his wife who had fallen on hard times and were struggling to keep their ranch. The man, wanting to provide nice things for his wife and son, had collaborated with some outlaws so he could have more money for his family. No one, his wife, friends, or even the Cartwrights’, suspected such behavior. When the truth came out, his poor choices created chaos, distrust, and great conflict for all involved. He certainly had not prayed for wisdom regarding the circumstances in his life.

O Father, we don’t want to waver in our faith and be unstable in all our ways. As the apostles of old, we plead for You to increase our faith!

[Digging deeper – Matthew 6:24; Luke 17:5-6; James 4:8]

Stay tuned for Part 4 Wanted: Wisdom – Get It? Got It. Good!

Striving for wise single-mindedness,

Beverly <><

 

Photo Credit: Image courtesy of: http://freemybrain.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/04/two_headed.jpg

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