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We live in the most information-saturated age in the history of the world. All of us are exposed to more content in one day than most people living a century ago encountered in their lifetime. And yet all the swiping and scrolling and viewing and reading has made us knowledgable about everything but wise about nothing. The result of the digital revolution is our world has more information than ever before but less wisdom than ever before. The Bible commands us to walk in wisdom (cf. Ps. 90:12; Prov. 4:7; Eph. 5:15-17). The question is “How do we get wisdom?” “What does it take to become a wise person?” The following are SEVEN WAYS TO BECOME WISE. If we do these seven things, we will learn to walk wisely in the foolish world in which we live.

There are a handful of verses in the Bible that stand out from the rest and seem to warrant special attention; this verse is one of them. Commonly referred to as “The Golden Rule,” this classic catchphrase serves as a code of conduct for all those who follow Christ. A code of conduct is a set of rules, standards, expectations, responsibilities, and behavioral guidelines that members of an organization or employees in a company must follow. Most organizations and companies have a manual outlining their code of conduct along with their policies and procedures which is oftentimes very wordy and complex. But here in this verse, Jesus summarized the code of conduct for His followers in a single, succinct sentence. This code of conduct has THREE MAIN IDEAS that make it obvious He intended it to be more than just a snappy motto for us to merely put to memory but a strong maxim for us to put to use as we relate to others who are in the kingdom and outside the kingdom.

Does God really work all things together for good, even when life brings suffering, disappointment, and circumstances we cannot understand? How can Christians remain confident in God's promises when everything around them seems uncertain? Romans 8:28 is one of the most familiar and encouraging verses in Scripture, yet its promise is often misunderstood. God's assurance that He works all things together for good does not mean believers will be spared suffering or that every hardship will result in better circumstances in this life. Instead, it points to something far greater: the unshakable assurance that God is sovereignly working through every circumstance to accomplish His eternal purposes for His people. In this message, All Things for Good, guest speaker Dr. Jerod Gilcher examines Romans 8:28 in the context of God's promises throughout Romans 8. Through six unshakable comforts, he explains how God's sovereignty, goodness, and eternal purposes provide lasting assurance to believers, even in life's most difficult seasons.

God is a loving and generous Father who hears and answers the prayers of His children. Jesus invites believers to ask, seek, and knock with persistence, knowing that their heavenly Father is attentive to their needs. Yet prayer is not a means of demanding whatever we desire. Instead, it is an expression of humble dependence upon God's wisdom, goodness, and sovereign will. As we grow in our understanding of His character, we can approach Him with confidence, trusting that He will provide what is truly good for us and give us the grace and strength needed to live faithfully for Him.

Christians are called to be discerning without becoming judgmental. Jesus warns against the self-righteous attitude that magnifies the faults of others while ignoring our own sin. Before correcting someone else, we must humbly examine our hearts, acknowledge our shortcomings, and pursue repentance. Only then can we lovingly help others grow in righteousness. At the same time, believers must exercise spiritual discernment, particularly when sharing the gospel with those who reject or oppose its message. Ultimately, Christ calls His followers to demonstrate both truth and grace in a way that honors Him.

Worry often reveals that our attention has shifted away from God's promises and toward the uncertainties of life. Jesus calls believers to remember their value before their heavenly Father, recognize the futility of worry, and trust in God's sovereign care. Rather than being consumed by tomorrow's uncertainties, Christians are called to live faithfully today, pursue God's kingdom above all else, and rest in the assurance that their Father knows what they need.

Money is a necessary part of everyday life, but it was never intended to become the object of our worship. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns that earthly treasures are temporary, greed can distort our spiritual vision, and no one can serve both God and money. Rather than spending our lives accumulating possessions that cannot follow us into eternity, we are called to invest in God's kingdom, maintain an undivided focus on Christ, and recognize Him as our greatest treasure. True financial wisdom begins when our hearts belong wholly to God and everything we possess is used for His glory.

Jesus teaches that true righteousness is revealed by how we view and use money. Rather than storing up temporary treasures on earth, believers are called to invest in God's kingdom, keep an eternal perspective, and live under Christ's lordship instead of the mastery of wealth. Where our treasure is, our heart will be also.

Fasting is one of the least understood and least practiced spiritual disciplines, yet Jesus assumed His followers would fast. Biblical fasting is the private, purposeful abstaining from food for spiritual reasons, motivated not by religious duty or human approval, but by a sincere desire to seek God. As believers deny themselves physically, they express a deeper hunger for God, strengthen their prayers, humble themselves before Him, and learn to treasure Christ above every earthly appetite. True fasting isn't about drawing attention to ourselves; it is about delighting in God and longing for Him above all else.

Anyone who has a passion to live will do anything it takes not to die. When it comes to battling against the deadly effects of sin in our lives, the Bible says we should be willing to cut off our hand or gouge out our eye if they cause us to sin. Obviously, this was intended to be figurative, but it does reveal how ruthlessly and radically God expects us to deal with sin. God broke the power of sin over us by killing His Son Jesus in our place, but He has called us to kill the indwelling, ongoing sin that remains in our lives by the power of His Spirit. This is known as mortification, which refers to our duty to kill sin before it kills us.

Can you, as a Christian, thank God for His Law? Yes, and here's why. God's Law, which reflects His holy character, reveals the truth about our sinful condition. Though powerless to save, the Law convicts us of our guilt, exposes the seriousness of our sin, and prepares our hearts to receive God's mercy and treasure His grace. Rather than opposing the gospel, the Law serves God's redemptive purposes by leading sinners to Christ, where they are justified by faith alone.

Nicodemus was one of Israel's most respected religious teachers, yet he failed to understand the very promises of Scripture he taught. Through His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus reveals that no amount of religious status, knowledge, or effort can produce spiritual life. Only God can give a new heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. This new birth flows from trusting in Jesus Christ, who was lifted up on the cross so that all who believe in Him might receive eternal life. As believers continue to look to Christ in faith, they are continually reminded that salvation is entirely the work of God's grace.

The Christian life is one of continual growth. God not only calls His people to love one another, but to abound in that love while faithfully carrying out the work He has entrusted to them. Brotherly love and a biblical work ethic are powerful testimonies of the transforming grace of Christ. As believers pursue lives marked by love, diligence, humility, and faithful service, they reflect the character of Christ and fulfill the purpose for which they were created: to please God more and more.

Every believer faces the battle of sinful desires, but God has not left His people without direction or power. In this message, Paul exhorts Christians to pursue sexual purity by first understanding that holiness is God's will for their lives. Through a commitment to sanctification, obedience to God's commands, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, believers learn to bring even their deepest longings under the lordship of Christ. Pleasing God begins when our desires are increasingly shaped by His will rather than our own.

Every person was created to please God, yet because of sin no one can please Him apart from Jesus Christ. Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonian church reminds believers that the Christian life is one of continual growth. Those who have been united to Christ by faith are called to walk in a manner that pleases God more and more by learning His will, obeying His commands, loving those around them, and relying on His grace. The life most centered on Christ is the life most pleasing to God.