James 1:4 English Standard Version (ESV) And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Just what do we need to be complete? What determines perfection? What do we feel we are lacking?

These questions are all based on the flesh. The Spirit does not question these issues. Many times in our walk with Christ we will find ourselves asking such questions or asking for something for ourselves. It is the flesh that desires. It is the Spirit that satisfies.

Isaiah 41:13 English Standard Version (ESV) For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Focusing on the issue of walking with Christ, is our vision of independent movement or do we walk hand in hand?

Isaiah 41:13 creates an image of a small child being led by the hand, as if we were crossing a busy street. It is one of security and dependency. Those questions listed above are the flesh trying to exert its independence from God.

Philippians 1:6 English Standard Version (ESV) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

We are all a work in progress. None of us are complete, yet. What we see in ourselves is flesh and has nothing to do with how God sees us. We struggle with those things in us we do not like and see them as a hindrance in our relationship. It is not.

Look once again to James 1:4 where it says “let steadfastness have its full effect”. The biblical outline usage of the steadfastness in the NT is the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Isaiah 41:13, don’t let go of the One who holds you.

Proverbs 2:4-5 English Standard Version

⁴ if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2 tells us about the value of wisdom and compares it to silver. Why silver? It is not as valuable as gold in human terms. Rather than comparing gold to silver, let us first examine the traits of silver.

Silver in its raw state has no value to the end user. It needs to be processed. It needs to be refined. Impurities need to be removed. Once it is processed it continually needs to be polished or it will tarnish.

Once we compare silver to wisdom we might understand how wisdom found is not as valuable as one might hope. It can be gleaned from the earth in its raw form but needs to be processed to remove impurities.

Yesterday it was said that we should learn from Eli’s mistakes. That was in reference to raising his sons not coming to know the Lord. We have little of any understanding about how Eli raised his sons, only the results.

Eli came from a family with a long history in the priesthood. We know about the priesthood, the order, the commands and the execution of service to God and His people. Nothing in that tells us anything about how a priest should raise up sons. Scriptures about the priesthood will not help us in understanding how to raise up sons to come to know the Lord.

What wisdom in this silver ore can we glean out a little silver and begin the processing of the ore?

How about the intense study of one issue does not reveal everything we need to learn about God and what is expected of us? Does that thought hold any respect for His Word in us? Have we found ourselves doing that same thing?