Follow Love

Have you ever wondered how Jesus knew the right thing to say and do in each situation He faced? How did He know what wisdom would say to the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery (John 4 and 8:1-11)? How did He know what to tell the rich, young ruler to address the real stronghold in his life—the love of money (Mark 10:17-22)? How did He know how to answer the Pharisees when they asked by what authority He did miracles (Matt. 21:23-27)?

I don’t know about you, but I have stuck my foot in my mouth and said the wrong things more times than I can count! But we cannot allow those mistakes to define us. You and I have the wisdom of God. We have the mind of Christ within us. If we will only take the time to draw that wisdom out, we too will find ourselves saying and doing what blesses, serves, and helps people. In this chapter, I want to share a principle with you that has helped me draw on God’s wisdom over and over again. Some of the toughest decisions of my life have proven this principle to be true and trustworthy. And every time I have taken the time to apply this important key to my decision making, the Lord has manifested His wisdom through me. I know He will do the same for you. Let’s look at some verses of Scripture that give us the foundation for this principle.

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

“Pursue love” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” 1 Corinthians 1:24.

When we connect these verses, we see that God is love, we are to pursue love, and Christ—who is love—is also the wisdom of God. In other words, as we pursue love, we will find wisdom. Following love is the key to consistently making good decisions in life. Love and wisdom are like sisters; they are connected. If you discover love, you will find wisdom. And when you find wisdom, it is because love has led you there.

One of the best examples of this principle I’ve found is in First Kings chapter 3. This chapter tells the story of two women with newborn sons living in the same house. One of their children died in the night. That mother switched her dead son with the living infant while the other mother was asleep. The next morning, she claimed the living infant as her own. When the other mother woke and examined the dead child lying beside her, she discovered it was not hers. Both women went before King Solomon, claiming the living child as their own. The following verses tell the rest of the story.

“Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.’ Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, ‘O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!’ But the other said, ‘Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.’ So the king answered and said, ‘Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him, she is his mother.’ And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice” (1 Kings 3:24-28).

According to First Kings, Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom (1 Kin. 10:23). Though he told his guards to cut the child in half, he did not really intend to kill the child. As the wisest man in all the earth, Solomon used this test of love to determine the identity of the child’s true mother. He knew that if he could reveal the one who truly loved the child, wisdom would also be revealed. Solomon (wisdom) knew the real mother would give up her right to the child for the life of her child. Love always gives up its own rights to ensure life.

We can understand love better by looking at God’s definition:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Like Solomon, we can apply the principle of love to help us make decisions today. If we will take the time to find out what love would do in a situation, wisdom will be there.

Adapted from Greg Mohr’s book, Walking in Wisdom.