The Three Guides: Characteristics for Success & Favor

The Bible wisely advises Christians to:

• apply & acknowledge the Wisdom of God over their own understanding to make their paths straight and to turn away from evil
• embrace Steadfast Love and Faithfulness deep in one’s heart & character as they trust & follow Jesus intimately like the early apostles

This leads to success & favor with both God and people when lived out properly.

• What does this success & favor look like?
• What worldly views of success & favor are not meant here?

The Three Guide Characteristics of Success and Favor are:

1. Wisdom of God
2. Steadfast Love
3. Faithfulness

Next Steps:

View The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love:

Alternatively, go to the SlideShare site at http://www.slideshare.net/creationary/the-three-guides-wisdom-faith-love to view The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love.

Download:

You can also download the presentation at this Three Guides Download link.

Related Articles:

See articles related to The Three Guides posts:

• The Three Guides at https://bibleopia.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/the-three-guides/
• The Three Guides and the Centurion at https://bibleopia.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/the-three-guides-and-the-centurion/

Proverbs 3:3-7 (ESV):

3 Let not  steadfast love and  faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will  find favor and  good success in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways  acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV):

1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

3 John 1:11 (ESV):

11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

2 Chronicles 15:1-4 (ESV):

1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

2 Chronicles 17:3-5 (ESV):

3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV):

11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

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Ask, Seek, and Knock

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Disciples of Jesus the Son of God are given a privilege to request gifts from God, and know God will in time grant them.

* What is best for us to pursue when we ask, seek, and knock? Spiritual gifts.

* For what to ask? Ask God the Father for more of the Holy Spirit of God.

* What gifts does the spirit bestow? The spirit bestows gifts like wisdom, knowledge, faith, love, tongues, healing, prophesy, miracles, and more, as the spirit sees fit.

* What doors to knock on to be opened? Doors to reach the lost? Doors to know God further? Doors to understanding? When you knock to have God open the door to good gifts, go through and leave a trail to show the way.

* What’s our responsibility? Do our part to ask, knock, and seek in faith with appreciation for appropriate gifts to use for purposes that align with God’s will.

* What to seek? Seek the best gifts fitting you personally.

Seek the Three Guides of faith, love, and wisdom.

Next Steps:

View The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love:

Alternatively, go to the SlideShare site at http://www.slideshare.net/creationary/the-three-guides-wisdom-faith-love to view The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love.

Download:

You can also download the presentation at this Three Guides Download link.

Related articles

• The Three Guides and The Centurion (bibleopia.wordpress.com)
• The Three Guides: Characteristics for Success & Favor (bibleopia.wordpress.com)
• The Three Guides (bibleopia.wordpress.com)

Bible References:

Luke 11:9-13 (ESV):

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (ESV):

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

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The Three Guides and The Centurion

The centurion exhibited the three guides of (1) faith, (2) love, and (3) wisdom in his request with Jesus. 

*  Wisdom: The centurion exhibited WISDOM by sending people Jesus would most likely listen to in the request to grant the healing.

*  Love: The centurion exhibited LOVE for his highly valued servant by seeking Jesus to heal his servant once he learned about Jesus.

*  Faith: Jesus marveling at the centurion’s great FAITH shows the centurion’s request was deeply rooted in faith.

Luke 7:1-5 (ESV):

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”

Luke 7:6-9 (ESV):

6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

Next Steps:

View The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love:

Alternatively, go to the SlideShare site at http://www.slideshare.net/creationary/the-three-guides-wisdom-faith-love to view The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love.

Download:

You can also download the presentation at this Three Guides Download link.

Related articles

• The Three Guides and The Centurion (bibleopia.wordpress.com) (This article)
• The Three Guides: Characteristics for Success & Favor (bibleopia.wordpress.com)
• The Three Guides (bibleopia.wordpress.com)

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The Three Guides

 

There are two sets of Three Guides in the visual on the right.  Life presents us with many challenging circumstances to figure out what to do. Consider “What does God guide?“. God provides an instruction manual called “The Bible” and a conscience too, to guide us through life. The Bible teaches the One God consists of three distinct persons of one character:

• Father
• Son
• Holy Spirit

Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, believers in God extract guidance from his words and life. After ascending to Heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to provide further lifelong guidance to believers. God the Father watches over all creation, and ensures there are always right ways to handle any circumstances, including all temptations and tribulations.

What further guidance does God provide, when there is latitude on how we are to act?

God provides three more guides through our life:

• Wisdom
• Love
• Faith

Jesus’ teachings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and elsewhere in the Bible contain numerous insights on how the Wisdom Guide is to be used. To have insight, understanding, knowledge, and discretion to pick the wise course of action is a benefit and a blessing throughout life. Consider “What does Wisdom Guide?”

God commands us to Love God totally and to Love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus demonstrated that love by willingly laying down his life as the perfect payment for our sins. The Love Guide is a powerful driver of positive change, leading many to support others emotionally, spiritually, and physically throughout life. Consider “What does Love Guide?”

The Bible instructs us that the righteous live by faith, and showed many living out their faith fruitfully. Faith guided King David to defeat the Philistine Goliath, Ester to save the Jews from Haman’s death sentence, Daniel and his companions to triumph over death sentences by lions and fire, and Jesus’ disciplines to spread the Gospel message widely around the world. The Faith Guide enables believers to stand up to seemingly impossible circumstances, and come out victorious, forgiven, and healed, thanks to God’s interventions. Consider “What does Faith Guide?”

The Love Guide, Wisdom Guide, and Faith Guide are meant to all work together to enable us to make proper decisions. Consider Queen Ester’s defeating Haman’s evil genocide plans. She loved her people the Jews, so she wished to save them all. Wisdom lead her to consider the timing and manner in which to appeal to the King. Faith lead her trust in God as she risked her life to intervene and appeal for the life of her people.

Next Steps:

View The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love:

Alternatively, go to the SlideShare site at http://www.slideshare.net/creationary/the-three-guides-wisdom-faith-love to view The Three Guides Presentation on Wisdom, Faith, and Love.

Download:

You can also download the presentation at this Three Guides Presentation Download Link.

Related articles

• The Three Guides and The Centurion (bibleopia.wordpress.com)
• The Three Guides: Characteristics for Success & Favor (bibleopia.wordpress.com)
• The Three Guides (bibleopia.wordpress.com) (This article)

Read Full Post »