The wisdom of man is born of fear, whereas the wisdom of God is born of love. It has always been this way. In the early days of the church Christ started, it was fear that drove the Jewish leadership to persecute the Apostles. In the end it was a greater fear that led them to stop.
These apostles were teaching people to love and offering a cleansing called Baptism that offered redemption for their sins, a cleansing far more powerful than the ritual cleansing offered to the people at the Jewish temple. The Pharisees and other religious leaders all feared they were losing control over the people drawn to this new teaching.
As these powerful men gathered to decide the fate of the Apostles, one of them stood and urged caution, caution born of fear. What if the Apostles were right. Surely the wrath of God would descend upon those who stood in His way.
The Pharisee Gamaliel said to the Sanhedrin, "I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God."
There is an important message there we must carry with us as we grow our faith in this world. The things we build will not remain standing for long if they are of human origin. Without God's help and guidance we will continue to use wisdom born of fear to make the decisions that will ultimately decide our fate.
If you hope to build a life that will carry you into the next, wisdom born of love, the love taught by Jesus Christ, should always be your guide. Then, what you build will stand tall and shine brightly for all to see, just as it did for the Apostles and the church they helped build for us.
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