The Very Dumb Wise Man

The book of Proverbs has never made me cry before, until today. This is a book of "wisdom", wise sayings by King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. He learned many of these wise things from his daddy, King David, the "man after God's own heart". (Prov. 4:3)

He addressed "my son" many times, so I assume he was a relatively young man when he wrote these bits of wisdom. I read the first four chapters this morning and wished that Solomon had read his own writing when he was old, because it appears he forgot all he knew.

Here are two of his many "wise bits": 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7 nasb

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not consent.

Proverbs 1:10 nasb

For the upright will live in the land;

And the blameless will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land; 

And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

Proverbs 2:21-22 nasb

As I read those words, I remembered all that happened when Solomon was old. His foreign wives enticed him to idolatry and he consented. (1 Kings 11:1-4) He built shrines for the idols and worshiped at them. He even worshiped Molech (the god to whom child sacrifices were made). 

He forgot his own wisdom.

Sinners enticed him and he followed like a lamb going to slaughter. Solomon became one of the wicked whose descendants were cut off from the land; he became one of the treacherous whose offspring were uprooted.

His sin led to a civil war that split the nation and accelerated Israel's descent into idolatry and eventual captivity by the Assyrians.

Solomon, like the church in Ephesus mentioned in the Revelation, had "lost his first love", and it cost his family and an entire nation a terrible price.

At Bible study Wednesday night, a man mentioned something he did when he was young. "Somehow, along the way, I'd quit doing that." He told of how he'd returned to his initial fervor for Christ. 

I wish that Solomon had regained his fervor. But he didn't. 

He was wiser in his own eyes than he was in God's eyes, and that arrogance came with an awful price.

This morning, I'm sobered by Solomon's experience and praying that I will embrace the wisdom from above, not from this world. Praying that, even when I'm older than I am now, I'll cling to Christ. Hold to my initial fervor. Love Him more than at the start.

Bill Gaither wrote a song that sums up how the Christian life should be. The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows.

Today, let's take a close look at our own lives. Have we lost our fervor? Are we wise in our own eyes or in the eyes of God? Let's turn back to the wisdom of God alone. Take a step closer if we've strayed away.

Let's determine to live for God every day for the rest of our lives. When "sinners entice", let's say no and press on. 

The decisions we make, day by day, determine the direction our lives take, down the road. Let's choose God's path and continue on that path for the rest of our lives.

_______________

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Sam the Snake Handler and the Big Adventure 
( http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/sam-snake-handler-and-big-adventure.html)
#wisdom #Solomon #faithlife

Mamie Invents a New Game

Mamie the Apprentice Wonder Puppy is a five pound Shih Tzu who just celebrated her first birthday. She is still a puppy, especially in the playing department. Her big sister, Maggie the Wonder Dog is six years old and not always in the mood to play. Maggie is very glamorous and playing is done on her terms or not at all. 

One of Mamie's favorite games is called "Maggie Tap". Mamie likes to tap Maggie with her paw to see what Maggie will do. Mamie can tap Maggie at least a dozen times before Maggie gets fed up and growls. I'm pretty sure Mamie is trying for a new record, so the tapping and growling lasts for a significant portion of every day. Maggie is more patient than I would be, but probably she's just grateful to have a break from Mamie's incessant "kissing" (licking). 

Recently, Mamie invented a new game. Maggie was yawning and Mamie clearly thought, "Why not?" She stuck her paw in Maggie's mouth and pulled it out successfully. Immediately, the race was on! Mamie would stick her paw in Maggie's mouth and try to pull it out before Maggie could close on her. Truthfully, Mamie is unbelievably good at this and incredibly fast. Of course, Big Sister Maggie is far more patient than three humans combined would be, and kindly refrains from biting her foot off.  

This morning, the Wonder Dogs had joined me on my bed for quiet time. Maggie is a well-trained Wonder Dog and understands when to be still and quiet. Mamie is still an Apprentice Wonder Puppy, mostly because she is wide open all the time and is very seldom still and quiet. Mamie decided to play the "Maggie Mouth" game, even though Maggie's mouth was firmly closed. Mamie would pat Maggie's mouth until Maggie finally opened it, then pop her paw inside Maggie's mouth and pull it out before she could close her mouth. (The fact that Mamie still has four paws is due to the magnificent patience of Maggie the Wonder Dog.) 

As you might imagine, Maggie soon had enough, and started to give a little warning growl. Mamie never heeds warning growls, however, so she kept right on tapping Maggie's mouth, popping her paw in, and pulling it out. The warning growls got a little louder. Mamie never slowed down. I gave her a stern warning and moved her, but she was quickly right back in Maggie's face. Finally, Maggie snapped at her. In Maggie's defense, she let Mamie get her paw out before she snapped, so she didn't even nip her. Mamie was shocked! How dare her sister try to bite her!?! The most surprising thing happened next. Mamie stuck her paw right back in Maggie's mouth, daring her to bite the paw. 

Mamie's behavior is so much like our own that I laughed out loud before I moved her off the bed to preserve Maggie's sanity. Watching her do something that is clearly not wise and will be dangerous to her paw if she doesn't slow it down reminds me so much of some of my own decisions over the years. Perhaps you've had a few of those less than stellar decisions of your own. Looking back, I wonder why I persisted when there were plenty of "warning growls" to let me know I was heading in the wrong direction. Maybe you've never done this, but I have to admit that I have. I, like Mamie, have a tendency to do one more round, just to be sure. 

Now that I have accumulated a few birthdays (being 39 again), I'm not quite as foolhardy as in my youth, but there are days when I'm likely as foolish as Mamie. If you are honest, you probably have those days, too. As we look toward the new year, let's take a lesson from the Wonder Dogs. 

Be smarter than you want to be.
Listen for the warning growls, and stop while you're ahead. 

The Journey, part 24: leaders and followers

(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each." They did so, and had them all sit down. (Luke 9:14-15 NASB)

The crowd would never have been seated before Jesus, waiting in stillness, if the disciples had not first expectantly waited before Him for instructions, if they had not waited to move until He gave clear directions for the first step. In order to lead, as the disciples soon found, we must know where we are headed. As leaders in matters of faith, we must get that direction from our Lord. 

Where would He have us go? What would He have us do? How would He have us do it? The answers to those questions do not come from us. They come from our Lord and are readily available.  James tells us that, if we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask. 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB

We all have those who look to us for leadership, be it in our family, at work, or in our communities. It is imperative that we lead in a manner and a direction that is pleasing to God, and that begins at the feet of Jesus, looking to Him for direction. Do you need wisdom? Direction? Just ask Jesus. He is willing to supply all you need, and do it "generously and without reproach".  Just ask. 

It is the job of leaders, as well as that of followers, to spend time with our Lord in order to receive strength, guidance, and help in time of need, so be still. Wait. Listen. Ask. 

The Journey, part 23: Making a Way

(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each." (Luke 9:14 NASB)

If you've ever tried to deal with a huge crowd of people, you know how disorderly they can be. Even the most docile people can be slow to follow instructions, slow to move when asked, slow to obey if others are not. When that crowd is tired and hungry, it becomes more difficult. When the crowd includes tired, hungry children, tired, hungry mothers who are frazzled from dealing with the children yet trying to listen to Jesus, and tired, hungry husbands who are frazzled, too, the task of directing the crowd becomes nearly impossible. 

Jesus had instructed the disciples to feed a crowd of more than five thousand men, plus women and children. The twelve apostles were to get the group organized and food distributed. They may have looked at the crowd and thought, "Jesus, there is no way this is going to happen if you don't do something!"

Can't you just see it? Those twelve men glanced around them and, at least for a moment, were totally overwhelmed by the task Jesus had given them. Feed the crowd? How?  Where to start? They must have looked at Jesus with eyes full of questions and, seeing, He must have smiled. "Start by getting them seated in groups of fifty," He said. 

A benefit of seating the people in orderly groups is that it made it much easier for the disciples to minister to the crowd. Distributing food to a milling crowd of thousands would have been a nearly insurmountable task. Our Lord, who with the task will always make a way, instructed the twelve to organize the people in such a way that the job of ministry was changed from impossible to possible. 

A popular song from a few years back says "God will make a way where there seems to be no way," and that is exactly what Jesus did that day. He gave the disciples a starting point that made the work possible, and our Lord will do the same for us. Are you facing an impossible task? Is there a work of ministry to which He has called you that seems insurmountable? Perhaps what you need is not every step in the process; perhaps all you need is that first step that will make everything else possible. 

When you aren't sure what to do, look to Jesus. He has the answers you need. All you have to do is ask.