My church is currently on a series called, “Best Question Ever: What is the WISE thing to do?” Regardless of your faith…we’ve all been there: in light of past experiences and/or circumstances, what is the right thing to do? Where is the line between right and wrong? How far is too far?
I remember being a stubborn teenager. My parents would warn me against certain people and certain behaviors. Most often, I wouldn’t listen…I was naive. We are all born naive – we haven’t lived long enough to experience any real consequence. Therefore, we act foolishly. At some point, we grow up and seek wisdom. However, if you refuse to seek wisdom, we may fall into one of three categories:
- Naive or Simple. As I said earlier, we all start out this way. Proverbs 1:22 asks, “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?” We can’t live in this state forever. Proverbs 9:6 says, “Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
If we fail to leave our simple ways, it’ll eventually kill us. I was actually reading a book last night (Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast) that reminded me of this verse. There are two young vampires fighting good and evil. Zoey is a young fledgling (not quite a vampire) High Priestess whose soul has shattered in a fight against a dark immortal creature. She is lost in the otherworld. Meanwhile, her best friend, Stevie Rae, is on the other side of the world and must find a way to save her best friend from an ultimate death. Stevie Rae has an affinity for Earth and calls upon Earth to provide some answers. In doing so, she accidentally conjures up Darkness with a capital “D.”
If you’re looking for a good vampire series, I totally recommend it…but I tell you this brief part of the story because Stevie Rae is still pretty naive (all things considering…and she has been through a lot). Being naive nearly kills her! Proverbs 1:32-33 says, “For the waywardness of the simple (naive) will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me (GOD) will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
So, for most of us…we are beyond naive…which leads us to the next category for those who refuse wisdom.
- The Fool. The fool knows the difference between right and wrong, but doesn’t care. So, let’s be honest…we all know these people. It’s as if it takes them years to learn a lesson. Oftentimes, these are those people that are constantly asking for advice, but don’t want to hear it or actually use the advice that’s been given.
Proverbs 26:11 describes this scenario, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” As gross as that sounds, it’s so true (and one more reason that cats are smarter than dogs…wink wink). In more common terms, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Warnings and threats won’t change a fool’s ways…only when a fool suffers the full consequences will they ever value wisdom.
Proverbs 13:20 states, “Walk with the wise and become wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Reminds me of all the times that my parents warned me against certain people saying something to the effect of, “be careful who you associate yourself with,” or “If you hang around garbage, you can expect to be taken out every Wednesday…” – oh wait, that was The Real Housewives of New Jersey. In all seriousness, who we associate ourselves with plays a huge role in how we are perceived by others. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be associated with garbage…nor do I want to wait until I’ve reached rock bottom to figure things out!
I think Mr. T said it best, “I pity the fool!” Which leads us to the final category for those who refuse wisdom.
- The Mocker. I personally don’t mess with a mocker. These are people who are just waiting to argue with you. Proverbs 9:7-8 says, “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.” So yeah…I’m not really down with getting abused or insulted, so I’ll continue to avoid these folks.
With all of that said, at some point, we all will eventually look for wisdom because we realize our life just isn’t working without it. Unfortunately for some, when you need wisdom the most, you won’t be able to find it: Proverbs 1:20-33. So, what’s the lesson here? I think the lesson is pretty simple: before making any decisions, run a quick reality check. What is the wise thing to do? Don’t be a fool…just do the right thing.
By the way, if you are interested in listening to the original message, you can click HERE to listen to the MP3.
By the way, if you are interested in listening to the original message, you can click HERE to listen to the MP3.
