We Live in the Friction

"The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."

Proverbs 14.15-16

We live in an age where the person who shouts loudest is most often perceived as correct. In an era filled with scandal and relative truth, these can be most confusing times. For the child of God, this creates a particular challenge: living in this scenario as people of conviction guided by the absolute truth of God tends to rub society the wrong way. Yet we are convicted of truth through God's word and the Holy Spirit in our lives, so we live in the friction.

In the New Testament, John encourages the Church to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4.1). In the following verses, he gives further elaboration on this point: spirits which confess truth do so in the light of confession that Christ has come. The spirit of truth acknowledges God's redemptive work throughout human history, even as it seeks to confront, cope with, and resolve the chaos of human experience. In order to accomplish these goals, our understanding of truth must have the confession of Christ as the objective standard against which it is measured. In other words, we have to take seriously what Christ has done and what He taught, applying His teachings into our own lives.

Let us remember that "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death" (Proverbs 14.27). God's truth is available to guide us, certainly for our benefit, but even more for the glory of God revealed in us.

Bibliography

ESV Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001. Kindle.

Trouble on our Lips

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

Proverbs 21:23

This one seems pretty self-explanatory. But realistically we all need this reminder. After all, life happens. People will say things that we disagree with. Things will happen that blatantly make us angry. On days when not everything goes our way, we can save ourselves loads of self-inflicted grief by not voicing every thought that passes through us. And even if nothing remotely bad occurred to us throughout the day, we have more than enough talent at finding trouble on our own. It comes quite naturally to our humanity. After all,

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."

James 3.5b-6

Should we wish to increase the peace in and around us, we would do well to take Solomon's advice, thus avoiding the hazardous flames that often erupt, even unintentionally, from our draconian lips.

Bibliography


ESV Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001. Kindle.
 

Standing in the Gap

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 31.8-9

Let us not forget, brothers and sisters, that God's word is a call to action. As we study Scripture, we never once find that God calls us into relationship with Him so that we can sit comfortably in our city on a hill, overlooking the strife and heartache in the valley below us. Rather, time and time again, we find that God desires "steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6.6). Jesus appalled the Pharisees with the truth that He came not for those who are well, but "for those who are sick" (Matthew 9.10-13). He later told His disciples that "as you did it [provided for] to one of the least of these my brothers [the hungry, the thirsty, the helpless, the oppressed], you did it to Me" (Matthew 25.31-46). After the arrival of the Holy Spirit, we find that those who believed shared everything they had to meet the needs of those in their community (Acts 4.32-35). We see this passion of the early Church compelled by the Holy Spirit throughout the New Testament.

So today, how can we actively, intentionally advocate for our community? How can we be "the mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute." This call may look different in each of our individual contexts, or we may find that it is time to band together for even greater impact. Regardless, may the Holy Spirit give us guidance and courage to actively minister in this way!

Bibliography


ESV Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001. Kindle.