Wisdom

To help me through the book of Numbers, I have decided to read a chapter of Proverbs along with my normal reading. Good call Robert!

Proverbs 1 rocks. It has solidified my understanding that the primary way in which God deals with our disobedience and foolishness is to first call us out on it, asking us to turn away from it and back to Him. But if we refuse to listen, he doesn't zap us or grind us into the dirt; he simply let's us have our way and reap what we sow.

"Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them..."

It is not God who causes their calamity, but their own way, devices, complacency and turning away. This of course is not to say that all of our difficulties or troubles are caused directly by our own sin. Sin has corrupted and broken the good world that God created. Just as the tower that fell on some men in front of Jesus and the disciples was not the result of something they did, things that happen to us are not always the result of something we have done. But, certainly, our disobedience and folly have consequences.

Simple as This

Jesus says in Matthew 7:

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise...but anyone who listens to my teachings and ignores it is foolish."

It really is as simple as this - Jesus speaks wisdom and so to agree with wisdom (obey) is wise and to ignore wisdom is foolish. The results are most clearly seen when difficulties descend upon our lives. The wise have a foundation to weather the storms, the foolish do not. The problem is that foolishness is often easier in the sunny times than is being wise. Being lazy in practice is easier than working hard, but when gametime comes, hard work pays off and laziness does not.