(Further reflections on "The Wage & Blessing"--Sunday 4-Feb-2024)
Do you like foolish "jokes" or crazy sports?" To any given generation or era, "wrong things" can be considered as a joke or sports for they are very entertaining. For example, if killing each other can be turned into a joke or sport, people will begin to like and enjoy it. Well, they even pay (with their time, money, and their soul: mind-will-emotion) for the "gladiatorial" games in the Colosseum in ancient Rome to see someone killing or being killed alive either by a wild beast or another fellow human being. They praise and boo and joke about the different the skills of different gladiators. How about today? People pay (with their time and soul even if it's free) to be entertained by seeing someone defiled and dehumanized by enjoying pornography. Or for the sake of "being happy" with drugs, alcohol, nicotine, etc., or "getting laid," people do immoral things to their own life and the lives of others without thinking twice. To these fools, those things are only a sport/joke. But why? Foolishness has no limit and is entertained by unholy or unrighteous people in an unrepentant manner. So do pay careful attention to what we are being entertained with as we are called to remember, "Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding (Proverbs 10:23)."
Do you like toothache (vinegar to the teeth) or irritating eyes (smoke to the eyes)? You might have heard the saying, "Don't send a boy to do a man's job." Though this might have some negative connotations in certain contexts, it simply means, do not assign difficult tasks to those who are inexperienced or otherwise incapable of carrying out the job. Given a certain practical wisdom in this saying on delegation/management principle, inexperienced or incapable personnel can be trained, coached, and mentored for the job. What might be possible is that if/when people are not willing to learn. Unwillingness to learn can be the surface of something deeper. It could be one of many things combined. But slothfulness or laziness or sluggishness is oftentimes the case. And God's wisdom has an advice for us, "Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him (Proverbs 10:26)." Within the context of the Book of Proverbs, slothfulness is foolishness, of which wickedness is at its core.
Now what? Correct the fool, you will at least be laughed or mocked. Commission the sluggard, you will be frustrated, to say the least. This can be widely applied in leadership, management, and discipleship.
But wait, how do I l know if I am not like the above? Well, simply check the following:
(1) Does your heart long for God's wisdom? Is it pleasurable to you?
(2) Am I willing to exercise God's wisdom in life? (assuming question #1 have all 'yes').
The key to breakthrough does not depend on the right answers for the above question, but on being honest, facing the reality, repenting, turning toward God's wisdom--now available totally in Christ Jesus, and living out what He instructed (instead of just keep hearing/talking about it).
Lord, have mercy on us.
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Pastor Lap
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