Indiscretion V Folly

Proverbs 13:15-16

The news has been filled with stories of three politicians who should have heeded the advice of these verses. Talk about exposing your folly! Naked pictures of yourself sent by phone. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

And the sad thing is that our society, or at least a large chunk of our society, accepts this kind of behavior. They will probably win their elections and these stories will fade into the background as the next scandal hits.

It is easy to point our fingers at public figures like politicians, sports figures, or those in the entertainment industry. But these two proverbs are written to us for our benefit. We need to remember this. The LORD wants to speak to us. He wants us to change.

Are we exercising good judgment? Are we doing what is best even if it isn’t convenient? And are we doing it consistently? If we are then over time there will be a payoff. We win favor over time. Our reputation and character begin to speak for themselves.

People who don’t exercise good judgment will over time get the negative consequences of their actions. Notice that their way leads to their destruction. This process isn’t instantaneous. There are often many small steps between the first turn and their final end. At any point they could have chosen to turn around and chosen to walk a different path. One choice doesn’t determine the outcome. One step off the path doesn’t prevent a return. But repeated choices make it more difficult to return.

Verse sixteen tells us that those who think about and plan for the future (prudence) act with knowledge. This kind of future focus of life and actions brings about long range gains. Each decision needs to be a conscious choice. No autopilot living allowed here.

Live with an eye toward eternity. Make your decisions thinking how this will affect your eternity. Stop for a few moments and think! Fools just act.

Often the difference between a fool and someone who acts wisely is the habit of stopping to think before acting. The wise person thinks about the consequences before acting. How much stopping do you do?

Eating Cardboard

Proverbs 11:4-7

The old saying, “You can’t take it with you when you die” might very well have been inspired in part by our verses for today. Several times in the book of Proverbs death is presented as a barrier over which “things” can’t pass.

Wealth can do a lot of good for so many if it is used properly. But wealth can’t buy us a relationship with God. It can’t protect us from the consequences of rebellion against our Creator. We can’t bribe the Judge. Money really is worthless in heaven. The LORD won’t check our bank account balance to see if we make it. Heaven works on the currency of righteousness.

When we have righteousness our paths will be straight. We won’t be taking detours into sin and rebellion. Our goals will be clear. We will have a determination to seek the LORD.

A small example might help bring this home. If you start lying, you have to keep lying, inventing more lies to cover up the first lie. And you have to remember your lies so that you don’t get tripped up. The more lies, the more you have to remember. Reality is pretty easy to remember. Lies get jumbled in the mind.

One theme of pirate stories is hidden treasure. The pirate hides the treasure as he is running away from justice and draws a cryptic map which is found. But you can never quite understand the map. The one person who understands the map has died, and so have hopes of finding the treasure.

When we operate in the realm of lies, deception, wickedness and unfaithfulness we are saving all the wrong currency. We can’t trust temporary things to provide permanent satisfaction. We will be disappointed. Only things that pass through the barrier of death can truly satisfy.

So today don’t get trapped into following you own desires thinking they will bring satisfaction and fulfillment. They won’t. At best they are a temporary fix. And when the hunger returns it will be even stronger. It is like eating cardboard. The stomach might feel full, but the body is not getting any of the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Hunger will be even stronger as time goes on.