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From this coming Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 63:4 – Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
Psalm 138:2 – I will praise thee, O lord, with my whole heart: for thou hast heard the words of my mouth. I will sing praise to thee in the sight of his angels.
Psalm 14:1 – The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
Proverbs 26:5 – Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:4 – Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Proverbs 18:6 – By talking, a fool gets into an argument, and his mouth invites a beating. The mouth of the fool is ruin to his soul, and by his lips his soul is caught.
Proverbs 17:28 – Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Proverbs 14:9 – Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor.
Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 13:19 – The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.
Psalm 111:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Proverb 14:16 – The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.
Proverbs 14:1 – The wisest of women builds up her home, but a stupid one tears it down with her own hands.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 – When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow!
Psalm 2:11 – Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.
Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Beloved – Know Fear!
- Fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom – Proverbs 9:10
My heart is heavy this week with so many requests for prayer from people who are undergoing great trials in their lives. Families crashing on the rocky shores of discord, children in full rebellion and folly, young men and women in bondage to drugs, booze, sex, Internet hedonism, terminal illnesses, blatant blasphemies, complete rejection of God and all his Promises, and total indifference to the fate of any other human being except oneself.
I often write about “The Tide of Advancing Evil.” Folks, it’s not a TIDE! It’s a TSUNAMI!
Q: How can we possibly survive that monster-wave of evil coming at us?
A: We cannot, but God can get us through it.
This image is something I made about a year ago. I want to turn it into one of those window decals that are so prevalent – especially here in the Islands. We see “Aino Fea” (I no fear). And the antecedent of that was “NO FEAR” (from the motocross retailer No Fear, Inc.) We see “Aino Kea” (I no care). We see a naughty child urinating on something or someone. We see traditional Hawaiian symbols for turtles, fish, sharks and surfers. We see memorials for persons who have died … “In Memory of Kukaki: 1981-2002.” I’ve seen a few Christian window stickers – and more often you see Christian bumper stickers. “Got Jesus?” “Honk if you love Jesus.” That can sometime work against you if you tend to be impatient when people honk at you at the stoplight.
Here’s the thing. As you can see by all the scripture quoted above, foolish people make it a point to deny God’s part in their lives. If God is not completely Sovereign (and there’s no such thing as partially sovereign – it’s all or nothing), then we’ve missed the point of our existence. Fools spend hours arguing about everything they know nothing about. Can you think of a specific location where that happens on a daily basis? Fools deny that serving, loving, and worshipping God are essential to a happy and balanced life. Fools sin like there’s no tomorrow because they are foolish enough to believe today is all there is! Fools even break the vows they make to God – marriage vows are one example and ordination vows are another – and all fools believe that they are the center of Life, that they make their own rules, or that they can choose which rules are for them and which rules are for you.
The author of Proverbs in Chapter 26 verses 4 & 5 seems to make two contradictory statements. The gist of it is this: If you’re going to argue with a fool, you have use language s/he will understand, but don’t make a fool of yourself by getting into it so much that your arguing for the sake of argument. Fools don’t listen well, and there’s a point where you just have to let it go; let them experience the consequences of their foolishness. If someone you know is being foolish, by all means point it out and try to shift their perspective. But if they are pig-headed about it and insisting on persisting their foolishness, stop. Here’s Jesus’ version of Progressive Discipline (or maybe Progressive Discipling):
Matthew 18:15-17 – “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
Fools put every pleasure in their life ahead of the pleasure of knowing God. They are junkies and drunkies, sports buffs and buff sports, deviants and diviners, blasphemers and blamers because they see themselves as their own gods. They are hyper-religious in their paganism, preferring to honor created things instead of our Creator. When it comes to the consequences of their choice of Following The World instead of Feasting on The Word, they truly – regrettably – have “No Fear.”
BELOVED, KNOW FEAR! What is “fear of the Lord?” Is it like quaking terror, horrendous horror, panicky dread, and distressing fear? No! The “fear” is AWE, WONDER, ADMIRATION, AMAZEMENT, REVERENCE, HOLY WONDERMENT, AND EXULTANT DELIGHT IN THE PRESENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD! BELOVED, KNOW FEAR!
If I ever follow through on making this window sticker, I want to give it to our Youth Group at church for a fund raiser. I’d like to see them all over Kauai on the rear windows of pick-ups and low-riders, and “Island Cars,” and hybrids, and busses, and … You get the idea.
Beloved, do not be fooled. Reverence God. Do not let fools sway you. Reverence God. Do not be fools. Reverence God.
Here are some wise ways to spend your time:
1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Colossians 3:17 – Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in regard to you.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I tenderly ask you to please read the entire fifth chapter of Ephesians for Wisdom will light up your heart and mind.At least read this snippet:
Ephesians 5:15-20 – Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Share-A-Prayer
Please, reinforce our MBN Daily Prayer Request List (over a hundred petitions presently) with your own prayers “for every one who prays for me and everyone who asks for my prayers.” Be like the faithful virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 who had the wisdom to prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom out of respect for him and his bride. Be not foolish but wise. KNOW FEAR!
Please, send me your petitions and praise reports. We are eager to serve you in this way.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.
chick
