Are you wise in your own eyes or wise in God’s understanding? Do you not know that own wisdom does not match the understanding that God gives us? Don’t be a fool and rely on what you already know. Your own wisdom does not hold a candle to what the Lord God can give you. And if you think I am wrong, then I smell a little pride inside of you. Please know that only the humble can truly learn of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Solomon taught, 1“seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” These types of people, that are learned in themselves, will never learn from what’s above. What they know now is way too valuable to them then to learn from God. These people are fools and have need of repentance before it is too late. Only by opening up to the Lord in prayer, will He give unto them understanding that will enlighten their minds. However, it is known with all fools that a change of heart needs to occur or else they will just fall back into their own ways. If true desire is not found within, then what they already know will come back full force. Solomon put it this way, 1“as a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” Yes, foolish people are a lot like dogs in that they continue living their own lives apart from God. Though they have heard God’s message of hope, they have decided that they are comfortable in their own ways. Therefore, repentance is put off. It is very sad to see a person live a life like this, for their reward is not going to be what they expect come judgement day. As Solomon said, 1“the great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.”
It is easy to spot a fake then something or somebody that is genuine. The same can be said with somebody that loves the Lord and another person that would rather do their own things than to read the Bible and pray. Even church goers often fall into this category. And why does this happen? It is because many of them go to church on the weekends but during the week they are living different lives. They may have heard a wonderful message in church and even worshipped God in song, but instead of allowing the message to sink in, it did not give root. Instead the person overlooked the teaching and cast it out, once church ended. What is interesting about these people is that it would be very hard to know the difference between them and an unbeliever. This is because they fit right in with them. They may act like a Christian one day but act sinner during the week. What is so interesting is that these people and the unbelievers are hard to approach. Because they are ok with their lives, they do not easily accept counsel. Instead, they often come across arguing their point. I’ve encountered many people like this and to me, they are nothing more than an unbeliever and foolish at that. When I encounter such a person Solomon gave us two ways to approach them. Number 1, 1“answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” And Number 2, 1“answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” We can either ignore these people if the Holy Spirit says it is not worth it or talk with them. The key here is knowing when is the right choice. That is why abiding in the Lord and following the Holy Spirit is key.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that more people that proclaim themselves to be Christians, also act the part. May they gain understanding from the Bible, church pastors and other people in the faith and let the message absorb in their hearts. Help them to act on what they have been taught and truly live for You, Lord. It is my prayer that during the week, they continue to seek You. Help them overcome temptation, as they rely on You for understanding. May they be wise in Your wisdom and no longer rely on their own understanding. Help them understand that only You can lead us to heaven. We may have good ideas but only relying on Your counsel is to salvation. I know that I am capable of only doing so much in life and at that, going so far. Without You, I am lost. My life has no light when You are not there. This is when I make foolish decisions and fall back into my old ways of doing things and thinking. Help me and those in the faith to never rely on ourselves fully but in You and Your Word for understanding and knowledge. Help us to be humble at all times. That when you speak to our hearts, through the Bible, prayer and other people, that we will be open to accept Your message of hope. I love You Lord. My hope is in You and what You can do for my life and through it. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
1Proverbs 26:1-14 (KJV)
1 As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.
2 As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.
7 The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouths of fools.
10 The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.
11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
