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Seeking Things Above


If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1)

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2008-09-11

Scripture Thursday - When wisdom calls

Proverbs 1:26-28 (ESV)
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
I confess.  I actually searched the scriptures for a passage that I could use with this awesome picture.  Our family was camping this week at Inks Lake near Burnet, TX.  This is a picture I took of my 9-year-old daughter hamming it up as a twister headed our way over the lake.  This funnel cloud fizzled out before it reached us so we were able to avoid taking cover in the public restroom.

We left the lake after our camping trip and we're back in Hockley Texas, 85 miles from the coast and in the direct cross-hairs of Ike.  Needless to say, I will not have any of my children out posing for pictures in the sustained 80+ mph winds on Saturday.  We'll be hunkered down with our windows boarded up.

Please pray for those much closer to the coast.  It looks like this is going to be a nasty one.

Back to today's scripture...

This passage in Proverbs is referring to the call of wisdom and what happens to those that ignore it.  The wisdom is the Gospel.  The message from God to a fallen and sinful people that there is hope, if only you turn from your own selfish, prideful, evil desires and turn to God.  A God that gave his own Son to pay the price for our sins.  A Son that has been raised for our justification and to be our King.

The verses above are for those that refuse this wisdom.  Proverbs 1:22 tells us the ones that refuse this wisdom are the simple, the scoffers and the fools.  However, I don't think it is for me to assume that anyone is in one of these categories and is refusing the wisdom of God.

This Proverb says that wisdom is crying aloud in the noisy streets and in the market (Proverbs 1:20-21).  The point is that those ignoring God's wisdom cannot claim they have never heard it.  However, the wisdom of this world is also very loud and often much more appealing to our human nature.  Rather than assuming that those that do not know Jesus as their Lord are simple, scoffers or fools, I should do what I can to help deliver this message of wisdom so that it can be heard.

If I plan on sharing this wisdom through billboards, bumper stickers, or tee-shirts, the message is blurred in with all of the other messages in this world.  If I want to help someone understand the message of wisdom from God, the best place to usually do that is where they can hear me, where God's words are the only message ringing in their ears.

What's the best way to deliver this type of message? 

In person, as a friend, as someone that cares.

There are people that will hear the Gospel among the clutter and noise in our world and find God's truth.  However, there are many that cannot pick out the message over all the other noise around them.  If I have this wisdom, I should look for ways to share it so that others can actually hear it.

Let God decide who is simple, a scoffer and a fool.  I should see everyone who has not yet found the wisdom of the Gospel as a future brother or sister in Christ.  I should see them waiting for someone to love them enough to share God's wisdom, in person, as a friend, as someone that really cares.
Romans 10:14 (ESV)
14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

4 comments:

Larry Darnell said...

Tony, what a great picture. I was concerned about you brother. I knew you are in the path of Ike. My prayers are with you. I appreciate your extended ministry through this blog.

Larry

Anonymous said...

Tony,
You don't just go camping..you go EXTREME camping..All I got from my camping experience is a few ticks in places I don't want to mention and chiggers!!! :) I am glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been with that funnel cloud. I am praying for your safety from IKE and the safety of all the others that will be affected.

Tony Cathey

Anonymous said...

How could wisdom be the gospel? Proverbs was written before Jesus came. This part, yes:

The message from God to a fallen and sinful people that there is hope, if only you turn from your own selfish, prideful, evil desires and turn to God.

The Messiah was still a promise.

I'm praying for you too, safety for you and yours. My son is probably praying that he can come be there, he just doesn't quite appreciate the gravity of the situation, just the "excitement".

Tony said...

TMinut -

Thanks for your prayers. I understand yours son's fascination with the "excitement" in large storms. The power is amazing. However, the destruction is often very real. We got off pretty easy at my house but many around Houston are going to be worse off for some time.

In the old testament the Gospel was the promise of Jesus to come but Proverbs 1 still applies today. While Proverbs 1 pointed to the coming Messiah when it was written, it points to the arrived Messiah today.

We can't turn back to God on our own without Jesus, which is why the Gospel (good news) is the Gospel.

Tony

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