Graduate 164: Five Reflections on the Church, Part 7
The truly wise course
Composed: 05 July 2009
What is the best way to live life? How can a person be truly content and fulfilled? How can I be really 'okay' in the midst of everything life throws at me? In the book of Proverbs, the answers to these questions take the form of a series of collections of sayings. At first glance, their arrangement may appear to be completely haphazard, but when considered a little more carefully, they manifest both thoughtful structure and organization. Here are some excerpts from the beginning, middle, and end of chapter 3, to help us think about the kind of life to which God calls and invites us.
--
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding.
For its profit is better than the profit of silver,
And its gain than fine gold.
Do not withhold good
from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor,
"Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,"
When you have it with you.
Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives in security beside you.
Proverbs 3:5-7, 13-14, 27-29.
--
The author begins, in the first section, by reminding us to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart." That kind of expression is so familiar to us that we may be tempted to gloss over it. But stop for a moment and think about why the author is saying this. He is saying this because he knows that we often have a hard time really trusting God. And trusting God is essential if we are going to be willing to accept his advice and instructions about the best way to live life.
In the second section, the author compares the value of God's wisdom to the value of gold and silver. We don't deal much with gold and silver in our day-to-day lives but we are familiar with money and understand its importance for our lives. We need it to buy food, to pay the mortgage, keep the cars in running order, cover bills, and pay for medical expenses. Everybody knows that if you want to live well in our world, money is really important. Hear, then, what the author of these Proverbs says: 'You think that money is really important for living a decent, comfortable life. Well, guess what. Following God's instructions will do more than money ever could to bring you into contact with the good life.' Is that a little hard to believe? Think about it, as we continue.
The third section includes a few pieces of very practical instruction. Again, because of their obviousness, we need to ask the question: Why does the author bother including them? He includes them because he understands the natural tension that exists between God's ideas about how to live life and our ideas. This may hit us especially forcefully if we imagine the author speaking in the midst of hard times: 'You think that the best way to get through your current difficulties is to just focus on yourself and on trying to get by. The truth is, if you really want to be content, fulfilled, and 'okay,' even in the midst of your difficulties, the best strategy is to be good to others and to focus on others.' To many, that kind of advice will sound simply stupid. The author of Proverbs understands that. That's why he starts out by reminding us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
Unfortunately, many people view community service as an undesirable burden. Even church ministry and outreach can feel like a heavy load that we have to carry just because God commanded us to or because other people expect us to. It's easy to slip into the mindset that life would be so much easier and more comfortable if we didn't have to worry about other people and could just focus on ourselves and on the small circle of friendships that we hold dear. It's easy to lose sight of the joy of giving and the joy that comes from service. The truth revealed in Proverbs, and throughout the Scriptures, is that selflessness, generosity, sacrifice, and love bring us into contact with (and are brought about by contact with) the deepest, most enduring source of life and love and joy and peace--God, Himself--who will not only sustain us in our work but also in all of our lives. (See also Matt 5:23-24, 39-48; Luke 6:29-30; Rom 12:4-21; Eph 4:1-16; Phil 2:1-11; and all of Proverbs 3.)
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Composed: 05 July 2009
What is the best way to live life? How can a person be truly content and fulfilled? How can I be really 'okay' in the midst of everything life throws at me? In the book of Proverbs, the answers to these questions take the form of a series of collections of sayings. At first glance, their arrangement may appear to be completely haphazard, but when considered a little more carefully, they manifest both thoughtful structure and organization. Here are some excerpts from the beginning, middle, and end of chapter 3, to help us think about the kind of life to which God calls and invites us.
--
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding.
For its profit is better than the profit of silver,
And its gain than fine gold.
Do not withhold good
from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor,
"Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,"
When you have it with you.
Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives in security beside you.
Proverbs 3:5-7, 13-14, 27-29.
--
The author begins, in the first section, by reminding us to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart." That kind of expression is so familiar to us that we may be tempted to gloss over it. But stop for a moment and think about why the author is saying this. He is saying this because he knows that we often have a hard time really trusting God. And trusting God is essential if we are going to be willing to accept his advice and instructions about the best way to live life.
In the second section, the author compares the value of God's wisdom to the value of gold and silver. We don't deal much with gold and silver in our day-to-day lives but we are familiar with money and understand its importance for our lives. We need it to buy food, to pay the mortgage, keep the cars in running order, cover bills, and pay for medical expenses. Everybody knows that if you want to live well in our world, money is really important. Hear, then, what the author of these Proverbs says: 'You think that money is really important for living a decent, comfortable life. Well, guess what. Following God's instructions will do more than money ever could to bring you into contact with the good life.' Is that a little hard to believe? Think about it, as we continue.
The third section includes a few pieces of very practical instruction. Again, because of their obviousness, we need to ask the question: Why does the author bother including them? He includes them because he understands the natural tension that exists between God's ideas about how to live life and our ideas. This may hit us especially forcefully if we imagine the author speaking in the midst of hard times: 'You think that the best way to get through your current difficulties is to just focus on yourself and on trying to get by. The truth is, if you really want to be content, fulfilled, and 'okay,' even in the midst of your difficulties, the best strategy is to be good to others and to focus on others.' To many, that kind of advice will sound simply stupid. The author of Proverbs understands that. That's why he starts out by reminding us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
Unfortunately, many people view community service as an undesirable burden. Even church ministry and outreach can feel like a heavy load that we have to carry just because God commanded us to or because other people expect us to. It's easy to slip into the mindset that life would be so much easier and more comfortable if we didn't have to worry about other people and could just focus on ourselves and on the small circle of friendships that we hold dear. It's easy to lose sight of the joy of giving and the joy that comes from service. The truth revealed in Proverbs, and throughout the Scriptures, is that selflessness, generosity, sacrifice, and love bring us into contact with (and are brought about by contact with) the deepest, most enduring source of life and love and joy and peace--God, Himself--who will not only sustain us in our work but also in all of our lives. (See also Matt 5:23-24, 39-48; Luke 6:29-30; Rom 12:4-21; Eph 4:1-16; Phil 2:1-11; and all of Proverbs 3.)
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 9:16 AM
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