DE-STUPIDITIZING PEOPLE!
Sunday’s Monday
I sense God nudging me to write boldly and plainly so that each reader may be prompted to self-examine where they fit into God’s plan for their life. We have allowed the world to dull our senses in that we’re satisfied with borderline knowledge. Back in 1516, Thomas More said, “One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.” In making that statement, Cambridge Dictionary defines ignorant as, not having enough knowledge, understanding, or information about something. As well Proverbs 19:2 (NASB), Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And one who hurries his footsteps errs. Again, Cambridge defines stupid as, silly, or unwise; showing poor judgment or little intelligence and again, Proverbs 19:1 (NASB), Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool or as the (NLT)states, To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. In which in 1776 Thomas Pain told the colonist, “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” This old slow cooker trick was invented by Satan at the beginning of His reign, and it works better than ever. Many choose to deny and ignore offensiveness until it becomes commonplace which then in their mind's eye is acceptable as good, since it’s been around for a while. Complacency is the word used for that.
Mr. Pain hit the nail squarely on the head 245 years ago as people then continue to settle for second best. Far too many people today continue to find their comfortable spot as good enough and become obsessive in remaining and maintaining where they are. This spot could easily be called the lazy or stupid spot, in that satisfaction with the just good enough takes priority over the best God has to offer. We choose to ignore the fact that we are created by God to grow and go on this planet until our time is over. This being said, life dictates one must continually move forward or one’s will soon stagnate and wither. This is a blatant display of stupidity as most all know better but choose to live as those who have little or no knowledge. The bible speaks of this in Proverbs 19:3 (NASB), The foolishness of a person ruins his way, And his heart rages against the Lord. We have an innate desire to be in control and it is so strong that we often convince ourselves that we know what is best, even when we’re unsure and struggling with God over what to do.
In this train of thought, I read an interesting quote this past week by journalist Patrick Jake O'Rourke, “No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed, and love of power.” The point is, our human priority system has become warped and damaged into thinking we’re to always place ourselves before others, which proves to be a very dangerous place. Check out Proverbs 18:1 (NASB), One who separates himself seeks his own desire; he quarrels against all sound wisdom. Think of it this way, when we become number one, we’ve seated ourselves on a throne of which none can approach. We mentally raise ourselves above all others in needs, wants, and desires. Our self-appointed kingdom has but one rule and that is, what’s in it for me? Everything these people do must lead to a selfish, self-centered reward. Popularity is not usually one of their strong suits.
The secret of de-stupiditizing oneself is to build a strong relationship with Jesus, to set oneself in God’s word, and to have a daily time of reflection and planning with Jesus. One can start by reading and doing what is written in Proverbs 23:12 (NASB), Apply your heart to discipline, And your ears to words of knowledge. God’s word especially the Proverbs is filled with instructions on living a better day-to-day life. A godly example of this can be found in Proverbs 27:12 (NASB), A prudent person sees evil and hides himself; But the naive proceed and pay the penalty. Should you not desire to be or want to act stupid, God has an escape clause. Seek wise counsel from mature Jesus followers and act upon their instructions!
My prayer this week is from 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (NASB), 18 Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are useless.” Lord, believing that you already know our everything, help us to seek your face for the answers we require, as we surrender to you Father for our wisdom and way of life. With love: Amen
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
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