"…inquire who in it is worthy…" That requires a judgement does it not?

On of the things that bugs me is the mis-use of the "thou shall not judge" Scripture.  There are many who use this Scripture to support their position that no one should ever be judged for anything. 

 

There are many examples where Jesus gives specific instructs to His disciples and to all of us that require that we make judgements.  Here is one such example.  Jesus is giving the disciples specific instructions as he sends them out.  Check it out.

 

Matthew 10:11-15(NKJV)

“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 

And when you go into a household, greet it. 

If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 

Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

 

The disciples are given the task of deciding who is "worthy".  Jesus doesn't give them detailed instructions on how to make that determination.  Jesus trusts that to their judgement.

Imagine that!  :)
 

Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared?

 

Proverbs 6:28(NKJV)

    Can one walk on hot coals,     And his feet not be seared?

 

Actually, yes.  Yes you can.  My wife and I along with a couple thousand people did it at a seminar back in around 2010 or so.   18 foot long trough of red hot glowing embers.  I don't have an explanation of why we didn’t get burned, but we didn’t. 

 

:)

 

"When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,…"

Proverbs 2:10(NKJV)

    When wisdom enters your heart,      And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

 

Have you ever had wisdom enter your heart?  It's really cool.  You may have experienced it but didn't think of it in this way.

Ever been facing an issue and you weren't really sure how to proceed?  Then out of nowhere and idea pops into your head.  A solution like no other solution you had been considering.  That is what I think the phrase "when wisdom enters your heart" may be referring to.

 

Just one of the benefits of living in God's favor!
 

 

What does it take to find the knowledge of God?

 

EFFORT!!!

 

Proverbs 2:1-5(NKJV)

    My son, if you receive my words,      And treasure my commands within you,

    So that you incline your ear to wisdom,     And apply your heart to understanding;

    Yes, if you cry out for discernment,     And lift up your voice for understanding,

    If you seek her as silver,     And search for her as for hidden treasures;

    Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,     And find the knowledge of God.

 

It takes effort to find the knowledge of God.  It takes effort to build that relationship.  God is always there waiting for us but we need to be proactive in reaching out to God.

It takes effort.…and it is soooo worth it!!!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Were any truer words ever written?

 

Proverbs 1:7(NKJV)

    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,      But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

I needed a break from my regular study routine so decided to visit one of my very favorite books of the Bible.  As you can see from the passage above, that book is Proverbs.

 

I have always loved Proverbs for it's simplicity, it's common sense.  I kind of think of it as the Farmers Almanac portion of the Bible.  (No disrespect intended by the comparison)  There is just a down home folksiness to the wisdom found in Proverbs. 

It doesn't take long to find nuggets in Proverbs.  Seven verses into the chapter I found this one.  The part I see so much of in society today is the second part.  "But fools despise wisdom and instruction". 

Look at the venom and vitriol of some towards the wisdom and instruction that comes from the Bible.  Scripture tells us those people are fools.  That isn't us judging them.  That is Scripture identifying them for us.

OK, that's all well and good but what do we do about, to, or for them?  I think the only effective thing to do is pray for them.  Very seldom will you ever convince them in a debate or discussion.  Jesus warned us not to cast our pearls before swine and I think this is exactly what He was talking about. 

 

There has to be a change of heart and I think the only one who can bring that about is God, so pray for them!