Jump Start # 1303

Proverbs 21:6 “The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.”

  The Proverb writer in the section where our verse comes from is identifying the steps of wickedness. The following verses describe the “violence of the wicked,” (7), “the way of a guilty man” (8), and “the soul of the wicked” (10). Our verse describes the profit one has achieved through lying. The wicked has acquired treasures, not through hard work, not through diligence, but rather by lying. Dishonest, he has stolen from others. He thinks he has gotten an angle and found a way to profit. Smug has he is, arrogant, and indifferent to those he has now wounded by his lies, he thinks he will not be caught. This is where our passage show otherwise. His lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, a phrase used by James to describe the shortness of life. This wicked person thinks he is pursuing treasures, the reality is he is pursuing death. His house of cards will collapse upon him. The drug lords are caught. The identity thieves are found. The long arm of the law finally closes in, and if he even escapes that, the Lord will bring the wicked to his knees.

This is a losing proposition. This is foolish thinking. There is no way that the wicked will win.

I especially like how this verse ends, “the pursuit of death.” What a contrast that is to the life saving work of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to give life. He was for life. The wicked choose death. The work that is opposite of Christ is nothing more than the pursuit of death.

Without realizing it many folks are in the death business. They are pursuing death. The obvious ones would  be those who are just a step from physical death. The criminal mind, those that are addicted to drugs and alcohol, many daredevils, are pursuing death. It catches up with them. A life time of drinking, an overdose, a foolish dare—and someone is ruined or even killed. That happens every day. What we don’t see is the other pursuers of death. Their work is more subtle and much harder to identify.

The critical and sharp tongue is one who invites death. Not so much for themselves, but for those who are on the receiving end of their tirades. This could be a parent who is never pleased, never compliments, never invites life into the life of their child. Even for the grown child, this type of parent never backs off. Guilt, shame and pressure are the constant motives to make a grown child do what this parent wants. The relationship becomes weary and strained. Without realizing this, this whole endeavor has been a pursuit of death.

The same could be said within a marriage. Gone are the days of romance, happiness and being together. Now, every day is a battle. Little things become big things. The scabs on the wounds are picked. Healing and forgiveness never take place. This goes on until one finally has had enough and he declares that he just wants peace and rest. He walks out and never comes back. What happened? Their relationship was a pursuit of death.

The same could be said about some fellowships today. Walking into the church building requires a deep breath, knowing that someone will say something that is not nice. It’s like have a dozen mothers, who instead of loving you, are on your back. Judgmental. Critical. Harsh. The pursuit of death involves gossip, backbiting and finger pointing. A person can only take so much. So they quit. They are accused of not being faithful. They are considered weak by the rest. The truth is, the fellowship was a pursuit of death. What killed their faith wasn’t Satan, but rather, wicked and mean folks in the church.

The pursuit of death. It kills relationships, marriages and fellowship. The solution is simple, stop killing others. Watch what you say. Hold a mirror up and be more concerned about yourself and be more critical of yourself than you are others.

But there is more to it than that. Instead of pursuing death, pursue life. Do the things that add life to your soul and life to those around you. Smile. Be pleasant. Be calm. Be thoughtful. Be generous. Be an encourager. Praise others. Thank others. Help others. Go out of your way, because that adds life.

So many people today have the oxygen leaked out of their souls. They are drained emotionally and spiritually. They’ve been beaten up all of their life. It stared with their parents. Then marriages. Then work. They are so beaten down that they are now convinced that they are worthless and incapable of doing anything good. They exist but that’s about it. They dream of a better life. They envy those that seem to have it better. So beat up, they have little self worth. Those people are all around us. They need oxygen in their souls. They need to see value. They have pursued death so much that they don’t know what life looks like. That is what you can do. You can be the one who helps. You can be the fresh spirit to their soul. You can be the one who pursues life. You can be the one who sees good when everyone else sees bad. You can be the sun breaking through the clouds. The encourager. The one who praises. The Barnabas, the son of encouragement, that’s what you can be and do. Everyone needs that.

The pursuit of life or death…it’s a choice like all of life. Don’t get caught up with what others are doing, decide that you will be life to those around you. It makes a difference. It’s enough to restore relationships. It’s enough to add years to a marriage. It’s enough to give energy to a tired soul who is ready to quit.

The pursuit…death or life. Which will it be?

Roger

Jump Start # 1273

Proverbs 21:16 “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.”

  I just love Proverbs. So plain. So practical. No soft punches. It just tells it as it is.

Our verse today is one of many that deals with wisdom, understanding, insight. This wisdom isn’t intellectualism, but rather, knowledge of the Lord. Wisdom in Proverbs is the same as knowing the way of the Lord.  Here is a man who found such insight. He had wisdom and understanding. He was on the right path. Things were going in the right direction for him. But now, he wanders from that. He doesn’t stay the course. He doesn’t see the conclusion or the finish line. He’s back to where he started. Maybe careless. Maybe pulled by temptation or friends. Maybe no longer diligent. Whatever the cause, he’s away from understanding.

Sheep are prone to wander. They don’t pay attention.  The lure of green grass leads them to the edge of dangerous cliffs. In the Lord’s parable in Luke 15, one sheep out of one hundred had wandered off. The shepherd, left the 99 and went and found the lost sheep. Without the actions of the shepherd, the rest of our Proverb would have been true for that sheep. The verse in Proverbs ends, “will rest in the assembly of the dead.”

The assembly of the dead is not a welcome nor wholesome thought. Straying from wisdom cost this man’s life. He died needlessly because he would not stay with the wisdom and understanding from God. How true this is. It happens most times spiritually. A person becomes discouraged. They tire of things. So instead of lighting the fire again in their hearts, they walk away. They point fingers. They blame others. Often, they were just looking for the exit door all along. Their interest waned. Sleeping in, sports, camping, hunting, fishing, golf become more exciting and more interesting than worshipping the Lord. There is enough guilt still in them that they simply can’t walk away without saving face. So, they blame. They state that they never really believed all along. They look and find hypocrites and that to them, justifies them becoming apostates.

Once they have found the exit door, a new freedom takes over. It doesn’t take long and they enjoy doing what they want. They don’t miss brethren, preaching, or praising the Lord. Sunday becomes FUN-day. Things are great. What they don’t see and what they don’t realize is the gradual slipping away from all things good and right. They start saying and doing things that they would never do before. At first, they still feel the sting of guilt, but the fun in doing these things drives away all the guilt. They say words that they would have never said before. Their habits, character and lifestyle slowly drift to being more edgy, more brazen, more ungodly. Attitudes shift. And in just a very short time, you’d never know that they were once walking with the Lord. They keep a Bible but it’s stuffed at the bottom of a nightstand and covered with papers and cords and junk.

This departure for some becomes very severe. The marriage falls apart. A sudden and noticeable ungodliness takes over. But for most, that doesn’t happen. The marriage continues. The slipping away from understanding doesn’t take these folks to drunkenness or addictions. It’s more subtle. They live comfortably without God. They journey on, very pleasant without God. They are not opposed to others walking with God, it’s just not for them.

Then the bottom drops out. Death comes. Natural death. Real death. We’re talking about funeral homes, cemeteries, funeral directors in dark suits, picking out caskets, finding a place for burial and the memorial service. Now it comes all back. Who will speak at the memorial service? Not golfing buddies. Not the guys in the fishing boats. They can’t stand before a crowd and say anything. The big dilemma unfolds. A call is made to the church house. An unknown preacher is asked to speak words about someone he doesn’t know. Why me, the preacher thinks. Because a long time ago, this guy once attended there. A long time ago, he was once interested. Since then, he’s wandered from it. Now, his dear family has no connection to God. They reach back to the last place that meant something.

The family is convinced that the departed is in Heaven, because he was such a nice person. He was fun. He was kind. No one dares mention that he walked away from understanding. No one has the nerve to say that he threw in the towel with God and that he gave up. Those things are overlooked.

For many, many families today, what I have written is their story. I know because I have been the person to get that phone call from the funeral home. I’ve been asked to speak to strangers about a loved one that I never met. Now in the worst moments, this family is forced to think about God, life after death and all those things. No time to think about it when alive. No need to talk about it. Those thoughts, those words were never discussed. The Bible was never opened to seek answers. But now, out of the woodwork comes all these family members. None of them know God. None of them are interested in following the Lord. As soon as the funeral is over and a family meal is eaten, they will return to their ways, unchanged and unmoved about what has happened.

In a few years, the same story is repeated when this man’s wife passes. His kids, worse off than he was, will have no connection what so ever to God. When it’s their time to bury a loved one, they will rely upon the funeral director to find someone, anyone to do the job. How sad. No place for God while alive, but in death, find a preacher, and find a Bible and get the person into Heaven.

This is the cold truth about our passage today. When one wanders from understanding they will rest in the assembly of the dead. The dead, physically. The dead, spiritually. The dead, without hope.

So the prevailing thought is to stay with understanding. Do not walk away from it. Do not wander from it. Not only are you doing yourself good, you are also helping your family. If you are discouraged, find solutions. Wandering away is not the answer. If you are bothered by things, work them out. Don’t blame God for wrong choices you have made. Don’t get angry with a good God who wants to be with you. Wisdom, understanding, Bible will build your faith. It will give you the confidence to face the giants in your life. It will allow you to face your cross and your Calvary.

Stay with it. Stay with God.

Roger