Proverbs 15:7
Words of wisdom
make good sense;
the thoughts of a fool
make no sense at all.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I
am not a Catholic, but I am totally enthralled with Pope Francis. His
wisdom and compassion for mankind…and his demonstrations of kindness and
empathy for others have at times moved me to tears. When I watched a
video clip of him embracing a young American boy with cerebral palsy in
the Easter Sunday crowd at St. Peter's Square, I had chills. The child’s
mother said she felt like her son had been “kissed by God.” She was not
literally comparing the Pope to God…she was acknowledging that he has
God’s attention and serves at His discretion.
Let’s be honest.
There are a lot of evangelists and others who take the stage in this
world today that are blowing hot air…at least somewhat. They operate in
scare tactics, hatred, judgment, and discrimination…and they often dare
to claim the name of Jesus in doing so. And then there is Pope
Francis, who uses common sense…speaks rationally…and operates in humility
and genuine love for all people. Who do you think God looks upon more
favorably?
On the way home from church today, Timothy explained
to me about the devil…how he was once an angel, but he started doing
really bad things. He told me that Jesus died on the cross for our
sins. I asked him if he knew what we needed to do to protect ourselves
from the persuasions of the devil, and he said, “YES! The Bible is like
a sword! If we do what the Bible says, it will help protect us from
the devil.” This six-year-old is onto something! God’s word is an
excellent starting point!
We must also commit our hearts and
minds to Jesus – and to serving according to His will. We must be
willing to see others – ALL OTHERS – as Jesus sees them…to love others
as Jesus loves them…and to stop judging, criticizing, and speaking
negatively. We must prayerfully ask God to give us wisdom and
discernment…so that we know who is speaking foolish nonsense…and who is
telling us the truth. And we must carry this forward in our own daily
living. Let it never be said that we bought into the propaganda of the
devil – and perpetuated it in our own words and actions!
We all
do foolish things from time to time…but none of us wants to be labeled
as fools. With close attention to God’s word and our relationship with
Him, we can be confident that we are operating in His wisdom – and not
the foolishness with which the devil threatens to clutter our lives.
Timothy pointed out to me that the devil wants to make us do bad
things…and he is right! But armed with the “sword” of God’s word…and His wisdom…we can make good sense – at least most of the time!
©2015 Debbie Robus
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