“As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.”  (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

No one wants to be accused of foolishness. We all desire to have others think well of us and often feel great embarrassment when we do something that could be perceived as foolish. These days the Internet and social media have made it easy for certain types of our follies to be displayed the world over, ensuring that our errant behaviors, whether accidental or intentional, are available for ready recall at any moment. I grew up before You Tube and I am certainly grateful for that!

But You Tube moments aside, some of our foolish behaviors are not so easily seen by others. Decisions made in the quietness of our own hearts can be some of the most consequential of all our actions. Hidden only in the recesses of our minds, some of our more foolish choices are guarded by their less than obvious nature. Whereas our You Tube moments are readily recognized by ourselves and others, how do we recognize when the deeper decisions we make are also foolish?

No one can answer that question for you in every circumstance, but below are some questions that might help you decide for yourself whether or not you have been, or are being, foolish. Please read on:

“Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

Question: Do you believe there is a God?

“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Question: Do you understand the truths of God?

“These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:9)

Question: Have you rejected the word of the Lord?

“The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.” (Proverbs 12:23)

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.” (Psalms 111:10)

Question: Are you humble, exuding a quiet wisdom that stems from knowledge of God?

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.” (Proverbs 18:2)

Question: Do you tend to voice your opinions strongly or do you seek input from others?

“O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this: Though the wicked sprout like weed and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.” (Psalm 92:5-7)

Question: Do you recognize that those who live only for themselves will perish?

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (John 1:8)

Question: Do you claim to be sinless?

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Question: Do you believe the message of the cross?

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” (John 3:16-18a) We all instinctively recognize in ourselves things for which we are not proud. We have all taken actions that we later regretted; perhaps we know we’ve hurt another person unjustly, or we’ve taken something that didn’t belong to us, or we’ve disobeyed our parents, harbored hatred toward another, had lustful thoughts, or otherwise behaved in a way that we regret.

Sure, if we compare ourselves to others we may justify ourselves and find ways to rationalize our actions, convincing ourselves we aren’t so bad; but over time all these regrets have a cumulative effect and we often find ourselves weighed down by the burdens of our past mistakes. And this is not surprising for when God says “don’t” he means “don’t hurt yourself”.  But this same God who provides guidance we often ignore, also provides a way for us to be redeemed: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

And wouldn’t it be the supreme act of foolishness not to avail yourself of God’s free gift of grace today? For “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9) May you find forgiveness in Jesus today!

To learn more, please click here: knowgod.org

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

 Jones, Seth Robert, age 31, of St. Paul, died tragically in a traffic accident on Jan. 20. Star salesman for Hillside Technology Solutions in Minneapolis. Seth is survived by his loving wife, Jessica; daughter Amelia and son Ethan; parents Ruth & James; siblings Andy, John, and Amy, and many nieces, nephews, and countless friends. Seth was a dynamic presence whether on the job or out with friends. His fun-loving nature and shining personality made him a joy to be around. He will be remembered for his love for life and his generous nature. Funeral 1 PM Sat., January 28th, Berquist Funeral Home, 9920 Northern St., St. Paul. Visitation two hours prior. Memorials preferred and will be used for his children’s education fund.

 

Seth is dead. My best friend. I still can’t believe it. We were just together Saturday night at Drew’s. We closed the place down, like usual. But I didn’t think Seth had drank that much, he didn’t seem drunk, so it couldn’t have been the alcohol, right? Like always he was busy being the life of the party. The guy knew more jokes than any man I have ever known. Pretty sure he could have made a living doing stand-up comedy. And darts. The guy could toss a dart. Talk about a ringer, you never bet against Seth! Just before we left, we were making plans to watch the football game the next day; but Seth never made it home.

He was so proud of his brand new company car, he only picked it up a few days ago. He wasn’t supposed to be driving it to the bar, I guess, but he just had to show it off. It was pretty sweet, too. There wasn’t much was left of it, I’m told. I just can’t imagine what happened. Seth was a good driver; I had ridden with him many times. But no one would ever accuse him of driving slow, he got a ticket last month for doing 85 in a 60 mph zone. If I had thought he was too drunk I would never have let him drive.

The girl in the other car died, too; I hear she was one of those churchy types. Seth never had time for church. His mom was really into the Bible and Seth resented that a lot. He didn’t talk much about his childhood, but when he did it was always about that. He blamed his mom’s Bible thumping for driving his dad away. His face always turned red when he talked about it and it’s the only time I really ever saw him rage.  He was angry at God. Well, I guess he didn’t really believe in God, but if there is a God, Seth sure was angry with him. Church was one place no one was ever going to find Seth Jones.

What use would he have for church anyway? Seth was so well-respected. I mean by everyone. At work his winsome style made him the star of their sales force. He sold more last year than the next two salespeople combined. No wonder they gave him that fancy car. His customers loved him and his boss loved him even more. And his wife, Jessica. She really loved him. Though to be honest, I sometimes wonder why. Seth liked to party, he spent a lot of time with us at Drew’s. His smooth style attracted girls. He never cheated on Jessica, but he sure flirted sometimes. It was all harmless, of course. But I think Jessica was far more patient than most wives would be.

He loved his kids. Didn’t spend as much time with them as he thought he should, but when he did, he was as good a father as a kid could hope for. He gave them everything they wanted and he made them feel special. Most people would never know it, I guess, but those kids were his world. He really loved those kids. I remember the day Ethan learned to ride his bike. Wow! Seth was so proud.

Oh man, I just can’t believe he’s gone. Forgive me if I start to cry. He was my best friend. We’d known each other our whole lives. We went to school together, played football together, we even went to college together. Except he got his degree in business and I got a ‘real’ degree in engineering. Then again, I guess someone has to sell what we engineers invent. Seth never stopped making sure I knew my inventions were worthless without someone to sell them. That guy could sell a fishing boat to a desert dweller. He was that good.

I wonder where he is now. I mean, he didn’t really believe in God. Neither of us did. We were into science; but science doesn’t explain what happens when we die. We talked about it sometimes. What happens when we die. Seth thought maybe there would be a bright light, or God, or something. But mostly we guessed life just ended – that we merely went in the ground and rotted away. Worm food. We joked about death a lot, I guess because it seemed so far away. But now that he’s really dead, I don’t want to imagine that. Not at all. There must be something after. Because Seth can’t just be gone.

Life’s never going to be the same.

********************************************************************

Seth and his friend didn’t believe in God, or heaven, or hell, or Jesus. They trusted in science, or so they said, but we find that few people truly believe in a universe that rushes out aimlessly and without purpose. Indeed, God has placed the knowledge of himself in our hearts and, when we are honest with ourselves, we know deep down inside that heaven and hell are real. Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42). But God and Jesus made a way for us so that “now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Like Seth and his friend, many of us tend to think we have another year, or month, or day; but in reality we may not even have another minute. Time is of the essence. Won’t you please reach out to God right here, right now?

To find out what happened to Seth when he died, please click here.

To learn more about God, please click here: knowgod.org

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Most of us in the USA grew up being taught to invest our monetary resources wisely and to plan for the future. These budgetary lessons came mostly from our parents; but we also learned them at school, and sometimes even our employers offered advice on financial planning. And then there are the motivational speakers who have made billions over the years rallying people to invest wisely; often promising we could get rich quickly. With all this financial advice, we should all be rolling in the money by now, and by worldwide standards, we pretty much are.

Most of this teaching that we received, at least when it came from our parents, schools, and employers, was well-intentioned. Motivated by genuine concern for our future well-being, they shared the kind of advice that has been learned and shared for generations. And surely we should be wise with our financial resources, saving money for emergencies and retirement. To this end, our parents’ and elder family members were right.

But there is a darker side to how we manage our finances. One that initially shines on the surface, but it extends beyond good financial planning and often leads us into fiscal darkness and discontent. That is our seemingly insatiable desire for the latest technological device, car model, fashionable clothing, or shiny new house; or perhaps our urge to take that exotic vacation to some distant place. These types of desires frequently lead to rationalization in our thought process so that we start to view these things as needs rather than “wants”.

And it is here that we can begin to stray from God’s plan. Rather than be content with having our basic needs met, we long for luxuries that we know are inessential for life. Let’s be honest here, were you to find yourself in a position where you could no longer have a cell phone or Internet connection, would you not feel like a basic need was going unmet? We all know people survived for thousands of years without such things but they seem so indispensable now, don’t they? The fact is, God promises to meet the needs of those who trust in Him, but He doesn’t promise anyone a smart phone.

The Bible has much to say about our financial well-being. Both Paul and Jesus shared some very notable teaching with us. We’ll start with Paul, who instructs us that Godliness with contentment is great gain.  Let’s take a glimpse into Paul’s thoughts as he counsels Timothy, his young protégé: “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”   (1 Timothy 6:6-10 NLT)

And Jesus teaches: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be…..“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24-33 NLT)

Isn’t it amazing that God promises that if we seek His kingdom above all else, He will give us what we need. And if we can learn to be content with having our needs met, that is great wealth in itself. It may help to have a little perspective on your situation. Try this on – if you make just $10.00 an hour, working full time, you are among the richest 3.28% of people in the world. (Check it out for yourself at www.globalrichlist.com.) But if you place your trust in God, and seek to place Him first in your life, while your home and shiny new car and all the other things you have purchased with your wealth slowly deteriorate before your very eyes, you will be storing up treasures for yourself in heaven where everything is new and there is no decay. Now that’s what I call cashing in!

So let me encourage you to seek the best financial advice you will ever receive by reading your Bible today and discovering God’s way!

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.