“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” (Proverbs 14:15)
We pass ourselves off as being so advanced, so intelligent, so evolved. With the flourishing of the Information Age – the Internet, etc. - we have SO MUCH information and raw data at our fingertips it staggers the mind. It has been said that the doubling or more of raw data being revealed occurs now in less than two years! We are flooded with streams of verbal and visual noise at levels far beyond our ability to even receive, let alone process. Many things that used to be mysteries (hidden) are now readily available to first and second grade school children. We are racing to the finish line of human perfection – in our thoughts, in our actions, in our health. Yes, we pass ourselves off in that manner.
Yet with all this coming at us 24/7, has it really pushed us forward in our thinking and relations with each other? Are we actually better off than those before us? Are we making better decisions with all we have at hand, or has it just jammed up our thinking by overloading us? With just a few moments of research on the Web, anyone can present any view on any subject easily. We can find legal justification to commit crime, we can self-diagnose our own diseases, we can destroy our enemy’s public personna, but has all this made us better people?
Solomon wrote in this verse that the simple – defined as naive, foolish, or open-minded – support and are carried onward by every word. We have been all-consumed by our logical thinking and our own ability to figure everything out according to human processes. We hear someone give a particularly moving speech in favor of abortion (for example), citing the health of the mother, the circumstances of the pregnancy, the (anticipated) health of the baby and BOOM we are all in. Then we hear a man or woman of God teach on the biblical basis of the sanctity of life, that God creates each person individually in the womb (therefore they are being formed with purpose and on purpose and given identity), followed by an emotionally-charged video and song then suddenly we switch sides – for now. We might watch a very well put together presentation by a noted medical scientist who explains away human behavior through the diagnosis of chemical imbalances, nutritional lack, emotional trauma, etc and that gives us free carte blanc to sin without restraint. After all, we can’t help it. There is no area of our lives – political, medical, emotional, social, financial, et al – that isn’t touched by this overwhelming burden of reasoning. This, in turn, causes us to fall prey to every wind of doctrine and latest “revelation.” So what’s the answer?
Solomon wrote that the prudent man or woman looks well to their going. In other words, the sensible person, the shrewd and perceptive man or woman, will consider every step before making it. Think about playing the simple game of chess or checkers. Each player is looking ahead at least three moves into the future, anticipating the outcomes of every move he and his opponent will possibly make. We have to keep our long-game in mind as Christians. Anyone who has been a Christian for awhile realizes just how easily one can get distracted or diverted away from the path Christ laid out for us. All it takes is a small stone of offense and we are off-road, planning revenge, nursing our hurt feelings, and putting together our own support group. How easy we make it for Satan to run us ashore and shipwreck us! It has been said (and the older I get the better I understand it) that one of the biggest losses mankind suffered at the Fall in the Garden of Eden was the ability to simply walk with God in obedience. In One there is perfect peace, joy, and all the other fruits of the Spirit, but in duplicity (two or more) there is confusion.
My challenge to you, my friend, is to so study the Word of God and learn His heart that you make it impossible for Satan to trick you off the path. Jesus said, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” There is NO OTHER WAY. Period. He came to give us life, and more abundantly – flowing with the vision, the love, and the very life of God in all situations. And if along the Way we need clarification (wisdom, the Bible calls it) we can ask Him and He will gladly, freely give it without question. This same wisdom will help you decide which step to take next and will help you focus on the final prize – eternal life in Christ. It’s that simple and it’s that difficult. Become one with God and allow Him to be your source of information and the guiding factor in your decisions.
Be blessed.
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