Fool's Resolutions

We give the calendar a lot of power, don’t we? We make a big deal about December changing into January, one year changing into another. It’s a new start! It’s a new beginning! I can be a better person starting . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . now!

Maybe I’m projecting again. Every year, I make a few resolutions -- commitments to make some kind of a change in my life. And every year my interest in sticking to that diet/reading/exercise/being-nicer plan starts fading around noon on January 4. Part of the problem is that I’m desperately hoping I’ll be able to magically will myself to be a different person just by hitting the restart button.

It doesn’t work that way, does it? Learning to live wisely takes time and hard work. It takes prayer and willingness to be changed by God. It doesn’t happen overnight (especially when you stay up until three a.m. the night before the day you’re planning to start being a better person).

But there is something you can change overnight that would make a big difference in your life right away: Don’t be a fool! More specifically, stop thinking like a fool. Fools make foolish choices because they’re committed to foolish ideas. What ideas? Good question. Let’s explore:

The Fool’s Top Five Resolutions for 2008

1. I Will Not Believe in God!
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ” (Psalm 53:1)

Whatever he tells you about being rational and logical fallacies and a lack of evidence for God, the fool must still make a hard faith choice to believe God does not exist. In Romans 1, Paul says God’s existence is obvious from what He has made. It’s no wonder fools start their attack on God as Creator. To convince themselves there is no God to answer to, a fool must first come up with an alternate explanation for the existence of everything else (including himself).

Why would someone want to disbelieve in God? It’s not a hard question. We’d all like to be our own gods, with only ourselves to answer to for our actions. The fool longs to prove his own way is the best way, no matter what anyone tells him.

Stats tell us that 90-some percent of Americans believe in God in one way or another. But all of us wrestle with trusting Him with our lives. Too often, even Christians live as if He is fictional. Wisdom starts with learning to believe Him enough to be afraid of Him. (Proverbs 9:10)

2. I Will Not be Told What to Do!
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7)

“A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.” (Proverbs 17:10)

“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.“ (Proverbs 28:26)

For all the fuss over box office dud The Golden Compass, the loudest message I heard wasn’t about atheism. It was about not letting anyone in any kind of authority tell you what to do. The girl in the film stood up against evil authority, true. But she also took a stand against authority figures that cared deeply for her.

The fool is committed to never being corrected or rebuked -- by his parents, teachers, friends, or enemies. He is right, and he knows it. He sees refusing to give in as a great strength. To learn from your mistakes requires admitting you made a mistake. The fool sees that as weakness. He will not bend.

If you spend much time in Proverbs, you’ll see that plan never works out very well.

3. I Will Say Whatever Comes to My Mind!
“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” (Proverbs 15:2)

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” (Proverbs 18:2)

“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” (Proverbs 17:28)

The fool thinks it’s unhealthy to hold back on any thought that forms in the mind during a conversation. She believes wisdom is discovered through self-expression -- and that other people probably would benefit from her perspective on whatever topic comes around. Fools aren’t big on asking questions, except as a polite way of creating an excuse to tell you what they think. A fools stomach rumbles and he opens up to projectile vomit his foolish ideas about whatever is on the menu.

4. I Will Not Hold Back My Anger!
“It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.” (Proverbs 20:3)

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” (Proverbs 29:11)

Since a fool is absolutely convinced that his most important job in life is to protect himself and provide for himself and to express himself, he’s got zero reason to keep his anger quiet. He must express his rage to keep anyone from taking advantage of him. He must answer every perceived insult to prove he is not weak.

Since a fool can’t believe that God will protect Him, that God is in control of his circumstances, or that he might be wrong, he can’t afford to let anything pass. Every small thing is worth fighting over.

5. I Won’t Stop!
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

Wow. That’s the second use of the word vomit in this devo. Cool.

Dogs are gross. They throw up. And then they eat it. Fools make a similar choice. They do a foolish thing. It causes a huge mess. And then they do it again. Why? Because they just cannot believe their choice is the reason for the mess. A fool commits himself to making the same mistake over and over until it works. And it never works.


Okay, let’s ease up a bit on this nameless fool. After all, everyone walks around in his shoes sometimes. I’ve done everything on this list. You have too. Hopefully, the difference between being foolish sometimes and being a hardcore fool is that the fool is committed to these resolutions as a lifestyle. He doesn’t just fall into them; he believes in them.

You have my permission to narrow your resolution list down to just one thing this year: Don’t be a fool! That’s one that will be worth working on all the way through February, at least.

No Ordinary Girl

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

—Luke 1:45

At our church Christmas program this last week, the little kids sang a song describing Mary as an “ordinary girl.” I know what the song meant. She wasn’t rich or famous or glamorous. Like lots of other teenage girls, she was in the engagement stage of an arranged marriage to a much older guy. That was ordinary in her culture.

But Mary was no ordinary person. She would stand out in any generation, including yours and mine. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe she was anything more than a regular, sinful human girl. But she was also a girl who was willing to believe God with her whole life. That’s not normal.

Look at the verse up there at the top. It’s a sentence that comes at the end of a paragraph in which Mary’s much older and also pregnant cousin Elizabeth is having an excited moment about this unbelievable thing that has happened to them. Notice what she praises Mary for -- not for being rich or talented or smart or pretty -- for believing that God would actually do what God said He would do.

It seems like a little thing when you say it that way, but I think it might be the biggest deal to God of all the things He asks us to do. From Genesis all the way through to Revelation, the Bible urges us to believe God. Take Him at His word. Show our belief in the choices we make, in the thoughts we think, in the words we say. God wants us to trust Him with every corner of our lives.

Mary did that -- and Elizabeth was one of the first to call her “blessed.”

Another weird thing about young, pregnant Mary: She knew God’s Word. Right after the above verse, we’re treated to Mary’s famous song. The girl who said very little when the angel told her she would give birth to the Messiah now reveals how deeply she understood what was happening. Read it for yourself. The girl knew the Book.

It’s not really trusting God just to say, “Yes, I believe everything He says.” People who really believe everything God says sink hours and days and years into reading, studying, understanding what He said. If it’s really God’s mind on that paper, what could be more valuable that putting it in our own heads? Studying His Word is an act that shows we really believe Him.

Nope. Mary would stick out in any demographic. She believed God so much she actually took the time to know His Word deeply -- and to accept His Word with humility.

Mary would have made a lousy rap star or self-glorifying NFL player. She carried God’s Son in her womb and refused to make that about her (as most of us would do, at least in private). Instead, she made it all about Him. She praised Him for His loving, powerful, promise-keeping plan that just happened to include an unordinary girl.

She believed. She studied. She was humble. I want to be weird like that. You?

Five Proverbs for Siblings

Maybe your house is different than mine was growing up. Maybe you and your sibs all get along perfectly, never trading angry words, never blaming each other for your poor choices, never inventing new ways of pushing his/her buttons. If so, what’s wrong with you? I mean, way to go.

If, however, you experience the normal ups and downs of most sibling relationships, consider these wise words from Proverbs 12.

In fact, you may never have a better opportunity in your whole life to practice wise living with other humans than you do with the most annoying, most inescapable, most smarter-than-you-ever-thought-possible people on the planet: your own brother(s) and/or sister(s).

“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)

Normal human beings are almost always sure we’re smarter than our brothers and sisters. It’s no wonder we don’t listen to their advice. Proverbs is clear, though, that one trait of fools is doing it “their own way” without ever hearing other ideas.

Remember, listening to advice is not the same as actually doing whatever your sib says. But listening to advice is a skill that takes practice. Practice on your sibs! That’s what they’re there for.

“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” (v. 16)

The writer must have been thinking of a brother or sister when he wrote this one. Most siblings insult each other creatively and with great enthusiasm. Want to learn prudence? Try stubbornly refusing to let your sibs see how annoyed you are. Practice overlooking insults. For one, that’s wise living. For another, you’ll take all the fun out of it for them.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (v. 18)

Human beings say terrible, mean things to each other. The words that hurt the worst are the ones the come from those we care about the most. And, let’s be honest, we do care what our brothers and/or sisters think about us. And even if they don’t show it, they care what you think of them.

Your words can hurt them. You can probably think of a time when you said something in the heat of the moment and were shocked by how hurt the other person looked. You can never take those words back, but you can learn to wisely use your words to heal instead of hurt. Saying kind things to your brothers and sisters (on purpose!) is a great place to start.

“There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.” (v. 20)

One of the highest callings for Christians is that we become peacemakers. The person who can learn to promote peace between wounded siblings (especially if he or she is one of them) is on the path to becoming a truly impressive mediator. Bonus: You will experience great joy.

Notice the first part of the verse: God hates lying. Fools tell lies. If you want to be a great, foolish liar your whole life, learn how to lie to your siblings. If you’re already lying to (or about) your siblings, chances are you’ll build on that habit for life.

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (v. 25)

Even if you don’t always like them, you probably know your sibs about as well as anyone does. You can tell when they’re worried, right? This proverb calls you to notice when your brother(s)/sister(s) are anxious and be ready to deliver some kind words. Of course, you’ll have to be paying attention a little bit to pull that off.

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Remember, wisdom doesn’t just happen. It requires changes in your heart and lots of practice. And the best practice comes from changing your heart toward the people who live under your own roof. I can hear some of you saying, “But you don’t know my brother!” Or, “This won’t work with my sister!”

Here’s the deal: The worse your relationship is with your sibling, the more wisdom you’ll gain from practicing these proverbs with him or her. If you get along too well, these will be too easy. You won’t really have to change. But if you have days where you can’t stand each other, you’re going to grow huge wisdom by working on these five proverbs from Proverbs 12.

Power Outage

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
—2 Peter 1:8-9

Most of us have experienced a power outage at one time or another. Last year, we had a wicked ice storm around New Year’s that downed power lines for miles and miles. The power was off for most of three days. And due to the ice on the roads, you couldn’t get away from the area to go somewhere that had power, either.

A power outage is good for one thing. It makes you realize how much we all take electricity for granted. At first, it’s kind of fun and exciting. “Get the candles! Start a fire in the fireplace! Woo hoo!”

Everyone is forced to spend time together actually talking for a while. Someone always says, “So this is what it was like in the olden days.” Maybe you play board games by candlelight.

But it gets less fun as the hours pass. “I want to watch TV; my show is starting! How can I check my Facebook? Why do I keep flipping the light switch when I know it doesn’t work?”

Then it starts to get serious. “We're about out of wood for the fire. How much food do we have left? My cell phone battery is dead; what if something goes wrong?”

By the third day, the electric company could charge triple the normal rates for electricity and everyone would pay it. When it comes back on, you can’t believe how wonderful it is to have light, heat, hot food, and electronics. In the 21st century, life without power just isn’t normal.

In the passage above, Peter tries to get us to understand that for Christians, life without spiritual power isn’t normal, either. So far, we’ve learned from this chapter that knowing God through Jesus Christ gives us access to the mind-blowing power of God’s “divine nature.“

Last week, he told us what to do with our power: build a pyramid! On top of your faith, build goodness, then knowledge, then self-control, then perseverance, then godliness, then brotherly kindness, then top it off with the most powerful thing in the universe: God’s kind of self-sacrificing love.

Then he hits us with this negative: If you don’t have these qualities in your life -- if you’re not growing better at living this way all the time -- you’re living with the lights out.

Okay, what he really says is that you’ve become "ineffective" and "unproductive" as someone who knows Jesus. You’ve been given huge power, but you’re living like electricity hasn’t been invented yet. You’re wasting your life in Christ by refusing to turn the lights on.

Let's be really honest with each other: We all know lots of Christians who don’t seem to be growing in these qualities. Many don’t seem to care about living this way, at all. They go to church. They do what’s expected. But they’re not really into talking about or showing goodness, knowledge, self-control, etc.

In fact, we've all had seasons like that in our own lives. But this doesn’t have to be one of them for you. You can ”make every effort“ to tap into God’s power in your life to live this way.

Part of the problem, Peter says, is that we forget to put our contacts in. We’re near-sighted. Like someone feeling around in the dark, we only really care about what’s right in front of us. If we'd turn on the lights (by looking through God's Word), we'd easy see past right now and into eternity. We’re practically blind because we forget we’ve been rewired with the power of God. We’re not built to flail around in our sin any more. We’re built to live well-lit, climate-controlled, high-speed Internet, meaningful, powerful lives that will matter forever.

Let’s turn the lights on, already.