God Loves Thanks
"All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 4:15)One last big idea about thanksgiving before thanksgiving weekend is over. From God's point of view, thanksgiving isn't just a good thing for us to do as we grow up in Jesus. It's not just one more rule for Christians to follow or another way to measure our spiritual maturity.
For God, our giving thanks to Him is a goal, a destination, part of the reason He engineers the circumstances of our lives in the way He does. He cares so much about hearing "thank you" from His people that He arranges our daily lives to provoke it.
In this passage, Paul has described the terrible circumstances of his life and the great goodness of God and how God has worked through all of that to bring His grace to more people — so that thanksgiving will "overflow to the glory of God." Put another way, when you tell God "thank you," you are accomplishing His will for your life and His universe.
Think: Does knowing how deeply God cares about hearing "thank you" from His people motivate you to say "thank you" more often? Why or why not?
Pray: Tell God thanks for giving you His grace through Jesus. Ask Him to help you to do His will by saying thanks to Him more and more.
Do: Add 10 final items to your long list of thanks from the last week or so. Read through the list and hold it on to it to remind yourself how good God has been to you when you're having trouble feeling that.
Potty Mouth Replacement
"But among you there must not be . . . obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3,4)For a lot of us, this is an awkward little verse. In some school hallways and PG-13 comedies, you might have a hard time finding anything but obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking. Why would Paul make such a big deal about it?
Read theses verses in the context of Ephesians 5 — and they still say the same thing — but you get a better sense for why it matters. Christians should notice a transformation going on in our lives, a change that we're told over and over to keep participating in. And along the way, we should be dumping any use of vulgar, crude sexual talk or language (even if it's really funny).
What should we talk about instead? Paul mentions thanksgiving. It's the perfect replacement for anyone trying to clean up their words. When you begin to spout something that qualifies as obscene, foolish, or coarse, choose to say something thankful, instead.
Think: Do you ever feel convicted that you need to change the words that come out of your mouth? Does it bother you when you catch yourself saying things you don't think are worthwhile?
Pray: Ask God to convict you when your words are worthless in this way. Ask Him to remind you to say thankful things instead.
Do: Look at the words obscene, foolish, and coarse on an online dictionary. And add another 10 things to your thanks list.
Thanks = Belief
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21)You can't think straight about the universe if you don't acknowledge the God of the universe. According to Paul in Romans 1, even self-describe atheists and agnostics "know God" on some level — but they make a point not to give Him credit for anything.
That thanklessness is evidence that their thinking is skewed. Paul is saying that anyone who doesn't worship and thank God obviously doesn't get it. He's got a God-sized whole in his picture of the way life works. He believes that good things come from his own effort or fate or "other gods."
Even for Christians, thanklessness is evidence of lack of trust in God. We're demonstrating a kind of "practical atheism." We know we believe, but we're not convinced enough to give Him credit for the good things He's done for us. To tell Him "thanks" is a way of exercising our faith.
Think: Have you ever thought of not saying thanks to God as a sign that you're not trusting Him? Can even forced thanks be a choice of real faith?
Pray: Ask God to help you to show your faith in Him by telling Him thanks.
Do: Thanksgiving Day has passed, but keep that thanks list going with another 10 things you're thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving from PW!
"I thank God every time I remember you." (Philippians 1:3)Today's verse says exactly how we here at PlanetWisdom feel about all of you. We are glad that any of you would ever come and spend a little time on this site and in the PW community. But we're more grateful that God is alive and at work in your lives right now.
Paul wrote these words to his good friends in the town of Philippi. He'd had a part in leading them into a relationship with Jesus, and he missed them. But not just them. In nearly every book he wrote in the Bible, Paul describes his gratitude for friends all over the world growing to be more and more like Jesus.
Our prayer for you this season is that you would overflow with thanksgiving for God's goodness to you in Jesus.
Have a great turkey day!
Think: Most of you have a lot of friends in the real world and on Facebook, MySpace, etc. How often do you thank God for them?
Pray: Thank God for all of your friends and ask Him to remind you to thank Him for them whenever you think of them.
Do: Add 10 friends to your long thanksgiving list, but don't repeat any you've already listed. If you've been following along all week, you should have about 80 items now.
Thanks That I Am Awesome!
"The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' " (Luke 18:11-12)If you look up "missing the point" on Wikipedia, you'll see a picture of the Pharisee in this verse. Okay, not really. But this guy must have broken some kind of "missing the point" record.
What he forgot — what I forget — is that telling God "thank you" is an act of humility. What I'm really saying is: "You did this!" Why would I tell God thank you for something I did. That's like telling God: "The world is a better place because I'm in it. Nice call!"
Sometimes we don't say thanks to God because we don't feel very grateful. Sometimes we don't say it because we think we're the ones making ourselves good and giving ourselves good gifts. Why would we thank God for what we're doing? That would be missing the point.
Think: Is there anything good in you or in your life that is not from God? It's a harder question than you might think.
Pray: Thank God that every good thing about you and in your life is from Him. Ask Him to help you not to forget that.
Do: Add another 10 things you're thankful for to your ever-growing lists. Is it getting any harder not to repeat?
Good Eats
"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish." (John 6:11)We modern people have an odd relationship with food. We just cannot imagine ever running out of it — so we put a pretty low personal value on it. Some of us abuse it by eating too much just because it's there. Others start to resent it, treating food like an enemy out to make us fat and ugly.
In cultures where food is sometimes scarce, the response to food is much simpler. If we don't have food, that's bad. If we do have food, that's good. In fact, if we do have food, that's a sign that God is good. He is the giver of food.
If you do a search for Jesus' use of the word "thank" in the gospels, you'll see that He mostly thanked the Father for food. When He turned a sack lunch into dinner for thousands, He thanked God for all the food nobody knew was coming. It's a big deal to God that we thank Him for the food He provides every day.
Think: Besides just saying the same prayer before every meal, can you think of any new ways or times to tell God thanks for giving you food? Do you think it matters to Him that we take time to enjoy our food?
Pray: Ask God to help you to have a healthy attitude toward the food He provides for you. And thank Him for all the food He will provide today.
Do: Add ten foods you enjoy to your gratitude list, while thanking God for them.
Thanks from the Fish
"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." (Jonah 2:9)You'd never guess that the verse that follows this one contains the word "vomited." Remember Jonah? God told him to go east. Jonah didn't like the gig and tried to go west. God sent a storm and a big fish to do a little catch-and-release with His prophet.
In the belly of the beast, Jonah repented. And as often happens with repentance, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. He looked forward to singing thanksgiving songs while keeping his promises to God.
Notice: This desire for thanksgiving came before God freed Jonah from the fish. Jonah's impulse to thank God wasn't just because he was having a better day. It was because He was back in close fellowship with God.
Think: Have you noticed that giving thanks to God comes more easily when you're close to Him? Do you need to repent and turn away from any sin in your life today so you can rediscover a thankful heart?
Pray: Ask God to help you to listen when he convicts you of sin, of going the wrong way on the path He's marked our for you. Then ask Him for courage to turn around and tell Him thanks.
Do: Add another 10 things you're thankful for to the list you started earlier this week without repeating anything from the first few days.
Rebellious Thanks
"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." (Daniel 6:10)Remember the story of Daniel and the lion's den? The bad guys hated Daniel and got the king to make a law that nobody was allowed to pray to any god but the king for a month. They knew stubborn, faithful Daniel would break it and get thrown to the lions.
Daniel rebelled. He didn't flinch. He broke the law with his window wide open. He had always prayed on his knees three times a day, "giving thanks to God," and no threat of becoming lion kibble was going to stop him.
I wish we had the same kind of commitment to saying thanks to God. Maybe if it was against the law, we'd do it more often just to make a point. As it is, we're going to have to work on making it a habit just because we're grateful for all God has done for us.
Think: Do you think you would pray more or less often if it was against the law? What would it take for you to make a habit of intentionally giving thanks to God three times a day?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be as fierce and faithful to Him as Daniel. Thank Him that He as the power to save us from whatever hungry lions might threaten us this week.
Do: Add 10 more things you're thankful for to that list. If you've been following along, that should bring you up to 40. (Still avoiding repeats?)
Push Your Play Button
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." (Psalm 28:7)Our culture is music-crazy. Almost everyone you know has some kind of personal mp3 player or other device crammed with all the artists and songs they love most. We carry our music around with us ready to pull it out and hit play any time we have a few moments of quiet to fill.
I think King David would have loved the iPod. He just could not get enough music in his life. For him, music was a way of expressing the deepest emotions and the biggest truths. And what he felt most deeply about was his God.
If you love music and you can honestly say that you trust God and He has helped you, why not tell Him thanks with music? Find a way to join the song of thanksgiving the week.
Think: What is the value of telling God thanks in song? Is it any better or worse than just saying or writing thanks with words?
Pray: Ask God for opportunities — and the desire — to tell Him thanks in song this week (even if you're a lousy singer).
Do: Add another 10 things you're thankful for to your list from the last two days. No repeats!
Your Thanksgiving Billboard
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts." (1 Chronicles 16:8-9)First Chronicles 16 describes a kind of a national thanksgiving day in Israel. David had just brought the ark of the covenant — which contained the very presence of God on earth — home to Jerusalem. It was a huge celebration.
On that same day, David delivered a new psalm of thanks to the priests to use in directing the worship of God. It kicks off with the two verses above, and it gives us a clue about why we give thanks to God.
For one, public thanksgiving is a personal billboard to point out to everyone how great our God is. It's a chance for us to make His name even more famous. Two, it's how we rehearse all the amazing things He has done for us.
Think: Do you see part of your "job" as a Christian to make God known in the world for His goodness, power, and love? Why or why not?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be effective as building His good reputation and remembering His good deeds to you.
Do: Still got your list from yesterday? Add another 10 things you're thankful to God for — but don't repeat anything from yesterday. It's okay to get really specific.
Thanksgiving Week
"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 22:29)I've always liked Thanksgiving, but I haven't always enjoyed giving thanks. I love colder whether, football, leaves, turkey, family, pumpkin pie, sweaters. (No, this isn't a person ad.) I dig the day.
But the act of giving thanks doesn't come naturally all the time. We're going to spend this last week before T-Day looking at why the giving of thanks to God is a such a big deal to Him. Why does He care that we feel and give gratitude?
Notice, first, that God built a whole special offering for giving thanks to Himself right into the Law in Leviticus. It was a sacrifice, and it could be done in the right or the wrong way.
To give away gratitude is still a sacrifice; we have to do the work to get our minds in the right place. We have to change our perspective.
Think: Do you think there's a wrong way to say thank you to God (or anyone else)? Do you think there's a wrong attitude from which to say thank you?
Pray: Ask God to help you to want to be a grateful person. Ask Him to help you to be willing to do the work of giving thanks.
Do: Start a list today and plan to keep it around all the way through Thanksgiving Day. Write on it 10 specific things you're thankful to God for today.
You Are Not Alone
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17)From the disciple's perspective, it must have seemed like Jesus was always saying hard things, impossible-to-comprehend things, things that would not make real sense until several chapters later.
But this time, Jesus was telling them an impossible thing that would eventually make everything clear: The Spirit of truth in them. The Holy Spirit. He's a person. He's God. He is given to every person who trusts in Jesus. He's a counselor who helps make clear to us what the world cannot possibly understand.
In this long goodbye speech, Jesus was promising the disciples would not be alone after He left. God would be with them — and not just in a general, fuzzy, "God is everywhere" kind of way. God the Spirit would be in them. He is in us. What does that mean for you?
Think: Be honest with yourself: Is it creepy at all to think of the Holy Spirit living in you as a Christian? Do you take the reality of the Spirit seriously? How often do you think about it?
Pray: As a believer in Jesus Christ, thank God for the gift of His Holy Spirit in your life. Ask Him to help you to live as if His Spirit is real and active in your daily existence.
Do: Read about one way the Spirit in us changes us in Romans 8:9-11.
Love Ya!
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)"Love ya!" "Oh, I love these things." "I just love that show." "That guy is great; I love him." "I love you in those shoes." "I love you, but . . ."
We love to throw the word "love" around like it's "like," don't we? And that's fine as long as we all know what we mean. But the casual use of "love" has put a dent in our understanding of the word.
For his disciples, Jesus set the highest meaning of the word: "Love" = "obey me." Ouch. I do not love that definition. I want to be able to shout "Yes, I LOVE Jesus!" and get some points for all that emotion without being fact-checked by my obedience.
Living love is so much harder than saying love.
Think: Do you think obedience to Jesus is a fair standard for whether we love Him or not? How would you rate the distance between any feelings of love you have for God and your obedience of Him?
Pray: Ask God to give you the courage and will to show your love for Him by doing what He tells you to do.
Do: Listen this week for all the different ways people use the word "love."
God’s Power in You
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." (John 14:12-13)After pointing out three major clues that should have tipped off the disciples to the fact that Jesus is God (His character, His words, and His miracles), Jesus promised them even more evidence of His authentic power was coming — and they would see it in themselves.
They didn't understand it, yet, but the disciples would soon start to perform jaw-dropping miracles with the power God would supply. All they'd have to do, Jesus promised, is ask Him. Then He would do it.
Have you seen evidence of God's power through Jesus come out of your own life? A change in you that seemed impossible? A spiritual gift in action that God used in the life of someone else? A peace in your heart that defied your lousy circumstances? God's power is especially convincing when it rolls out of your own, broken self.
Think: What evidence have you seen in your own life that Jesus is the Son of God, that faith in Him makes a difference?
Pray: Ask God to help you to notice when He provides evidence of His power through Jesus in your life. And ask Him to help you to remember to say, "Thank you," and, "You're great, God."
Do: Ask someone who has trusted Jesus for a long time what evidence they've seen that confirms to them that Jesus really is the powerful Son of God.
The Evidence of Miracles
"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." (John 14:11)Yesterday, we saw that Jesus pointed to two evidences that should have given Him away as the Son of God to the 12 guys who knew Him best. Evidence 1: He lived with God's character. Evidence 2: He spoke with God's words.
Evidence 3: He displayed God's power. The disciples had seen all those miracles with their own eyes. They'd gathered up all that leftover food after Jesus fed thousands from a sack lunch. Twice. They'd freaked out when He came walking toward them on top of the water. They'd smelled the stench of death as dead-four-days Lazarus hopped out of his own tomb.
How could they NOT know the Father was in Jesus? How could they, of all people, have missed the big idea that He was God made man?
Think: Do you think it would have been easier or harder for you to believe that Jesus is God if you had seen all His miracles? Don't answer too fast. Why did some who saw the miracles still not believe He was the Son of God?
Pray: God didn't owe us any miracles as evidence that Jesus was the Son of God. Thank Him for being so generous as to demonstrate His power on earth to those eyewitnesses and the rest of us who believed their reports.
Do: Spend five minutes imaging yourself as one of the disciples on the scene when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. How would you have felt about Him after that?
Walk Like Him Talk Like Him
"Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." (John 14:10)Was Jesus was using a little gentle sarcasm to help His disciples figure out the truth about who He was? He kept asking, "Don't you believe this?" Of course, He knew what they believed in their hearts.
He gave three reasons they should have figured out by now that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. We read the first yesterday: They knew Him. They'd spent years with Him. Had they ever seen Him sin? Had He ever told a lie? In all the time they'd known Him, hadn't He, in fact, been like God in His character?
Second, in today's passage, He pointed out that He has always talked with God's own words. He said what God said, because He was God. Hadn't all the people commented on His authoritative teaching? Hadn't they noticed He wasn't like other rabbis?
We'll see His third piece of evidence tomorrow.
Think: If you spent 3 years with Jesus not knowing He was the Son of God, do you think you would have figured it out from His character and His words?
Pray: Thank God for revealing Himself on earth through Jesus. Ask Him to help you to not miss anything you can know about Him through getting to know Jesus.
Do: Write down one big thing we know about God because we have seen it in the stories or words of Jesus.
See Me See Him
"Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.' " (John 14:8-9)Philip wanted to see God. In person. With his own eyes. He'd just heard Jesus say, "No one comes to the Father except through me." Okay, then, let's see Him, Philip said. That's all we need.
Philip was hoping the time had finally come. He'd been following Jesus for three years, believing his master was the Messiah who would bring peace and greatness back to Israel soon. Was it time, now, please? Can we see God? Can we see His power?
Jesus went around the same tree again: You have seen Him, Philip. You're looking at Him. You still don't get it. You know me = you know Him. I've been right here with you the whole time. You can stop looking for the Father; you've found Him.
Think: Even some who call themselves Christians still miss the point that Jesus is God, that the Father is in the Son, that the Son is a perfect revelation of God the Father. Why do you think it's so hard to understand and believe?
Pray: Thank God the Father for allowing you to "see" Him through getting to know Jesus in the Bible.
Do: Spend five minutes sometime today just thinking about what Jesus means when He says that seeing Him is seeing God the Father.
The Way
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " (John 14:6)So what was Jesus' answer to the disciples' very logical question? Thomas asked: "What are you talking about? How could we possibly know the way to where you're going when we still don't know where you're going?"
Jesus said, "You know the way because you know me. I'm going home to be with my Father, and I'm the only path to get there."
The secret to all of life and history comes down to this verse, this answer. People spend decades hoping to find the key to happiness, to knowing God, to their idea of heaven.
They're looking for the right path to get them there, the right set of circumstances, the right combination of choices. But the path is a person, and He's an exclusive entrance to eternity. He's the only door, the only hope, the only way that's not a dead end.
Think: Why do you think the absolutism of Jesus' statement in this verse bothers so many people? Does it bother you? Does it seem unfair that God would not allow any other path to Himself — or does it seem generous that He would offer any path to Himself, at all?
Pray: Take a few minutes today to really express to God your gratitude for offering a home with Him as your Father through Jesus. Thank Him for sending His Son to be the way, the truth, and the life.
Do: If you've never done so — or just need a refresher — spend some time memorizing this verse this week.
I Don’t Get It!
"Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' " (John 14:5)Do you think Jesus enjoyed baffling His disciples? Either way, it's one of His most familiar teaching strategies. He often said things completely beyond them and waited for them to ask what He was talking about.
You can almost see the confused expression on their faces. Jesus just got done comforting the team about His departure by saying, "You know the way to the place I'm going."
Um, wait, what? Thomas gets the prize for being the first to ask what everyone else was thinking: "Not only do we not know the way, we don't even know where you're headed!" How closely do you think he and the others were listening for what Jesus would say next? Brilliant.
Think: How do you handle it when you don't know what the Bible is talking about? Do you see it as a failure on your part, a reason to give up, or a chance to learn something new?
Pray: Ask God to help you learn more about Him by finding more things you don't know about Him and His Word. Then ask Him to give you a willingness to go looking for the answers.
Do: As you read the Bible this week, look for statements or actions that surprise or confuse you — and celebrate the chance to learn something new.
Goodbye Song
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:3-4)Have you noticed the way people talk to each other when they're saying goodbye? People who really care for each other and feel sad or uneasy about being separated focus on one thing: When will we be together again?
Sometimes my preschool son gets sad or nervous when I leave to go somewhere. It helps him to hear me say when I'll be back and what we'll do together then. Jesus is offering that kind of comfort to His disciples shortly before His arrest, trials, and crucifixion.
His message: I will be leaving, but I'll be thinking about you while I'm gone. I will come back for you. And, besides, you know the way to get to me. God speaks very similar messages to us about our future together with Him.
Think: Do you look forward to being together with God forever in heaven? Do you ever feel like you "miss" Him, in a way?
Pray: Thank God for the comfort Jesus showed to His disciples before they were separated. Ask Him to help you both to be eager to be with Him and to be comforted knowing that day is coming.
Do: Read Colossians 3:1-4.
Untroubling Your Heart
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:1-2)We're going to listen in on a very personal and tense conversation this week between Jesus and His disciples. It takes place on the night before Jesus' crucifixion, and it had been a rough evening.
They'd had their big Passover holiday meal at a secret location because the Jewish religious leaders were looking for a chance to arrest and kill Jesus. Then He announced that one of them would betray Him, and each wondered if he was the guy. Finally, Jesus told Peter he would deny even knowing Jesus before the night is over. Of course, Peter argued.
Now, Jesus changes tone and looks to comfort them for a moment. He tells them to trust God and to trust Him as a way to control their anxiety. Yes, He's leaving, but He's planning on being with them later in a special place He'll prepare for them. He asks us to calm ourselves with those messages, also.
Think: How does trusting God help you to control your anxiety? Can you feel worried and trust God at the same time? Does it help you to think about the day when you'll be in the place God has prepared for you in heaven forever?
Pray: Thank God for letting us "hear" the conversation between Jesus and His disciples on the night before He was killed. Ask Him to give you a deeper understanding of who Jesus is this week.
Do: Think about the kinds of things people say to each other when they are saying goodbye before parting for a long time. What do they focus on?
Meet Mr. Mocker
"The proud and arrogant man — 'Mocker' is his name; he behaves with overweening pride." (Proverbs 21:24)Our final devo for "Mockery Week" gets right to the root of the sin behind being a mocker: Pride. But not just any pride: "overweening pride." Excessive pride. Extravagant pride. Presumptuous pride.
When I mock someone in a mean way — labeling her idea or effort or even her directly as stupid or worthless — I reveal way more about me than that person. I show my deep belief that I am better, smarter, cleverer. That kind of pride is shocking, and God HATES it.
Here's the good news: If you sometimes live as a mocker, falling into the pattern of belittling people and ideas (and maybe even the things of God) almost automatically, you can change your name from "Mocker" to "Humble" with God's help. You can trade kindness for scoffing. Wisdom will help you.
Think: Are there any people in your life who turn you off with their habit of mocking anything and everything? Do you think it's easier to catch others doing this than it is to see it in ourselves?
Pray: Ask God to help you never to earn the name "Mocker." Ask Him to help you to be humble even when other people say things you think are stupid.
Do: Practice this for a few days: Carry a little notebook with you. When you say something that might qualify as mocking, write it down. You might be surprised how much more arrogant your words look on paper than they sounded coming out of your mouth.
Thanks for Leaving!
"Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger." (Proverbs 29:8)"Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended." (Proverbs 22:10)
Want to be this guy? (Or girl?) Want to be the person who spreads joy by leaving the room? That makes peace by not showing up? That unites enemies by getting out of town?
It's not hard. Just get your mock on and go to it. Make friends by putting other people down. Then make friends with those people by ridiculing the first group. Soon, you'll be friends with everyone and nobody will be friends with anyone else. You'll feel smart and special.
The downside is that you'll eventually have to leave. People will begin to catch on that you're the poison in the relationship pool. They'll want you gone. But what's so hard about starting over with another school or church or sports team? It's what good mockers do.
Think: Ever known anyone like this? Ever been anyone like this? How do people "drive out" a mocker? How can a mocker stop being a mocker?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be wise and pass up every opportunity to be a mocker. Ask Him to help you to bring peace to your group of friends instead of bringing disagreements.
Do: Pay attention this week for anyone who seems to make a room a happier place by leaving it. Would you call that person a mocker? Can you do anything to help that person become an unmocker?
Mocker Hide-and-Seek
"The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning." (Proverbs 14:6)We've painted a pretty grim picture of mockers this week — people who reveal their arrogance and self-righteousness by making mean fun of anything and anyone, even God and His truth. Mockers are people who pass out "stupid" signs to everyone who doesn't do it exactly the way they would.
Today's verse reveals how frustrating a life of mockery can be. Even when the mocker is ready to get a better understanding of how life works, he or she comes up empty. Why? Because the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
If you don't start with the idea that God is real, that He designed everything, and that He's always smarter than you — you'll never bag new wisdom. If you do, God's wisdom is yours for the taking.
Think: Ever get frustrated in your wisdom hunt? Ever wonder if the problem might be that you're underestimating how much smarter God is than you?
Pray: Ask God to keep you from being a mocker. Ask Him to help you to be humble and discerning, instead.
Do: Make a short list of three examples from your life of being a mocker.
The Price of Mockery
"If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."(Proverbs 9:12)"Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools." (Proverbs 19:29)
Mocking might not make you popular, but at least it always hurts in the end. I mean, living to tear people and ideas down is terribly unfulfilling, but one day you'll regret every moment of it. Okay, that's not coming out right.
Bottom line: Mocking doesn't pay. It might feel good to us in the moment to take joy in scoffing, ridiculing, or belittling God or other people, but you'll be shocked to learn nobody likes to be mocked. Eventually, society finds a way to punish those who make a lifestyle out of finding news ways to make everyone feel stupid.
Wisdom, on the other hand, gives out prizes to those who follow her. Life becomes easier, more meaningful, and more joyful for those who live it according to God's wise design.
Think: Have you ever seen anyone suffer a painful consequence for mocking God or others? Have you ever seen anyone benefit from making a wise choice?
Pray: Ask God to help you to live wise and reap the benefits of that. Also ask him to help you to get a bad taste in your mouth any time you're tempted to join the mockers.
Do: Any ideas about some specific ways or reasons that mockers might suffer alone?
What Mockers Hate Most
"Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." (Proverbs 9:8)"A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise." (Proverbs 15:12)
Remember, our Mockery Week here on the PW devo is not about people who are just good at "yo mamma" jokes. Mockers are men and women who make a lifestyle out of ridiculing most things and most people. In pride, mockers love to show how others are stupid.
One sign that you've fallen into a mocking lifestyle is your response to being corrected. Mockers hate that. And they hate the people who rebuke them. It's not just that they can't take being mocked in return, they also can't stand having someone who cares about them gently point out a problem in their lives.
And mockers don't go looking for advice from wiser people. Partly, they can't think of anyone who is wiser than them. Partly, it would make them angry if someone like that pointed out a better approach to life. So they usually just do everything their own way.
Think: How do you respond to being corrected? Do you really appreciate it when someone is able to show you a problem in your life — or does it just make you angry at them? How often do you look for advice from people you know who are wiser than you?
Pray: Ask God to help you not to be a mocker. Ask Him to help you to receive correction and rebuke with humility and gratitude. Ask Him to help you to be open to hearing wisdom from other people.
Do: Look for examples in your life this week of friends or family member who respond to being correct with anger and hatred — or with gratitude.
When God Mocks
"He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." (Proverbs 3:34)Wait a minute! If mocking is so wrong, why does God do it? Or to spin it around: God only does holy things, so how can mocking be wrong? Short answer: We're not God.
Long answer: Sinful mocking is a sin of pride. It's not just saying, "You're wrong on this point." It is saying, "You're stupid, and I'm smarter (or more athletic or better looking or more ethical) than you." When people mock God or His truth, especially, that mockery reveals a giant arrogance. And God cannot be arrogant, because He really is greater than all.
Can you imagine being mocked by God? Talk about the ultimate burn. But God is generous when we are overwhelmed by our smallness and His bigness, when we are not convinced of our personal rightness, when we acknowledge our tendency to be very wrong. Then He steps in to build us up.
Think: Is it scary to think of being mocked by the God of the universe? Is it comforting to think of Him mocking those who mock Him?
Pray: Ask God to help you to carry in your heart and mind humility toward Him and the people He has created.
Do: Read Psalm 2:1-4 and Psalm 37:12-13 for more examples of God laughing at those foolish enough to underestimate His power.
The Foolish Joy of Mockery
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares . . . "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?" (Proverbs 1:20, 22)Proverbs occasionally pictures Wisdom as a woman inviting people to become wise. In today's verse, Wisdom wonders why anyone would want to keep being a fool. She doesn't get the joy of being a mocker.
I wonder how many blogs would qualify as exercises in mockery. The writers see it as their job in life to point out the stupidity of nearly everything and everyone they come across. And they love it. It "delights" them.
Why? For one thing, it's easy to mock ideas and people. It's not hard to put something down. And it makes you feel smarter and more powerful than those you attack. Mockery gives the mocker the illusion of superiority, and that feels great. Wisdom says, "You can do better; you can actually become wise instead of just feeling smarter than those you mock."
Think: Do you know (or have you been) someone who just seems to love to mock people? Why is it so much fun? How is it different from real wisdom?
Pray: Ask God to help you not to enjoy mocking people or ideas or especially His truth in hurtful or worthless ways.
Do: If you watch TV this week, see if you notice any professional mockers.
Mockery Week
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." (Psalm 1:1)Welcome to Mockery Week on the PlanetWisdom devo — a whole week of devoted to discovering the downside of being what David and his wise son Solomon called a "mocker."
What's a mocker? It's more than just someone who likes to make fun of people to get laughs. Solomon, especially, used the word to describe someone who tends to make fun of everything, including and especially the things of God. We might say a mocker is someone with an attitude problem — someone quick to label nearly anything "stupid."
Mockers can be hilarious. There's an art form to putting down people or ideas in a funny way. So why does wisdom warn us against being or hanging out with them? Stay tuned this week to find out.
Think: Do you ever fall into a habit of mocking anything and everything? Do you see that as a problem or just a way of being funny? Is there a difference between giving a friend a hard time for fun and seriously mocking people you don't agree with?
Pray: Ask God to help you to understand this week how not to be a mocker.
Do: Keep your eyes open this week for examples of mean-spirited, angry, or rebellious mockery.
Doing Satan’s Will?
"Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:25-26)Paul is writing to Pastor Timothy about a big issue in churches that we don't usually talk about. The Bible teaches that pastors are meant to be spiritual authorities in the lives of people in their churches. Pastors are not just advisors who explain God's Word. They are meant to be respected and obeyed as leaders.
Here's the interesting part for the rest of us: Paul says that when we rebel against the authority and teaching of our spiritual leaders — which can potentially harm our churches — that we've fallen into one of the devil's traps and we're stuck. Captive. Doing the will of Satan.
How do we escape? Hopefully, our pastors and spiritual leaders will gently show us the truth and pray for us. Then we must repent (give up our stubborn position), believe the truth instead of the lie that we must have it our way, and wake up.
Think: Can you think of any way in which you are living in rebellion against one of the spiritual authorities God has placed in your life — or against his teaching of God's Word? What harm can that do to others in your church?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be aware if you are in any way opposing the authority or biblical teaching os one of the spiritual leaders he's put in your life. Ask Him to help you to believe the truth in those relationships and to never serve the devil's purposes without realizing it.
Do: Think about asking your youth pastor or another spiritual leader in your life what they think about these verses.
