Do you claim to be wise?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
(Proverbs 3:7 (NIV))

Do you see any wisdom in the world?

Based on this passage, perhaps I should rephrase that question.

Do you see people shunning evil and fearing the Lord, or are they more interested in mocking and ridiculing the Lord and anyone who seeks to follow Him? Are these people trying to claim that they are wise? Contrary to what they may think, the Lord doesn’t agree.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
      and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10 (NIV))

The present state of the world reminds me of the parable of the wheat and the tares. The bad seed that produces the tares are those who do not fear the Lord. They are doing all that they can to disrupt God’s plans. We have known that this time would come. We have known what the people would be like who do not fear the Lord. They claim to be wise in their own eyes. They feel a false sense of self-worth. They feel that only they are right and anyone who doesn’t agree is an enemy.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
(2 Timothy 3:1-4 (NIV))

As members of the Body of Christ, we must pray that we not fall into the traps that the enemy has set. We must fear the Lord and shun all evil. We must not think that we are more than we are – filthy rags.

Do you claim to be wise?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Stand firm and pray!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
(2 Peter 3:3 (NIV))

Are you getting tired of all of the people who are scoffing and mocking Jesus and the Body of Christ? It has become so rampant, that there are very distinct battle lines being drawn between those who profess a faith in Jesus and those who think that they are too educated to believe in such things. It has even come to the point in our country where the two major political parties appear to have taken sides. One party refuses to mention Jesus or God and the other party acts like they expect everyone to be perfect like Jesus. I am not trying to be political, but there are now reports of one of the presidential candidates saying extremely bad things about people who profess a faith in Jesus.

I am so ashamed of what we have become. I am so tired of seeing these things increasing in what seems like a very rapid and very public change.

With what we are seeing, are you convinced that 2 Peter 3:3 is coming to pass if it is not already here?

My heart is heavy. My spirit is burdened, for I see what is going on and I fear for those who do not know Jesus. Are their hearts so hardened that they cannot be softened by the truth of the Gospel? Are they blinded by the false delusion and beyond hope?

We may see that the times are rapidly changing into the times that the Bible calls the last days, but we are not called to sit back and wait when we see this happening. If there was ever a time to be bold in our faith, it is now. We may be the one that Jesus uses to reach someone who is currently scoffing. We may be used by the Holy Spirit to soften a hardened heart and turn that heart to Jesus.

I earnestly pray for God’s will to unfold, but I am still human. My heart still breaks for those who need Jesus even if they are currently scoffers.

Stand firm and pray!

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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