Needed: Counselors

For Monday, July 25, 2005
Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Our church government follows this principle. No one minister or elder may rule the church. Instead, it is through the prayerful deliberation of elders (ministers are Teaching Elders; lay elders are Ruling Elders in our denomination) that divine guidance is received and given to the church. In actual practice, the "system" can sometimes seem burdensome, and yet more often than not it results in wiser counsel than that of any one individual.

All of us need counselors, and the greater authority we possess, the more needed are good counselors. Some persons think that the mark of true leadership is to act without counsel, at least without the counsel of those who would be under their authority. Husbands make this mistake regarding their wives; elders may miss the wise counsel of the deacons (and deaconesses in our case.) Bosses will ignore counsel from their employees. But one of the premises of the book of Proverbs is that the mark of wisdom is knowing when wise counsel is being given. The wise leader, therefore, desires to hear the counsel of others, whatever their position may be. He asks good questions; he elicits the opinions of those under him. He, then, as a leader must make the decision and bear the responsibility. All the more, he needs counselors.

We all need, of course, the one whom Jesus called the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. The wisest counselors are the biggest fools without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Spirit within and among counselors in which a people and a church will find safety.

Half-Truth Tellers

For Friday, July 22, 2005
Proverbs 11:13

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

"Perhaps I should say this, but Tom told me..."
"I'm not suppose to say anything, but I thought you should know..."
"I wonder why Sally was going into..."

And the beat goes on. Note that the proverb says slandering reveals secrets. The viciousness of slander lies in that it spreads half-truths, the half that puts the person in a bad light. I hear half-truths often when a spouse comes to me to share about the unjust behavior of the other spouse; or when anyone comes to present their "concerns" about someone else. But the slander here is not the half-truth spoken in a private counseling session, but that is spread publicly (and privately when shared with someone who has no business in knowing or the slanderer has no business in telling in anyone.)

When a Phillies pitcher was caught on camera responding badly to a cameraman, a sports writer wrote an article recalling instances when athletes had not treated him well. He named each athlete and described the confrontation. He seemed oblivious to the issue that really is at the heart of athletes' frustration with the media, which is the media's power to affect how they are perceived publicly. In this article, we were given a detailed description of the athlete's bad behavior and a sympathetic picture of the writer. His one article of these instances will color how most of the readers will always view these athletes.

We can do the same with other people's reputations. A single remark of questioning a person's actions, especially questioning his motives, will prejudice the hearers, so that, despite what the truth is or what the person does for good, the doubt remains in the hearers minds. Slander is ruthless because it has to prove nothing, merely suggest.

The one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps secrects told him. And when he sees something which does not involve him, he is slow to reveal it. He either goes to the person who has done something questionable, or he keeps it covered, trusting God to bring to light what needs to be. He does this for several reasons. One, he knows that he can ruin a good person's reputation, and for love of his neighbor he will keep silent. Two, he knows the injunction that if he sees his brother in sin, he is to go to that person, instead of spreading the news to others. Three, he knows that he can stir up strife, creating greater trouble than the one he supposedly sees. Four, he knows his limits. He knows that he may not know the whole story, and thus will not take the chance of spreading half-truths. Five, he knows that there are limits to his responsibility. He is not to be the judge or take responsibility of everyone he sees doing something he questions. He entrusts them in God's hands and in the hands of others who do have responsibility.

Keep this proverb in mind today as you hear and see what goes on around you.

A Wise Neighbor

For Thursday, July 21, 2005
Proverbs 11:12

Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.

Why is it foolish to belittle one's neighbor? He can get even! He can play his music loud, have his dog use your yard, etc. He can make daily life miserable. A wise person understands this. He keeps his views about his neighbor's habits and tastes to himself. He does not take it upon himself to "improve" his neighbor with "helpful" comments.

Why else is it foolish to belittle one's neighbor? Because we incur our Lord's displeasure who commanded us to love our neighbor. Far from belittling our neighbor, we are to look for ways to show him respect.

Why else is it foolish to belittle one's neighbor? Because we sabotage our own intentions. If our neighbor needs Christ, we ruin whatever prayers and efforts we may make to witness, because we have offended him. Perhaps what we belittle are behaviors that do need changing; nevertheless, because we have shown our neighbor disrespect, he will not listen to us and rebuff whatever help we may offer.

Even if we belittle our neighbor in private, such an attitude harms our witness. God does not honor such an attitude. And if we inwardly mock a neighbor, it will somehow come out in the way we relate to him.

Why else is it foolish to belittle our neighbor? There is so much in us to belittle. But God, instead of mocking us, showed us the highest honor by sending his Son to die for us. Such is the attitude God calls on us to have for our neighbor. Today, what regard will you show for your neighbors who live next to you?

Blessing the City

For Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Proverbs 11:11

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of wicked it is overthrown.

The blessing of the upright may be the blessing that the upright give to the city. Thus, we bless the city when we pray for her, when we befriend our neighbors, pitch in to help the neighborhood, vote for good leaders, even run for public office. We bless the city by living upright lives and thus not contributing to delinquency, disorderly conduct, and unethical treatment of others.

The blessing may also be the blessing that God gives to the city because of the presence of the upright. God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten upright persons, which proved to be too high of a number. How much blessing has come to Philadelphia because God's people live here, and the blessing he has poured out on them has spilled over to their neighborhoods and workplaces?

Our presence in the city is intended for blessing, whether it is through the blessing we pass on in the name of Christ, or the blessing spilling over from God as he cares for his people. Pray today that you will be a blessing where God has placed you - in or out of the city. Because you live where you do, work where you do, go to school, do shopping, have fun - whatever the reason, because you are present those around you are blessed because the Spirit of Christ flows through you.

The Righteous in the City

For Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Proverbs 11:10

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

Is this proverb really true? It seems to us that the city mocks the righteous and exalts the wicked. But then, what we have in mind is the city mocking our morals. Righteousness, of course, includes morality, but the focus here is on that aspect of righteousness in which the welfare of the city is being sought. A righteous mayor is one who is striving for the good of the city. He is resistant to corruption and shows justice to all, diregarding any citizen's social or financial status. The wicked mayor is one seeking his own gain, who favors the rich over the poor, and does not take care to defend the city.

The question for us is how well we display such righteousness. Do we as a city church demonstrate that we love this city? That we desire her prosperity? That we, as a church, will play our role in being a blessing to the city? Do we as individual neighbors practice being good neighbors, taking personal interest in our neighborhood? Or are our speech and actions conveying disdain for having to live where we do?

Our neighbors may laugh at our morality; they may look askance at our social views; nevertheless, they ought to be able to attest to our being good neighbors who are there for them in their troubles. They should know that we care for them. They should see in us neighbors who like the city.

Remember God's words to Jonah: "Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left...? May we, the righteous, pity Philadelphia.

Wise Righteousness

For Monday, July 18, 2005
Proverbs 11:9

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

Jesus is the best example of proving this proverb. He was followed by men bent on destroying his reputation and even seeking his life by either laying before him verbal traps or outright slandering him. And yet, because of his wisdom born out of righteousness, he always had a ready answer that rebutted slander and even exposed their foolishness.

Again the theme is repeated in the proverbs. Righteousness and wisdom go hand in hand. We always sin out of foolishness; wisdom never leads us to sin; sin never guides us to be wise (it is repentance, not sin, that makes us wise after a fall). Sin makes us dangerous to our neighbor - either we hate our neighbor and seek his harm, or in our sinful foolishness, we become safety hazards, so to speak.

Seek wisdom that you might grow in righteousness; seek righteousness that you might grow in wisdom. Seek to be like Christ and follow his commands that you might obtain both.