THE LOCATION IS ALARMING - PART 2

SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2023

While engaging the benefits of serious contemplation, King Solomon said, "I used wisdom to test all these things. I wanted to be wise, but it was too hard for me. I cannot understand why things are as they are. It is too hard for anyone to understand. I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom, to find some meaning for everything. I learned that it is foolish to be evil, and it is crazy to act like a fool" (Ecclesiastes 7:23-25 NCV). In other words, he always tried his best to let wisdom guide his thoughts and actions because foolishness is unrewarding by all means. And since the opposite of folly is wisdom, he invested in the search for true wisdom.

Reference: Proverbs 14:7 English Standard Version (ESV) "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge."

Why leave the presence of a fool? Proverbs 24:7 says that, "Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place" (MSB). When the Bible confirms that wisdom is too high for a fool, it reveals that there is more to this truth than just the literal meaning. It means that true wisdom is from above and a fool cannot attain it. James 3:17 reads, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere" (NIV). Firstly, this wisdom is from highest realm of divinity, which is in heavenly realms. Secondly, when you consider the attributes, they are far from foolish acts, meaning that a fool cannot handle them. Have you now understood why it's too high for a fool? More so, this wisdom is a person and I'll come to that soon.

Now what is the solution to folly? Can a fool be transformed? Without doubt, yes! It starts by sincerely acknowledging that one has been a fool. How then can a fool be transformed? 1st Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV) says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Why foolishness? As long as a fool ignores the message of the cross, he will remain far from true wisdom. As I mentioned earlier, true wisdom is a person. In a nutshell, 1st Corinthians 1:30 says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (NIV). In other words, to overcome folly, God Himself united us with Christ Jesus. And for our benefits, God Himself made Christ to be wisdom itself. So Christ made us right with God; He freed us from sin and made us pure and holy, thereby becoming our wisdom..

Without Christ active in you, foolishness is bound to persevere, because the concrete essence of the divine likeness in a man was shattered by sin, and it is only through Christ, that the brightness of God's glory and the expression of His essence can find expression in us. That is, man's foolish nature can only be transformed into the image of God again by receiving the mystery of wisdom, namely Christ! Got it? Zero wonder the Bible says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10 NIV). To fear God is to receive Christ as Lord and that is just the foundation or beginning of wisdom.

After receiving Christ, the complete cure for foolishness is to comprehend the great truths of divine wisdom - by yielding entirely to the ministry of the Word. To that effect, 2nd Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT) reads, "But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." Beloved, that veil is the veil of foolishness; it falls off so we can behold and reflect the glory of God through the Word and by the Spirit. Therefore, if you are yet to turn your heart to the Lord and escape folly, kindly declare the prayer of salvation below. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 2:1-20; Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 26:4; Job 28:28.

Guided Prayer: I acknowledge today that God demonstrated His unconditional love for me in this: While living without Christ, He sent Him ahead of time to die for me. Therefore I renounce the nature of sin and folly, and I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I believe and confess with all my heart that Jesus is the Son of the true living God, who died for me and was raised from the dead on the third day by God. I affirm that Jesus is risen and He's alive forever. I accept Him into my heart and I declare His Lordship over my life forever. I'm now born again as a new creation. I have eternal life: my present-moment reality. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me and taking full charge of my life, as my Lord. GLORY TO GOD!