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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Challenge of the Day: Be wise and responsible

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.  Proverbs 24:3

In times of trouble one of the most heard mantras is, "I didn't know!"  But most times it is a poor excuse.  We don't know because we don't want to know, we're too lazy to find out, or we think we're invincible  and above the law.  Thanks to nice parents and great customer service we have learned that most tough situations can be mollified by claiming ignorance.   The sad thing is feined ignorance gives us a false sense of security.  We never learn to take responsibility and when we are finally confronted with an issue that refuses to accept "I didn't know" as an excuse, we are caught off guard.

We get ourselves in trouble when we refuse to gain knowledge.  This type of ignorance had dire consequences in the bible.  In Luke 19, Jesus wept over Jerusalem saying,
  
                           If you had known, even you, especially in this your day,
                           the things that make for your peace!  But now they are
                           hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you
                           when your enemies will build an embankment around you,
                           surround you and close you in on every side, and level
                           you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they
                           will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you
                           did not know the time of your visitation.
                                                                                     Luke 19:42-44 (NKJV)

Don't be misled into believing that Jesus was just being hypercritical.  He held the city responsible because they should have known better.  The Lord had already sent judges, prophets, teachers, and scriptures to inform the people of the Savior's arrival, but they refused to gain the knowledge.  They were willfully ignorant and they suffered the consequences. 

God did not call us to live this way.  He gave us wisdom and good sense so that we could make responsible decisions and avoid harmful consequences.  He even goes so far as to promise more wisdom for those who may be lacking (James 1:5). 

Examples of willful ignorance
1.  I didn't know it was so late!--If you have a problem being on time, it may be wise to set more alarms throughout the day and always leave at least15 minutes earlier than you think necessary.

2.  I didn't know he was a dog!--If he doesn't go to church, disrespects his family, ignores you in front of his friends, and doesn't believe in marriage, let him go!

3.  I didn't know I owed that much!--Creditors know your number, they know where you live, and they will never give up.  It's much wiser to just let them know your situation and set up a payment plan.

5.  I didn't know you heard that!--Quit talking about people behind their backs.  It's going to get back to them and it's not wise to burn bridges

6.  I didn't know my child acted like that!--Yes you did.  If you do it, they probably do it too. If you want your kids to be great people, be a great person.

These are just a couple examples.  I can think of many many more and I'm sure you can too.  If you find yourself in a lot of unfortunate situations, chances are you are not living a very wise lifestyle.  Be honest with yourself so that you can fix the problem.  Pray and ask God for wisdom, and make sure you are reading your bible.  You will be amazed at how many problems we can avoid when we take advantage of the knowledge God shares in his Holy Word. 

I love you all.  I know that I have personally been a victim of my own ignorance numerous times and with this message I hope to help you avoid similar pitfalls.

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