Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 29:9

Proverbs 29

9 If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

I’m sure we have all been is a situation where we are drawn into a discussion or an argument where we start out with the good intention of letting someone know the error of their ways, trying to convince someone what we say is correct and if they will only listen to us whatever trouble is in view will be overcome. We can all probably think of someone that will rise up and rage at us, or scoff at us, pride, ego, foolishness rises to the surface and nothing that is said will change their mind.

We leave that argument with hostility and with unresolved conflict. We certainly don’t have peace, whatever trouble was in view has probably been made worse.

Wisdom tells us, don’t do it, it will not end well.

For the Christian, to enter into a discussion to convince another of the merits and reality of Jesus Christ is a natural thing to do. Infact sometimes we are compelled to tell people about Jesus.

I used to be part of a street outreach team and we would go out onto the streets of Stornoway late on a Saturday night. The intention was to tell people about Jesus. Often I would be drawn into a conversation with those hostile to church and religion. Even trying to skirt those barriers and get to the good news about Jesus proved impossible, met with mockery and ridicule.

There is no peace for you, there is no peace for them, what was the point. I recall standing with one person for over an hour trying to convince someone Jesus was the way and the bible was the word of God and they countered that with their argument for the Koran and the muslim faith. There was no way I was going to convince them, I left frustrated. What should I have done, not bothered?

Jesus tells his disciples as they are going out to the villages spreading the Gospel, if they don’t listen to you, shake the dust of your feet and move on. There are open doors and closed doors when it comes to sharing our faith. There are open doors and closed doors in all walks of life. When we try to go through a closed door we get hurt.

You can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink the well known saying goes. Push the door certainly but use discernment on how hard we push because it could end badly.

Wisdom would have us listen to her when she counsels, there is a time to speak and there is a time to be silent.