A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 29: 18

Proverbs 29: 18     Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.

I want my children to worship because they grasp something of the greatness of God and they feel honored by ever chance to praise His name.  Still, it’s good for them to go to church just because I say so.

I want my children to be generous and charitable because they realize the depths of Jesus’ love and sacrifice on their behalf.  In the meantime, they can put money in the offering and participate in community service because I told them to, and that’s O.K.

A deep, personal revelation provides the most real reason for living a holy life.  Without that revelation within you, there’s no reason to resist the urges and impulses of your flesh.  There’s no reason, unless you know that the Bible says so.

If you don’t get understand the theology behind the 10 Commandments, it’s O.K. to just take them at face value and be obedient.

It’s good to do what God says just because God said so.

There are times and places in which the revelation of God is scarce in a society (1 Samuel 3: 1; Psalm 74: 9).  Today, some churches reject out of hand the possibility that God still speaks in visions, performs miracles, or calls men & women to prophesy.  In other churches, what are called prophetic utterances are little more than educated guesses and empty promises based on the demographics and body language of the crowd. 

In these settings of prophetic and revelatory void, the people act a fool.  They perform any and every sin they can conceive of because God doesn’t visibly shock them into compliance.

…Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”  (2 Peter 2: 3, 4)

They’ll tell you to question EVERY thing about your faith and reject EVERY rule and restriction  that you don’t feel is properly proven and justified.    (Interestingly “they” never tell you to question “them” about “their” authority to tell you how to live.”)

If you’re serious about the questions and attentive to the Source of answers, God does show how His way is right and best.   So, it’s O.K. to question your assumptions (and not just your religious assumptions).

But, it’s also O.K., to do what God says just because He said so.

I’ve asked God the hardest questions I had, the ones that stood between me and real faith.  I’ve studied and studied, and I’ve fasted and prayed, and I’ve struggled in my spirit and wrestled with the Holy Spirit; and God has proven Himself right and true and smarter than every alternative we’ve come up with.    He hasn’t answered all of my questions, but He’s answered more than enough for me to trust that He’s right about the other stuff, too.

I’ve come to the point that I’m happy just to obey His Word ------just  because it says so.

In that uncertain time between your question and God’s answer, you have to choose between acting a fool while you figure it out and obeying God even though it doesn’t all make sense. 

Choose to obey God.  Choose to follow the Bible in the meantime.

You’ll be happier for it.

--Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

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