By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Social media gives everyone of us the ability to share our opinions. But does that mean we should? We are out there every chance we get expounding on what we think about issues. I mean, it’s our right after all, even when we don’t even know for sure if we’re right.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
To fear the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid of God but to approach Him with deep respect for who He is. Part of that is the source of all knowledge we should follow. A fool would ignore godly advice and instruction that they know comes either from their own reading of scripture or someone they know and trust is careful in how they teach it.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.
For Christians, the first knowledge or biblical truth we should master is the gospel, God’s plan for salvation. When we have a saving faith in Jesus, a desire grows in us to become like Jesus and we do that by seeking knowledge and wisdom from scripture. As we learn, when we know it’s biblically correct, it’s ours to teach to someone else as we build relationships with other believers. We should all have people we know and trust are wise in the biblical counsel we give. As we grow, we should also become that person who others can trust.
We have to always be aware of fools in all things. There are fools sharing all sorts of ideas about every subject and issue you can imagine that can lead someone to harm and into false ideologies. There are Christians who mean well, and some who don’t, that share ideas about their faith that can actually lead us further from Jesus instead of toward him.
We have to be careful who we follow and as Christians, before we post an opinion we are burning to put out there, we should ask ourselves some questions first:
Do I know this is true?
Does it edify (lift another person up)?
If someone believes differently from me but knows I’m a Christian, does this make someone else want to pursue Christianity or does it turn someone away?
If it’s a believer seeing it, does it draw them closer to Jesus or away.
If it doesn’t help, and just adds to all the noise, maybe it’s best left unsaid so we can be thought of as wise and not a fool.
Proverbs 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
Recent Comments