Prov. 25-26
“Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters” (Prov. 25:13). For some reason, when I read this verse this morning the thought that came to my mind is that we are God’s messengers. Am I faithful to that task? Does the way I live my life “refresh the soul” of my God?
The first half of Proverbs 26 follows an interesting progression. The first 11 verses speak of fools in a rather uncomplimentary way. Then verse 12 says, “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him”. Given the commentary of the prior 11 verses, this is quite a statement! But it doesn’t stop there. The next four verses speak of the sluggard, with the fourth verse, verse. 16, saying, “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly”. This indicates to me that the sluggard is the worst kind of fool there is.
Acts 4:23-37
Peter and John had just been reprimanded – threatened, really – by the Jewish religious leaders for speaking publicly in Jesus’ name, and were told not to do it again. When Peter and John reported this to their friends, their immediate reaction was to pray with one voice to God. What did they pray for? Safety? Protection when they spoke God’s Truth? Nope! They prayed for boldness – the boldness to continue to speak God’s Truth even in the face of danger and threats. Their concern was not for themselves, but for God’s message to get out. Their desire was to be faithful to the task that had been given to them (note Proverbs 25:13 above). And guess what? God answered them! Acts 4:31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” What an awesome God we serve!