Proverbs 26:4 & 12, 4-“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” 12-“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? Â There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (NIV)
So I wake up this morning (10/26/2011) Â and “something” (can you say the devil) got me thinking about a “fool” in my life and before I knew it the committee in my head was off to the races and it took me about 45 minutes to get the thoughts under control before I could finally settle down and do my morning prayer and devotion…this is the reason I try to get on my knees first thing out of bed—my flesh is weak.
One of the last things I do during my morning devotion is read the Proverb of the day and lo and behold most of Proverb 26 speaks about fools and how to handle them.  Prior to reading Proverb 26 I made a pit-stop at John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The truth Jesus is talking about comes from having a personal relationship with him and trying to follow his teachings to the best of my ability.  Following Jesus’ teachings comes down to doing what he tells us to do in all situations…love God and love our neighbors.
…and yes the fools in our lives are also our neighbors and if we want to be free we cannot allow “fools” to rent space for free in our heads and the only way to do that is to love them and pray for them.
Anyway, I just prayed for the “fool” and he is gone–for now. Â And as a defense mechanism I am committing to praying for him daily for 90 days in hopes he will no longer cause anger in my heart because anger sure takes the fun out of living…and makes me the fool…and yes the truth does indeed set us free. 🙂
P.E.A.C.E.
jay@eaglelaunch.com
The truth hurts, seriously. Thanks, I so NEEDED that slap in the face this morning. 🙂