04/07/2018
THE HIGH DEMAND OF WISE MEN IN THE COMMUNITY
The success of every family, community or country rests in the shoulders of a leader; wise leader and not the opposite. It is the responsibility of a leader to instruct people in God’s truth and to set the example for what it looks like to apply God’s truth to every aspect of our lives. Solomon set the bar high in this area in Ecclesiastes 12:9-11, “In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.” (NASB)
When you present God’s truth to God’s people for the purpose of life transformation, two things will happen. First, they will be moved to act on what they’ve heard, to become doers and not just hearers. Solomon said the words of wise men are “like goads” that move the will of people to align with truth. And secondly, they are like “well-driven nails.” In other words, when God’s truth is presented well, it finds a permanent place in the minds of its hearers.
As we lead our people forward, I believe there are several imperatives that will result in truly transformed lives. "People are living today under the tyranny of self-defeating behaviors, and those self-defeating behaviors are always based on lies, which must be confronted and challenged by God’s truth" says Rick Warren.
