Proverbs 1:32-33

³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; ³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

Dream On    

Have you ever dreamed of how you may spend the rest of your lifetime on earth? Are you wishing for just a very simple lifestyle? Are you preparing something to realize your dream lifestyle? Have you prayed and ask the Lord if your dream relates to his plan for you? If you dreamed of living in safety and just be at ease, listen attentively!

It has been biblically declared in Isaiah 14:24, ²⁴The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.”

It’s godly wisdom to pray and ask the Lord to fill our hearts and mind with desires that he had planned and purposed for us, why? If we trust Christ as our Lord, it follows that we also believe that his words will certainly happen. Of course, we wish to avoid a path to destruction. Vision, dream or plan that God approves would certainly benefit us.

It’s wise to pray, “Lord, please help us follow the vision and plan you approved.”

What may influence you to follow certain lifestyle? If you regularly watch videos about fishing – you may soon wish to go fishing, if it is baking or cooking videos – you wish to bake or cook, and if it is farming or hunting videos – you wish to have a farm or hunt.

There are online videos about simplicity of countryside lifestyle that attracted millions of viewers and subscribers. Have you ever dreamed of countryside lifestyle? Countryside lifestyle can be attractive to simple individuals, but not everyone could readily enjoy simple lifestyle. Simple lifestyle is not necessarily living in isolation.

At the height of pandemic, government authorities issued isolation order, and it affected many individuals negatively. Some felt like they were deprived of their right. It is not fun to be isolated from other people? Life in isolation is never best option for the outgoing person. To be alone in isolation has psychological, mental and spiritual effects.

Well, there are moments we want to be alone in peaceful surrounding—to reflect and meditate on the goodness and grace of God for us. Christians are expected to encourage one another. And, we also interact with non-believers to testify of the grace of God to them. Simple lifestyle of isolation is actually more complicated than expected.

A lifestyle of simplicity has its own unique challenges to be overcome.

1. Simplicity

³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them

When it says that, “the complacency of fools will destroy them,” it rephrased the previous statement about the waywardness of the simple kills the simple individuals.

Individuals with simple mindset can be careless and not mindful of possible disaster. What does it mean to be simple thinker? Why is it disastrous?

Some respectable Bible versions translated the term “simple” as “gullible, naïve, stupid or foolish.” So, when it says, “The waywardness of the simple will kill them,” the foolish stupidity of naïve and gullible individuals will never be beneficial to them. Foolish lifestyle and stupid decision of naïve and gullible people has disastrous ending.

As believers of Christ, we pray for godly wisdom to prevail in us; with godly wisdom, we discern to effectively communicate the gospel of Christ; with godly wisdom, we respect privacy so that, we avoid intrusion to privacy; and, with godly wisdom, we can choose which lifestyle is godly and reject lifestyle that is not pleasant to God.

Many individuals are very concerned about intrusion of their privacy. Maybe, when they hear a warning like “mind your own business,” they are dissuaded not to care about how others live their life; and so, they choose to practise a lifestyle of isolation.

Simple Life

Someone said: “More talk, more mistake; less talk, less mistake; no talk, no mistake.” It’s intriguing, and one believer carefully watched his lifestyle; he dreamed of a simple lifestyle in the countryside to avoid worldly influence and commit no mistakes. He prayed hard if it is God’s will for him to live in the countryside. Then, he realized that disciples are mandated to go and make disciples instead of living in secluded isolation.

For Christians, secluded in isolation can be careless and foolish decision, really?

Actually, Jesus Christ had warned against disastrous possibility for careless decision. In his parable, he teaches about true and false disciples in Matthew 7:24-27, ²⁴Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Jesus Christ is the Rock and our foundation. To be founded in him is to rely upon him; to rely upon him is to practice his instructions–to follow his order with cheerfulness.

Jesus Christ mandated us to go and make disciples. We need godly discernment to identify potential disciples that he had prepared for us to disciple. True disciple of Christ actively follows his mandate to go and make disciples. It is careless decision to choose life in secluded isolation; it implies lack of faith that awaits disastrous ending.

There are Christians who play safe; they don’t want to commit mistake. They prayerfully calculate how they may share the gospel. That’s wise move! But how do you know when God answered your prayer? We can be at ease and not concern of safety.

2. Safety

           ³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

The pronoun “me” pertains to godly wisdom. With godly wisdom, we can discern decisions that promote safety. As we grow in godly wisdom, we also grow confident in the Lord. The more we grow confident in the Lord, the more we can be at ease and not fear about harmful situations. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and we are his flock.

He declared in John 10:11-16, ¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 

Scammer

Shepherd brings sheep to green pastures. Jesus Christ our Good shepherd leads us to green pasture. But we still desire a greener pasture. There are great opportunities for greener pasture. However,  scammers victimize careless individuals even believers, too. How then can we know which greener pasture is genuine and fake to avoid scammers?

Pray for godly wisdom. When pressured by practical needs, even believers are tempted to decide hastily and not spend much time in prayer. Practice praying even for little things and you will be more prayerful when making major decisions.

Beware of charismatic speakers who may persuade victims by their sweet talks.

It is also observed that there are pastors who are also misled by worldly lifestyle. Personally read your Bible meditatively and listen attentively to the word of God. The more you know the Scripture, the more you grow in godly wisdom and discernment.

It says in Acts 17:11-12, ¹¹The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ¹² As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

The Berean believers had exemplified godly wisdom. They made sure that what they heard from Apostle Paul was biblically correct. It is possible that Apostle Paul had preached the gospel of Christ to the Berean believers; surprisingly, it’s not mentioned. Why?

This principle of examining the Scripture to see if what Paul said was true can be applied also to situations outside church setting. To understand the Scripture, we need godly wisdom to discern biblical principles that are beneficial to Christian lifestyle.

With godly wisdom, we follow directives from the Lord; he guides us in our step in making decision so that we live in safety and be at ease and without fear of harm.

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