Wednesday: Two Sides to a Story
Read Proverbs 18:2. Why don’t fools need time to form their opinions?
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Fools are so sure of themselves and so eager to express their own opinions that they are not interested in learning from others. Their closed minds go along with their open mouths. This is a deadly combination. How careful we need to be that we don’t find ourselves doing the same thing, especially on a topic that we are convinced we are right about.
After all, haven’t we all at some point felt very strongly about a subject only to find, later on, that we were wrong? This doesn’t mean that we should be wishy-washy in our views; it means only that we need some humility, in that none of us has all the right answers, and even when our answers are right, truth is often deeper and more nuanced that we can appreciate or understand.
Read Proverbs 18:17. What important point is given us here?
Only God does not need a second opinion, precisely because by His nature He already has it, for His eyes are everywhere (Prov. 15:3). God has the capacity to see all sides of any matter. We, by contrast, generally have a very narrow view of everything; a view that tends to get even narrower when we get locked into a position, especially on matters that we think are important.
As we should know by now, however, there are always two or even more sides to any story, and the more information we have, the better we can form the right view of a subject.
Think of a time you were absolutely convinced of something, maybe a view you have held your whole life, only to find out later that you had been wrong your whole life. What should this tell you about your need to be open to the possibility that you could be wrong about things you are fervent about now?
(32)
i can say that even in the church there are fools, but they are hidden by the church. We should take care because if not careful we also might become fools, be awake for the time is now coming to the end.
That is easy to say Paul, but isn't it true that there are also some very wise people in the church too.
I am a firm believer in the importance of the "community of believers"; people with a similar faith in God, who reason together. Maybe if your church has fools, hidden by the church, then you need to talk to one another. We are indeed fools if we ignore the community of believers and trust in our own understanding.
A little illustration: I once did a group project for an undergraduate class at University. A good friend and I teamed up to do the project together, when we were approached by a third class member who asked if he could join the group. Now my friend and I were competing for the number of high distinctions we could get in our course and we were going to put our best effort forward on this project. We knew this student was not really high distinction material but we decided to take him on anyway. We all worked hard on the project and we selected the tasks for our third student carefully so that he was always involved. We finished the project and had it marked and received a high distinction for it. Our third student's jaw dropped when he heard the result and he exclaimed, "That is the best mark I have ever received!" To continue the story a little further, our third member of the team went on to become a successful computer programmer and he credited some of that success to my friend and I for the work we did together in our group project.
We are in "Team Church". We look after our "fool" friends because that's what Team Church is all about. Nobody has ever left the church because they were looked after by their fellow team members.
Very wise illustration, Maurice.
Perfect illustration, Maurice. None of us are perfect therefore we must learn how to carry one another's burdens. Learning how to work together not only empowers the giver but also the receiver.
Imagine how foolish each of us appear to God...
And yet, He loves us...
Tread carefully and with love:
Matt 5:22 (NLT) But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
Fools realise later that they are fools.
When and why, Harold?
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the
heart of a child; but the rod
of correction shall drive it
far from him.
After reading this lesson, who cannot confess that they have been fools more than once?
Thanks be to God who is patient with us, enabling us to discover our folly and causes us to apply our hearts to wisdom
In this lesson, it very important that we also need to be careful as individuals not to behave like fools cause you can easily turn yourself into a fool trying to prove a point.
Prov 18:17He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
These lessons are deep! It's all in His word yet I've personally messed up so often! May God strengthen us at the place of prayer, to dig deeper in the word and God the Holy Spirit to quicken that word in us.
So true that we could be so convinced yet wrong. From my mistakes, some lessons I've learnt are that:
1. Where we've already messed up/missed the point, let's pray God to give us humility to acknowledge, strength to get over the "shame" and do beta next time (where there's a next time) and allow Him to repair/heal the situ
2. Going forward, let's pray for humility in our dealings with others so that we don't get to points of "working in the flesh" but within God's word
3. However, differences will arise and so we must always invite God the Holy Spirit. By so doing, we (as in Tue lesson "words again") will have consulted with the Master befo speaking and so our words stand the test of time
There is always my side ,your side and the right side in any conversation so have the courage to listen.
Sometimes we have to seperate the factions. Having two different Sabbath school classes isn't so bad even in a small church. If you have a SS class that has members who like to dominate a discussion with their own opinion creating consternation with the notion of constant need to stimulate thinking, you also need a Pastors or Bible workers class for new and potential members class, where the teacher can run a class of evangelism.
O' me, this lesson of Wed. "the fool" is jumping out at me. I like to get my point across, I might not listen as I should to other's opinion. "Husband" Lord please help me to over come this. Lets pray for one another on this matter
My Adventist friends please read Leviticus 23 it is about the Sabbath which God calls an "Holy convocation" and a "statue for ever" please read carefully because it also calls the Feast the same thing! God uses the same wording! The same thing happen with the Feast as with the Sabbath!!! They where changed around 300AD. The Feast from Holy Days to our now holidays. Please pray and do a study for yourself. Plus special things have happen on the Feast Days, John the Baptist's birth was announced. Jesus kept it in his death. I am not talking about sacrifices, they where "Finished" at Jesus death. There are many others.
Judith, I have heard that there are a lot of Adventists that think we should be keeping all the feasts yet I don't believe we should. Just because it said to be perpetual does that mean that it never ends (think in terms of everlasting hell fire or the committed slave that had his ears pearced)? I look at Gen 17:13 and realize that Abraham was told the same thing about circumcision. In fact, the very same Hebrew word, "owlam" (perpetual, everlasting) is used for both the feasts and for circumcision.
I agree that animal sacrifices were done away with when Christ died on the cross but where is the command to do so? To me if we are going to keep those feasts then we are bound to keep the whole law as stated by God - and if we do then I think we would be denying the one object that those feasts looked forward to and that to me is the real reason we don't keep those feasts and make animal sacrifices.
the feast's and the sanctuary service go hand-in-hand explaining the plan of salvation. We see that Lot kept the feast before Exodus as he fed the Angels unleavened bread. Paul gave the feast's to the Gentiles in Philip I and there was no synagogue there. I think there's excellent biblical evidence that we should be keeping the feasts.
The entire Sanctuary service is a Sandbox illustration of the work of Jesus, He being the Antitype of the type. To continue the feasts would be to suggest that the sacrifice and subsequent work of Christ was/is somehow insufficient. Wouldn't you say?
If we practice Christ's method in everything we do and say, it will certainly improve our foolishness which we are all guilty of.
My job requires that I exercise active listening at all times. There are times when I make the mistake of responding too quickly when a student is speaking simply because I know the answer to the question. Later during the conversation I find out that I was wrong because I did not allow the student to provide complete details about his/her issue. The key to insuring that we provide adequate feedback, is to listen to the person on and the guidance of the Holy Spirit at all times. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth. Listen.
18:17 Is interesting in the NLT. "The first to speak in court sounds right—
until the cross-examination begins."
Back in the real world I was an investigator for some 35 - 40 years. We quickly learned that, no matter how thin the paper, there are always two sides. In addition, hearing the first account of the happening always sounds credible. However, we always searched for corroborating witnesses. As we made additional discoveries, we began to see a true picture develop.
Perspective means much in generating that true picture. The angle of the visual perspective has a great deal to do with the mental perspective.(what you THINK you saw)
It is much the same with social and/or spiritual perspectives as well. This may have a bearing on why, as Seventh-day Adventists, we have not yet come to a complete consensus on some of the more difficult prophetic pictures in Revelation. As we see more "evidence" there is no doubt in my mind that we will come to such a consensus. But, we must look at the evidence! We must follow the evidence! Opinion, in this realm means little. Why? Because in a legal sense, an opinion is only an opinion and one's opinion is no more, or no less, valid than another's. The weight of evidence bearing on one or opinion or the other will tend to throw validity on that side of the issue.
sometimes we are too quick to report a situation that happen to us thinking we are the one who is offended ,but, we do not stop to think and realize that every action causes a reaction. Even if we are offended how we react may make situation worse.
Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace,...(mt 1:19) we are sometimes quick to react and only to find out latter that we are wrong.If Joseph should have made any public statement about Mary would have been unwise. Where are the Joseph's in our churches today?
It is always easy 2 see foolishness in others than in ourselves and this foolishness too. We need the Holyspirit as much as we can 2 help us know ourselves, transforms us and guides us. God bless u
i work with a muslim as my deputy and i have had problems with him. our relationship has never been good. last week we had an issue and i called him that we sort it out. due to the nature of our relationship he took slightly long to come. within this time i went through last weeks lesson on wisdom and folly then i realized that i had been dealing foolishly with my colligue. with humility i welcomed him when he arrived and employed the voice of wisdom as taught in the scriptures. that day we had the most constructive engagement ever. that day i learnt that circumstances around us are dictateded by our wiadom or foolishness. not a second or third party's.
Kevin Ouma, We are never to old or too wise to learn!! Indeed, the wiser we are, the more we have to learn! - At least, that's what I have learned!!