To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

—Proverbs 1:2-7

I have been a little under the weather the last few days. I don’t think it’s much more than just fatigue. Last week had a lot going on, and I think I’m just tired. The changes in weather due to the remnants of Hurricane Nicole and a cold front coming through have probably also contributed to the way I’ve been feeling. So, today’s devotional will be a bit short. But I do want to point out something in Proverbs 1:7, “But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Has this ever been more true? It’s a perfect description of the Republican Party and those who support it. If you look at the “Don’t Say Gay” bills, the banning of books in libraries, etc., there is no question that they “despise wisdom and instruction.” Even God says they are “fools.” But as James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” All we have to do is be open to the truth. 

I’ll leave you with two quotes I saw this week that I felt had a lot of wisdom.

“To experience genuine human love, to be part of a community of love is to experience the presence of God.”

— John J. McNeill, ‘Taking a Chance on God’

“Success and failure, ultimately, have little to do with living the gospel. Jesus just stood with the outcasts until they were welcomed or until he was crucified- whichever came first.”

—Fr. Gregory Boyle, ‘Tattoos on the Heart’

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

—Psalm 40

Psalm 40 begins with a proclamation of faith and trust, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.”. How many times have we all wondered if God is really there? If God really hears our cries for help? Psalm 40 reminds us He is there and He does hear. Verse 2 continues, “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”

We are reminded in Psalm 40 that not only does He hear us, He cares for us individually and will act in His time and according to His will. Knowing that the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God cares for each of us, hears our cries, and pulls us up out of the pit inspires us to sing and praise. We see this response in verse 3, “He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

—Proverbs 27:9

Friendship is truly one of the greatest gifts in life. In our friends we find trusted companions who know us and love us for who we are, no matter what. Friendship can also be challenging and messy, as it takes a lot of work to keep relationships with friends happy and healthy, but our friends are the people who get us through rough times—the people who very often come to us with compassion. They always have the right words because they know our needs. I’ve never heard anyone say they wish for fewer, less-meaningful relationships. Each one of us longs to be more connected, more deeply, with friends. And this is because God made us for true friendship.

Proverbs gives us wisdom for navigating the complexities of our relationships. And it doesn’t just address relationships in general, but also friendship in particular. For example, it teaches us what to look for in finding true friends. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed,” and Proverbs 22:24-25 tells us, “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”

We often treat relationships as consumers: we befriend for the benefits we receive. But like a contract, when the relationship doesn’t give us the goods we want, we leave. However, the Bible shows us that real friendship is more covenantal than contractual. Proverbs 18:24 teaches us, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” God commands us in Proverbs 27:10, “Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” God warns us in Proverbs 19:4 about the fickleness of fair-weather friends: “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.”

Our greatest joy is found in our fellowship with God and one another. This is why Jonathan Edwards said that friendship is “the highest happiness of moral agents.” According to the Bible, our chief happiness is in fellowship and friendship.The Bible gives us everything we need to recover a greater vision of true friendship. It shows us even our feeblest of efforts at forging friendships echo a more glorious reality—every friendship is a small and imperfect echo of God, who made us in his image to enjoy friendship forever. Friendship didn’t come from us; it came from God. And he gives us everything we need—through his word and his Spirit—to cultivate it well, for the glory of God.

Friends bring us great comfort in times of need, and the Bible tells us about the importance of our friendships. God’s Word can also be a great comfort in itself. Gary David Comstock wrote in Gay Theology Without Apology, “Instead of making the Bible into a parental authority, I have begun to engage it as I would a friend- as one to whom I have made a commitment and in whom I have invested dearly, but with whom I insist on a mutual exchange of critique, encouragement, support, and challenge. Such investment and commitment hinge on deeply felt and shared experience, meaning, and outlook- a cooperative project to live fully that both changes and remains steady through joys and sorrow.”

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

— Luke 6:31

Multiculturalism is the presence, or support for the presence, of several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society. It is diversity, and the Bible teaches that God created and loves people from every culture and every ethnic group. From the beginning, God’s plan was that “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3). At the end of time, this picture of diversity comes to life in Revelation 7:9 where we read that there was “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” God does not use culture or ethnicity as a reason to exclude people from His kingdom. He seems to delight in the diversity of people who bring Him praise. 

Paul teaches that we can continue and indulge in cultural practices that do not conflict with God’s law. He exhorts the Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” (Colossians 2:16) He is telling them that their cultural practices of what foods they eat or the days they choose to celebrate or not celebrate are appropriate to continue and need not conform to another cultural standard. Paul admits to the Corinthians, “And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak, I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might, by all means, save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:20–22) Paul was an expert at taking on whatever cultural practices were necessary to effectively share the gospel. In Athens, Paul referenced the Athenians’ “own poets.” In Acts 17:28,  he writes, “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’” These examples show that cultural differences can be celebrated and appreciated as displays of God’s creativity in the many diverse ways we glorify God. 

Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal applications. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching than the national, cultural, or religious boundaries or interpretations of that one truth. As the Rig Veda states, “Truth is one; sages call it by various names.” A community that calls itself universalist may emphasize the universal principles of most religions and inclusively accept others. Nearly all religions and moral philosophies contain the belief in the Golden Rule or the ethics of reciprocity. This falls under moral universalism, which believes that a universal ethic applies universally regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other distinguishing feature. The idea dates at least to the early Confucian times (551–479 BCE). The concept appears prominently in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and the rest of the world’s major religions. As part of the 1993 “Declaration Toward a Global Ethic,” 143 leaders of the world’s major faiths endorsed the Golden Rule. According to the Humanist Rabbi Greg M. Epstein, it is “a concept that essentially no religion misses entirely,” but belief in God is not necessary to endorse the Golden Rule. The English philosopher Simon Blackburn also states that the Golden Rule can be “found in some form in almost every ethical tradition.”

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In Romans 12:2, Paul tells his readers, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” No matter what religion or belief system someone has, we were all created to love all people from all cultural backgrounds. We should enjoy and embrace the diversity in this world. At the heart of Christianity, if we hate or discriminate against others, we are not doing God’s will. We must show love and acceptance as Jesus did. Ephesians 4:2-4 tells us, “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.”

If we argue over non-essentials, then we are not accepting differences in people’s preferences and in what they see as sin and what they see as not being a sin. Who are we to judge our brother over the non-essentials like food, drink, days of worship, sexuality, or anything else where the Bible is silent? In Romans 14:4, Paul asks, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”  A good rule to live by is one I learned growing up in the churches of Christ:  Where the Bible is silent, so must we be. This includes LGBTQ+ relationships. Christ never mentions sexuality, and therefore, we should not be judged by others who think differently than we do. We must realize that they are not following God’s Word.

Romans 2:11 tells us, “For there is no partiality with God.” World history shows that cultures treated women like they were livestock or property, but Jesus valued women and treated them as co-heirs and co-equals, and in God’s eyes, women and men are equal before Him.  So too, believers should treat those who are poor, of a different nationality, or in any way are different from us with the same regard as God does. He is no respecter of persons; therefore, there is no partiality with God. Too many people who call themselves Christians forget this. We must learn to accept the faults of others just as God has learned to accept our imperfections. If we want to cast stones, we should be our first target because we have no right to judge anyone else but ourselves. If God accepts us, then we must learn to accept others. To fail to do so is a sin before God because He is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality between men and women, gay and straight, liberal and conservative, etc., over another, nor does God show partiality to any race or ethnicity. If we show partiality, then we are judging them, which is God’s job, not ours.

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

—Matthew 5:1-2

As far as we know, only two sermons by Jesus were ever written down: The Sermon on the Mount and The Sermon on the Plain. The Sermon on the Mount is one of my favorite passages from the Bible, and I try to live my life based on its teachings. Jesus seemed to teach more through parables than through sermons. Thirty-seven parables are present in the canonical Gospels. The two sermons are to guide us in a life of discipline based on a new law of love, even to enemies, as opposed to the old law of retribution. The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been a key element of Christian ethics, and for centuries the sermon has acted as a fundamental recipe for the conduct of the followers of Jesus. 

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says believers are “the light of the world.” We are to be as “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Etty Hillesum, a Dutch author of confessional letters and diaries describing both her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation, said, “If there is ever to be peace, it won’t be authentic until each individual achieves peace within [them]self, expels all feelings of hatred for a race or group of people, or better, can dominate hatred and change it into something else, maybe even into love- or is that asking too much? It’s the only solution.” There is so much hatred in the world today, much of it at the hands of “religious” groups. Whether they claim to be backed by religion or their own fears of inferiority, hate groups are the darkness of the world. If you shine light onto the darkness, what happens to the darkness? It disappears. As the light of the world, we cannot be hidden. We must shine brightly enough that darkness disappears.

Matthew 6:1-4 tells us to do good to please God: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. This is especially true for gay Christians because we have to work harder to be accepted. In his book Jesus Acted Up, theologian and author Robert Goss wrote, “The Bible is a justice resource in the queer battle for Christian power/truth in two areas: (1) in our dismantling of the Bible as a homophobic/heterosexist and terrorist weapon of oppression; (2) in our reappropriating the Bible as a resource for the critical practice of justice. The texts of the Bible are critically read both as subversive and empowering practice.” 

I have to admit that in the past several years, when someone tells me they are a “Christian,” I have a visceral reaction and automatically do not trust them. Too many people who call themselves Christians are anything but, so as a gay Christian, I feel as if I have to be cautious around people who claim to be Christians because I fear they will use their religion to bludgeon me to death. That is only a slight exaggeration, as a number of so-called “Christian” leaders have called for the stoning of LGBTQ+ individuals. They judge us not based on of the teachings of Jesus but on their own prejudices and hatred of anything they do not deem “normal.” Jesus is very clear in Matthew 7:1-5 that we should not judge others, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’” I realize I am guilty of judging others on their beliefs or rhetoric, but it is increasingly difficult not to judge others by their actions and deeds. 

The current Republican rhetoric and platform in the United States is the opposite of the teachings of Jesus. Matthew 7:15-20 tells us that we will know them by their fruits. Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” If someone claims to be Christian yet votes in a way that harms others, then you know that they bear bad fruit. The greed and hatred that have taken over so many in the United States and around the world who are embracing fascist philosophies are “ravenous wolves” who will do anything to add to their riches or make sure less fortunate individuals do not do better financially than they do. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us that we cannot serve God and riches simultaneously, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Life isn’t an easy road, and sometimes we have to sacrifice to do what is right. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says we should, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The poet and author C. JoyBell C. wrote, “I’m not in search of sanctity, sacredness, purity; these things are found after this life, not in this life; but in this life I search to be completely human: to feel, to give, to take, to laugh, to get lost, to be found, to dance, to love and to lust, to be so human.” It is not always the easiest way to live our life, but we need to trust in the Lord to know our correct path in this life so that we can enjoy life in the hereafter. We want Jesus to know us for the wonderful things we have done to help others. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

I will leave you with the final words of the Sermon on the Mount, “‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.’ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7:24-29) Let us follow Jesus’ authority and be “the light of the world” that He says we are.

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

—Hebrews 10:32-35

George Orwell (1903-1950) said, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Orwell also reportedly said, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” With American politics the way it is right now, everything conservatives don’t like is “fake news” and political ads for Republicans are filled to the brim with lies. Orwell could have just as easily said, “The further Republicans drift from the truth, the more they will hate those that speak it.” I’m afraid if the Republicans regain a majority, there will be persecutions and retribution against all those who tell the truth and try to do what’s right.

Paul the Apostle describes persecution with an eternal perspective in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Paul explains in 2 Timothy 3:13-17, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

At times in each of our lives, we have had to endure hardships. Whether it’s money issues, relationship woes, loss of a loved one, or hating our job, no matter the reason for would pain, God will get us through the toughest times. How matter how good we are, or how godly a life we live, we will still face hardships. As many of the people who call themselves Christians increasingly embrace hatred, greed, and sinfulness, we have to fight even harder to preserve the loving relationship that God has for us. We can’t let hate drive us away from God. An increasing number of people consider themselves non-religious. Even those raised in a Christian household are turning away from God because of the bad example that many people set in the name of Christianity.

Jesus warned in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” Although it is often suppressed by the news media, the persecution of true Christians is proliferating throughout the world. In times like these we need endurance. People who claim to be Christians are the ones causing the most harm. They are driving people away from religion by their own intolerance and hateful views. They turn their backs on Christians who actually follow the teachings of Christ.

We are tempted to become weary in well-doing. Galatians 6:9 reads, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Life may look hopeless, but there is always hope. God offers us hope, love, and eternal life. We may have times that are so bad, we don’t think we will ever get out from under that dark cloud, but we will. God will shine his light on us and show us our path, our destiny. Things will work out in the end, we just need the endurance to get us there.

And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

—1 Samuel 2:1

One smile is all it takes to improve your mood, energy, and overall health. One smile is all it takes to help someone have a better day. One smile is all it takes to make a difference in this world. One smile can make a powerful impact that ripples past our immediate surroundings.

Smiling does not just improve your personal health and well-being but also significantly impacts those around you. Your smile is literally contagious! A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology found that when participants were shown images of facial expressions of various emotions, the images of a person smiling triggered the participants naturally to mimic the facial expression and smile as well. When you smile at someone, they are likely to start smiling as well. Not only is your smile boosting your mood, but also makes a positive impact on another person.

The power of a smile should not be underestimated. A smile shares hope, affection, and peace. A smile has the power to bring light in the darkness, bring positive energy in the day, reduce stress in life, and bring greater happiness to the world. Thérèse of Lisieux said, “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” One smile is all it takes. Give it a try. Smile. Watch how suddenly you will feel its immense power and impact in elevating your mood and well-being.