This is my absolute favorite proverb. Proverbs 22:13 reads: The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets.” (NIV)
This proverb illustrates one character flaw common to many of us. We’re good at making excuses. I golfed with a pastor in Washington state who made an excuse for every bad shot… and he hit a lot of bad shots. I hit a lot of bad shots when I’m golfing, too. Do you know why? Because I’m not a very good golfer. My pastor friend was making excuses for trying and failing. Notice the lazy person from the proverb is making excuses for not even trying! If I go out in the streets I may get mauled by a lion! Maybe I better just stay in bed with the covers pulled up over my head. Better safe than sorry.
That’s just sad. But I’ve done it, and I bet you have too. I know this is the right direction for the church, but it might offend someone. Somebody might gripe, or even leave the church over it. Let’s just remain dysfunctional, declining and ineffective. [1] Better safe than sorry.
In Jesus’ words this is tantamount to wrapping our talent in a cloth and burying it in the backyard. Read this. In the 70s when I was in college (the first time), there was a popular poster that pictured a sailing ship on the ocean racing in front of a storm. The caption read: A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.
What were you made for?
Proverbs 23:31-32 says: Don’t judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor. Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with—the splitting headache, the queasy stomach. (The Message)Here the writer could be talking about alcohol, and alcohol alone, but I think the lesson applies to all of life. If things didn’t look good going in, they wouldn’t be any temptation, and because we get so wrapped up in our desire for instant gratification, we forget to consider how things may affect our lives and the lives of those we love. Andy Stanley writes: In light of my past experiences, my current responsibilities, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the [wise thing to do]? [2] Too often we ask, Is it wrong?, when we should be asking, Is it best? The only way we can answer that question is to look down the road and consider the consequences.
Proverbs 24:10 says: If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength. (NIV) Or: If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place. (The Message) When I was in Paramedic School I took the toughest class I’ve ever had to take (most persons didn’t pass it the first time—I considered myself lucky to walk away with a “C”). It was Paramedic Pharmacology. One class session early in the term we were computing dosages based on the patient’s weight. We had to take the patient’s weight in pounds, convert it to kilograms, determine the correct dosage per kilogram, and then calculate the needed IV drip rate. A few of us were working a problem at the whiteboard, when the instructor tapped me on the shoulder and challenged, You better take another stab at that. I went through the calculations again and came up with the same answer (in front of the entire class, I might add). The other two students came up with different answers than I did. The instructor started at the other end of the board and went through each calculation, showing my classmates where they went wrong, leaving them to walk away in shame. He got to me, and said, Tell us how you came up with this answer. I went through the process, step by step, and he said, Good work. The next time you know you’re right and I tell you you’re wrong, you tell me I’m full of…
Pastors take to heart what Paul wrote in Romans 12:18. Sometimes we repress what we know to be right in order avoid rocking the boat with those who oppose us. Most of the time our intent is to avoid pain or discomfort. Again, according to Borden: Too many congregations are led by people whose main motivation is not losing people. [3] Leith Anderson writes: The best leaders are those willing to inflict the necessary hurt without doing harm. [4] I could easily add, The best leaders are those willing to endure hurts without turning tail and running.
Last proverb for today: Proverbs 24:27. First plant your fields; then build your barn. (The Message) 1 Kings 20 narrates an attack upon Israel by Ben-Hadad king of Aram. Ben-Hadad presented Ahab with reasonable terms, and when Ahab agreed, the king of Aram reneged and called for unconditional surrender. This Ahab could not agree to. When Ben-Hadad taunted Ahab about his sure defeat, Ahab replied: One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off. (20:11 NIV) An early American parallel to this axiom would be: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. In the business or church world a parallel would be You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.
It’s easy to boast ahead of time. Accountability means being responsible for your actions and your success or lack of it.
[1] Paul C. Borden, Direct Hit (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006), 92.
[2] Andy Stanley, The Best Question Ever (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishing, 2004), 67. I highly, highly recommend this book.
[3] Borden, 21.
[4] Leith Anderson, Dying for Change (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1990), 118.
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