No Wasting

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO WASTING

Prov 26:8

8 Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

NIV

This seems to be a somewhat strange saying because of the wording of tying a stone in a sling. The Hebrew offers a little different idea in that the word translated sling does not mean a weapon but rather a stone heap. Our historians offer an insight into this stone heap. It was a custom in many cases for the dead to be buried under a heap of stones rather than in a dug grave as we do today. If the person were of ill report, such as a criminal no honor would be given to his heap of stones. One might, if the dead person was someone of good report or special in some way, put a precious stone among the heap. So then to throw a precious stone among the heap of a fool was to give honor to him. Some of our scholars are not in agreement with this rendering. But simply consider that actually tying a stone in a sling makes the sling useless and so is giving honor to a fool. How do we relate this to our lives? What truth does it bear for us? It is again the story of the fool. The wastefulness of their lives because of not having anything to do with God, or refusing to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The fool is simply living a useless life. Their life has no meaning, no purpose, and no reason at all. We know that we exist for a singular purpose of giving honor to God. We exist to give him praise and glorify his name among the nations. The fool cannot do that. Now the question is how do we not be a fool? How do we bring honor and glory to God?  Is it simply by attending church? That cannot be, for some fools attend church, they may even has some form of godliness, but do not now God, nor give him glory. So how do we bring him honor and glory among the nations? The people we work with, the people we encounter daily must know we are followers of Jesus. They must see our lives, our faith being lived out loud. If they do not know we are true believers, Godly people who love the Lord, how then is our life going to being honoring God? We are his representation on earth. One author puts it this way, Jesus living in us, as us. This would mean people should see Jesus when they see us. This does not mean they see a person all stiff and stuffy, not able to laugh and enjoy life. This does not mean they see a religious person either, for some unbelievers are religious. What it means is they see a person who sincerely cares about them, loves them, prays with them in their time of hurting, when they are in pain, or suffering a loss of a loved one. This means we are there for them, letting them see Jesus doing the work of God. Then they will know God loves them. We cannot be content with just telling them we will pray for them. Jesus did not tell people he would heal them and then walk away. He healed them right then and there. This is the work of God, the work of Christ living in us as us, meeting their need right there and then, up close and personal. Jesus said that all he does is for the glory of the Father. All we do should be no less, but for the glory of God. The fool cannot for his life is wasted, but we surely can for we have Christ in us living as us and thus we can do the work of God, first to believe in the one he sent and second to allow him to live as us to the world. This is not foolish, but true wisdom. This is not wasting our lives as a stone tied in a sling is. This is using our lives for the glory of God.