By Andrew
Crowe
Please take the time to read the chapter. Do not
worry. I will wait while you do it. Have you read it yet? Yes? Awesome! While
we cannot look at EVERY lesson found within this chapter we want to look at
four important things which this preacher learned from reading and studying it.
Man Has A Choice Who
He Follows. Despite the thought process
of many in the religious world, man has a choice as to who he will serve.
Wisdom and Folly offer their invitations and allow man to decide which way he
will go. Man is not forced to commit certain actions by God which were decided
upon before the beginning of time. Rather, God gives man knowledge of the
choices, the outcome of said decisions, and the freewill to choose. “I call heaven and earth to record this day
against you, that I have set before you
life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and
thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:19).
There are Consequences
For That Decision. Every decision one
makes has a consequence. Some decisions have small consequences. This decision
has a physical and an eternal consequence. The person who follows after wisdom
will be rewarded and sustained in every spiritual sense. He will also suffer at
the hands of those who had the same mindset of many in the days of Christ (Matt. 10:24-25). The person who follows
after Folly may have some enjoyment in the here and now but will suffer
eternally when this life is over (Heb.
11:24-26). Paul said it best when he said that one will “…reap what you sow…” (Gal. 6:7).
There Are Only Two
Choices. Man makes the decision of
who he will follow. Will he follow after Wisdom or will he choose Folly? One
cannot follow both at the same time. He can choose to switch sides at any time
but he can only follow after either Wisdom or Folly. One may think that he can
choose to ignore the decision and be okay. Geddy Lee sang it best when he said,
“If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.” A decision to
ignore Wisdom and Folly is a decision to follow Folly. Why? The Hebrews writer
called it “neglect” against the “great salvation” which has been offered
to man (Heb. 2:1-3).
One Can Only Receive
the Blessings of Wisdom by Responding.
She holds many blessings for the mankind. These blessings are pictured as a
sumptuous feast ready for the taking. What good are these blessings if man does
not respond to her? Paul wrote that all spiritual blessings are found in Christ
Jesus (Eph. 1:3). What good are
those blessings to the man which does not respond in obedient faith? One can
only receive the great spiritual blessings of God by responding to Him (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:4).
Andrews’ Bio: Andrew currently preaches for the City Boulevard church of Christ in Waycross, GA. He is a 2009 graduate of the Memphis School of Preaching.
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