Live your life modeled after Christ
If you hear it quoted enough, you might start to believe it. But what if we hear it misquoted frequently? Well, you probably start believing it as well.
If you have been a Christ follower for any period of time, then the number of sermons you have heard, devotions you have read, and Bible study groups you have participated in guarantees that you have heard many repeated themes and Bible verses. Nothing wrong with that. But it is possible that, just as we hear these verses over and over, we can become lazy in checking the interpretation or use of a passage of scripture. Sometimes familiarity works against us.
Proverbs 29:18 will give us an example I believe. Have you heard this verse before?
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
I suspect that you have heard it many times. And I bet you have heard it in both business settings and church settings. When searching for a new leader or pastor, churches and organizations often have a criterion of someone who has a vision for the organization. And when a church or organization is struggling, we are sometimes quick to criticize a leader for not having a compelling vision for the church or organization. According to this verse, the followers or the people will struggle. We will lose members, customers, and donors.
All of that may be true, but here is the problem. When this verse is quoted, we usually leave out the second part of the verse and rarely notice that it is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible. That isn’t a problem in itself. However, rarely does the leader read and study that version on a regular basis; but we quote the verse because it makes the point we want to make.
The other half of the verse says this: “But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” That part of the verse is rarely quoted but likely closer to a correct translation. You would likely think that the one who obeys God’s laws is blessed or happy. That is a good understanding.
If we go back to the first half of the verse we know so well, we will find that many of the better translations of scripture say something a bit different than the KJV.
Here are some examples:
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Proverbs 29:18 ESV
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. NIV
When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. NLT
When Proverbs was written, the children of Israel would have known that the Torah and the rest of the divine revelation would have come from the words of the prophets. The writer of Proverbs was conveying that without guidance from God, people defer to their own wishes and desires to guide them. They are without restraint when considering what to do. But when God reveals himself through his word and we follow his guidance, we abide with him and have his blessing.
The apostle Paul in Romans, Colossians, and Ephesians explains that the mystery of God has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus. Jesus was with God at creation and revealed himself as God in the flesh when he was born in Bethlehem. He took the sins of the world on himself, suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected making possible for us to be reconciled with God. In Christ, we see how we are to truly live. In Christ, we see how to truly love. In Christ, we are forgiven and are instruments of his grace and mercy to a lost and dying world.
When we fail to access the divine through faith in Christ, we do not experience the full revelation of God. The scriptures are God breathed and teach us about our Savior and Lord. Everything leads to Christ and will one day be fully renewed and restored by Christ. It is essential then that we renew our minds and hearts through the divine revelation of Christ and then walk in his ways. When we fail to do so, we will default to pursuing our own ambitions. The living word compels us to live lives modeled after Christ. When we embrace Christ in spirit and in truth, we will heed all of the wisdom Jesus and the word have to offer.
So go ahead and hire a visionary pastor or leader. But check yourself and the teachings you read and listen so that you are sure you are hearing from God. Otherwise, you might be following some creative whim of a leader and not following the giver of life.
Father, forgive us for times when we are lazy in our daily reading and study of scripture. Guide us by your spirit that we might follow your son Jesus today and every day. Today, we submit to Christ and the wisdom that comes from his word. Guide us in your truth and to people in need. In Jesus name, Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Proverbs 29:18 ESV
Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Colossians 1:25-26 ESV
Romans 16:15, 25-27 ESV
Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash
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