Sincerity or Folly?

2004

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

“…in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” 2 Cor. 2:17b

What a high calling! What a challenge! What a privilege!

We are not like those who do not know the LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH and the GLORIOUS DESTINY that HE has in store for those who love, trust and obey HIM! We have a PURPOSE! We have JESUS as LORD and we can know Him more and more and love Him more and more. We have a battle to fight for HIS SAKE! We can trust, worship and praise God and live and speak in such a way that the world can have a demonstration of the FACT that THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY REIGNS!!! AND HIS WAYS ARE WONDERFUL AND WISE! We are servants of the MOST HIGH GOD and we are here to represent Jesus. He came on a mission of redemptive love, and HE has given us purpose, to follow in His footsteps. He wants a people who will reflect HIM, His heart, Who He is, and who will be about His purposes, and who will advance His Kingdom. We can be overcomers, we can overcome satan and sin. We must make the most of every opportunity. We can be God’s instruments, used by Him for noble purposes!

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” 2 Tim. 2:20-21

“…in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” 2 Cor. 2:17b

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 2 Cor. 5:18-20

If one is a Christian, then he or she is an ambassador of Christ and HE has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Folly should be FAR from our hearts and mouths, because our hearts and minds are consumed with Jesus and His purposes.

God desires to accomplish HIS GLORIOUS PURPOSES in us and through us…

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 3:10

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” John 7:38-39

If streams of living water from the Spirit of God are not what is flowing from you or me, and instead, folly and drivel are flowing from us, there is a reason! That is evidence that we are filled with something else, something lesser. We can be filled with the Life and Spirit and Love of Jesus, we can be filled with Glory! We MUST find out what is filling us up and quenching the Spirit and REPENT!

Whatever or whoever we have been and whatever we have done in the past, we can repent, and change our mind, turn from it, and cry out to God to change our heart and trust Him to transform us. We can make choices to CARE about what Jesus cares about. We can choose to go deeper with God and mine for the GOLD that is from Him, so that we will have something of substance to offer others. Something that is SINCERE, something that is from the heart of God, something that is from the Spirit of God.

This is an excerpt from The Character of God’s Workman by Watchman Nee on our speech:

“Many people should be greatly used by God; they should be powerful vessels in His hand. Yet they fail to be used by God; and even if they are used, they are not very effective vessels. One of the prime reasons is their lack of restraint in speech. Carelessness in this matter of speech is an opening through which the power of God may either flow out or leak away. Unfortunately, many allow the power of God to leak away…

What a pity that many who ought to be used by God are disabled because their mouth is as a large hole that leaks out His power. Power is drained if our mouth sends forth two kinds of speech. The problem of many lies in their much speaking,… Our mouth is sanctified as a holy vessel for the service of the Lord. How much more, then, must we keep it as we keep our heart! We cannot let it be unbridled.”

The following is an excerpt from How to Grow, The Inward Cross excerpts:

“Treasure these in your heart and seek change:

Hunger—those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled—If you don’t seek God the same way you would seek water in the desert, then you won’t grow. God said you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart. Don’t allow your self to be satisfied with a shallow walk with God. Cry out to God for a heart of fire and passion and purposefulness. “Lord, You are more precious than silver, and nothing I desire compares with You,” has to be the cry of your own heart. Nothing kills fire and hunger like chaff does. If I allow foolish talk and meaningless conversation, even religious conversation, to consume my time, then it also consumes my hunger. I finish the day with an empty feeling in my heart and in the pit of my stomach because I know I took the lower road and it robbed the life from me. Don’t let foolishness, or circumstances, or temporal things rob you of your hunger for reality. Fix your heart, mind and life on things that really matter, not on unimportant things. Don’t fill up on peanut butter chaff, and miss the banquet that God has prepared for you, gold, silver and precious stones.”

Motive matters! What do I really want? Am I wanting something from others, or desiring to give something to them? We do not have time to waste or words to waste! Could each of us ask ourselves these questions and prayerfully consider the scriptures below before God? Am I quenching His Spirit and LIFE, or am I a humble, surrendered vessel, who is letting God have His way with me and allowing Him to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him? Is my aroma the aroma of Christ?

What do I want a person to hear—touch—see—when they make contact with me, or when they have been with me? Am I sincere? Do I desire to represent Jesus? Or folly? Do I go before Jesus, considering others, and bringing them up before the Throne of My Father, by name, and pray for them and for the time with them? Am I sincere and real and care about others and desire to offer what would build them up in the faith? Or do I just want to get their attention, or make them laugh, or think more about myself than them? Do I desire to offer others something that really is of value in God’s eyes, like encouragement, love, seeds of truth?

What have I wanted from my interaction with others? Attention? Something selfish? A laugh? (Laughing can be fine, even great, when something is really funny, but TRYING to grab after attention and TRYING to be funny and the center of attention is quite another thing.) Do I just want fun and a good time? If so, that is like eating cotton candy and leads to malnourishment.

On what level am I relating to others? On a very shallow, superficial level or on a real level that is God honoring? Am I offering chaff and filling up the air with meaningless words that quench and grieve the Spirit of God? Or am I offering something of substance, something from the heart and Spirit of Jesus? What do people touch when their life touches mine? Self or JESUS? Or am I caring about what Jesus sees as important? Am I wanting to honor God, care about others, advance God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory?

“…in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” 2 Cor. 2:17b

Do I speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God?

Do I desire to? Jesus can change the humble and repentant heart.

This can be true of us!!! Just care and talk to Jesus about this, OK?

He desires to mold us into His image! This is not some EXTERNAL thing! If we are full of folly and insincerity, there is something in our heart that we need to repent of. And we can trust that God will transform us when we repent and trust Him and desire to obey Him. This is something that meant very much to many of us recently:

“We welcome demons, or angels, by our thoughts and words. Words of unbelief and rebellion, or of greed or fear, jealousy or unforgiveness, or of pride or of carnal obsessive energy bring in the cloak of darkness and a supernatural invitation to the Enemy to be involved in your life.

AND YET! Words of God’s Promises and Faith and Worship and Contentment in Him bring in the fresh breeze of the intervention of the Spirit of God, and His Angels. Let’s DEFAULT in our “spare moments” to Worship thoughts, Trust thoughts, “think on THESE things” thoughts.

We are Faith walkers. Faith talkers!”

Here are some verses to contemplate and ask God about:

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,” Matthew 12:33

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him…” Matthew 12:34b-35a

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matt. 7:26-27

WE do not have time for folly. “There is no time!” AND God hates folly!

Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Mark 7:21-23

“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his people, his faithful ones. But let them not return to their foolish ways.” Psalm 85:8

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.” Proverbs 1:32

“He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.” Prov. 5:23

“Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise.” Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” Proverbs 9:6-12

“The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.” Prov. 9:13

“The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin…. Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.” Prov. 10:8-10 & 13

“The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.” Proverbs 10:21

“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” Prov. 12:23

“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” Prov. 15:2

“The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.” Prov. 15:14

“Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.” Prov. 15:21

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” Prov. 18:2

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Prov. 22:15

“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Prov. 26:11

“Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Pr. 29:20

“I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.” Ecc. 2:13

“O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.” Psalm 69:5

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:4-6

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:…a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,” Ecc. 3:1 & 7

“The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?” Ecclesiastes 6:11

“So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.” Ecc. 7:25

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” Ecc. 10:1

“Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness—and the fool multiplies words.” Ecc. 10:12-14

“For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.” Isaiah 32:6

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words… Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.” Ecc. 5:2-3 &7

“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.” Prov. 10:19-21

This is God’s desire for us: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32

“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:6-14

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Eph. 5:1-20

“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk” I Tim. 1:5-6

“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers” Titus 1:10

“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” Hebrews 10:22. A sincere heart will produce sincere words.

“Love must be sincere…” Romans 12:9

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17

“Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.” 2 Cor. 1:12

“Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” I Cor. 5:8

“…in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” 2 Cor. 2:17b