Article of the Month of September

An International / Interdenominational / Internet / Correspondence

Branch: International Institute of Church Management, Pennsylvania, USA
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WORLD MISSIONS CENTER

September 2005
A Monthly Internet Magazine of IICM
(Circulated to 300,000 Pastors and Leaders in 209 Countries)
Featured Article: "The Wise and the Foolish"

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Article of the Month of September 2005
"THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH"

God sees people either as ’the wise’ or as ’the foolish’. We categorize people as - the rich and the poor; the educated and the uneducated; Christians and non-Christians; etc. But Jesus always talked about the wise and the foolish. In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus said that five of them were wise and the other five were foolish. Only five virgins were ready when the bridegroom came, and they are referred to as the wise ones. The other five virgins who were not ready and were left behind were called the foolish ones. In other words, those who are watching and waiting for the coming of the Lord, and are ready to meet Him are the wise people. All the rest who are not going to be ready and are going to be left behind, will be the foolish ones. In other words what is really going to make a difference in life is whether we are wise or foolish. All the other differences between the people may have some significance, but it is not really going to matter.

Jesus said that those who hear His words and do according to them are the wise people, and they who hear His words and don’t do them are the foolish ones. Perhaps when everything goes well we cannot see the difference between these two categories of people. But when some calamity hits we can see the difference. The wise people will be able to withstand all the pressures of life and make it through when the storms of life hit them. But the foolish will be tossed to and fro by every adverse situation they face in their lives and finally they will succumb to them. Again what makes the difference when people face problems will determine as to whether they are wise or foolish. The wise will be able to overcome every problem while the foolish cannot.

The Bible clearly tells us that our life does not end after death. What will be our status during eternity, after this life depends upon whether we are saved now or not through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I Timothy 3:15, says that the Holy Scriptures that are known to us from our childhood are able to make us wise unto salvation. In other words, if we have been saved we are wise, and if we have not been saved we are foolish.

The characteristics of the wise and the foolish are discussed in the Bible in detail. The characteristics of the wise people are listed below:

        1.      Those who are ready for the coming of the Lord (Mathew 25)
2.      Those who hear the words of God and do them (Mathew 7:24)
3.      Those who are saved (I Timothy 3:15)
4.      Those who win souls (Proverbs 11:30)
5.      Those who are happy (Proverbs 3:13)
6.      Those who are honored (Proverbs 3:16)
7.      Those who have a long life (Proverbs 3:16)
8.      Those who are rich (Proverbs 3:16)
9.      Those who have peace (Proverbs 3:17)
10.    Those whose lives are very pleasant (Proverbs 3:17)
11.    Those whose desires are fulfilled (Proverbs 3:15)
12.    Those who are exalted and promoted (Proverbs 4:8)
13.    Those who have safety and protection (Proverbs 3:23)
14.    Those who shall not be afraid and shall have sweet sleep (Proverbs 3:24)
15.    Those who will build their house properly (Proverbs 9:1)
16.    Those who lay up knowledge (Proverbs 10:14)
17.    Those who are served by the people of this world either directly or indirectly
       (Proverbs 11:29)
18.    Those who walk with wise men (Proverbs 13:20)
19.    Those who receive reproof (Proverbs 17:10)
20.    Those who are not deceived by any strong drink (Proverbs 20:1)
21.    Those who are strong (Proverbs 24:5)
22.    Those who will love the person that rebukes them (Proverbs 9:8)
23.    Those who love their souls (Proverbs 19:8)
24.    Those who shall inherit glory (Proverbs 3:35)
25.    Those whose mouth are gracious (Proverbs 10:12)
26.    Those who fear the Lord (Job28:28)
27.    Those who hear instruction and refuse it not (Proverbs 8:33)
28.    Those who make their father’s glad (Proverbs 10:1)
29.    Those who refrain their lips (Proverbs 10:19)
30.    Those who hear their father’s instructions (Proverbs 13:1)
31.    Those whose face shine (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
32.    Those who are hearken to counsel (Proverbs 12:15)
33.    Those who are righteous (Proverbs 2:7)
34.    The knowledge is pleasant to the soul of the wise (Proverbs 2:10)

1.      Those who say there is no God (Psalm 14:11)
2.         Those who do mischief (Proverbs 10:23)
3.      Those who shall be servants to the wise (Proverbs 11:29)
4.      Those whose ways seem to be right in their own eyes (Proverbs 12:15)
5.      Those who lay open their follies (Proverbs 13:16)
6.      Those whose mouth is their destruction (Proverbs 18:7)
7.      Those for whom wisdom is too high (Proverbs 24:7)
8.      Those who walk in darkness (Ecclesiastes 2:14)
9.      Those who are full of words (Ecclesiastes 10:14)
10.       Those who are going to be left behind at the coming of the Lord (Mathew 25)
11.    Those who gather a lot and do not live long enough to enjoy it (Luke 12:20)
12.    Those who are afflicted (Psalm 107:17)
13.    Those who despise wisdom (Proverbs 1:7)
14.    Those who die for want of wisdom (Proverbs 10:21)
15.    Those who mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9)
16.    Those who are blind to the truths (Luke 11:40)
17.    Those who are ignorant of the truths (Psalm 73:22)
18.    Those who spend their treasure (Proverbs 21:20)
19.    Those who have been bewitched (Galatians 3:1)
20.    Those who proclaim foolishness (Proverbs 12:23)
21.    Those whose ways are perverted (Proverbs 19:3)
22.    Those whose thoughts are sin (Proverbs 24:9)
23.    Those who are brutish (Psalm 94:8)
24.    Those who hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22)
25.    Those who shall be destroyed by their own prosperity (Proverbs 1:32)
26.    Those who are the heaviness of their mother (Proverbs 10:1)
27.    Those who utter a slander (Proverbs 10:18)
28.    Those who do mischief (Proverbs 10:23)
29.    Those who are soon angry (Proverbs 14:17)
30.    Those who despise their mother (Proverbs 15:20)
31.    Those who do not receive any reproof (Proverbs 17:10)
32.   Those whose mouth leads to destruction and whose lips are the snare of their souls
(Proverbs 18:7)
33.   Those who are meddling (Proverbs 23)
34.   Those for whom honor is not seemly (Proverbs 26:1)
35.   Those who return to their folly (Proverbs 26:11)
36.   Those who utter all their mind (Proverbs 29:11)
37.   Those for whom there is no hope (Proverbs 29:20)
38.   Those who exalt or lift up themselves (Proverbs 30:32)
39.   Those whose voice is known by multitude of words (Ecclesiastes 5:63)
40.   Those whose laughter is empty and meaningless as the crackling of thorns under a pot (Ecclesiastes 7:6)
41.   Those who walk in their own ways and fail (Ecclesiastes 10:3)

Conclusion
In order to be wise it is important for us not only to hear the Word of God, but also to obey them. Mere theoretical knowledge of any truth will not have any value. Only when we apply or practice, we can see the results. The Scriptures listed above concerning the Wise people and the Foolish people tell us very clearly, what we should do and what we should avoid doing. If we make it a habit and life style to live wisely following the teachings in the Bible sited above we can enjoy all the blessings and live a victorious and a blessed life. On the contrary, if we fail to do what we have been commanded to do and further indulge in activities which are described as foolish acts we will have face dire consequences!!!!!!