The Trouble With Understanding
Title: The Trouble With Understanding
Subject: Wisdon
The Trouble With Understanding!
Dr. Vincent D. Hefner, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Cherryville, North Carolina
I just finished reading the Book of Proverbs and I was really blessed by the wisdom of King Solomon. If you have not recently read this book, please do, and you will learn a great deal about human nature. You will also learn about the wonderful character of God. People from all around the world came to Solomon to witness for themselves how he lived his faith and how his wisdom was not of this world. Solomon had the distinct pleasure of being blessed by God with wisdom and riches. Needless to say, when Solomon spoke, people listened!
However, there were a few things that even Solomon did not understand. In Proverbs 30:18-19, the Bible says, “There are three things that amaze me-no, four Things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake Slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.” How did Solomon justify what he could not understand? One word, Faith. He believed that God was in control of all things, even those he didn’t understand. Now friends and neighbors, that is wisdom!
Every one of us is likened to Solomon in the fact that we see things in life that we don’t understand. Take me for instance; there are several things about life I don’t understand. Since my column is just so long, I will only mention a couple of them. First, why is it when a major league baseball player gets hit by a pitch while batting, he doesn’t rub the spot where he was hit? I have seen ball players get hit on the elbow, the knee, in the rib cage, just about everywhere on their body, but they will not rib it. I know it hurts, it has to, but they will grit their teeth and swagger down to first base. Who made up that rule? I say, if you get hit anywhere on your body by a pitch, you should be entitled to rub it, and maybe even shed a few tears. I don’t understand that “unspoken rule.” I guess that’s why I’m not playing major league baseball! Second, I don’t understand how every time I am in a hurry to get somewhere, a slow automobile gets ahead of me! I’m not talking about someone going the speed limit, I’m talking about some one who is going at least 10 miles under the speed limit with no where to go, and nothing to do but be ahead of me! I have discovered that when I am not in a hurry to get somewhere, it doesn’t matter who or what is ahead of me, I always find a way to be on time.
The third and final difficulty that I want to discuss is more on the serious nature. It has to do with a passage of Scripture that has challenged my faith for years. In James 1:2-4, the Bible says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” I have a hard time seeing trouble and trials as an opportunity for joy! However, that is what the Bible says to do, and that is what I remind myself every time I face trouble, which is more often than you might imagine. The Bible tells me that when my faith is tested, my endurance is increased, and in turn I become more of what God wants me to become. The next time you face a trial, consider this Scripture to help you become the person God wants you to become. Remember, Don’t give in to sin. Think about it!
Dr. Vincent D. Hefner, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Cherryville, North Carolina
I just finished reading the Book of Proverbs and I was really blessed by the wisdom of King Solomon. If you have not recently read this book, please do, and you will learn a great deal about human nature. You will also learn about the wonderful character of God. People from all around the world came to Solomon to witness for themselves how he lived his faith and how his wisdom was not of this world. Solomon had the distinct pleasure of being blessed by God with wisdom and riches. Needless to say, when Solomon spoke, people listened!
However, there were a few things that even Solomon did not understand. In Proverbs 30:18-19, the Bible says, “There are three things that amaze me-no, four Things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake Slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.” How did Solomon justify what he could not understand? One word, Faith. He believed that God was in control of all things, even those he didn’t understand. Now friends and neighbors, that is wisdom!
Every one of us is likened to Solomon in the fact that we see things in life that we don’t understand. Take me for instance; there are several things about life I don’t understand. Since my column is just so long, I will only mention a couple of them. First, why is it when a major league baseball player gets hit by a pitch while batting, he doesn’t rub the spot where he was hit? I have seen ball players get hit on the elbow, the knee, in the rib cage, just about everywhere on their body, but they will not rib it. I know it hurts, it has to, but they will grit their teeth and swagger down to first base. Who made up that rule? I say, if you get hit anywhere on your body by a pitch, you should be entitled to rub it, and maybe even shed a few tears. I don’t understand that “unspoken rule.” I guess that’s why I’m not playing major league baseball! Second, I don’t understand how every time I am in a hurry to get somewhere, a slow automobile gets ahead of me! I’m not talking about someone going the speed limit, I’m talking about some one who is going at least 10 miles under the speed limit with no where to go, and nothing to do but be ahead of me! I have discovered that when I am not in a hurry to get somewhere, it doesn’t matter who or what is ahead of me, I always find a way to be on time.
The third and final difficulty that I want to discuss is more on the serious nature. It has to do with a passage of Scripture that has challenged my faith for years. In James 1:2-4, the Bible says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” I have a hard time seeing trouble and trials as an opportunity for joy! However, that is what the Bible says to do, and that is what I remind myself every time I face trouble, which is more often than you might imagine. The Bible tells me that when my faith is tested, my endurance is increased, and in turn I become more of what God wants me to become. The next time you face a trial, consider this Scripture to help you become the person God wants you to become. Remember, Don’t give in to sin. Think about it!
