One of the hardest things that I have to do many a time is to tell myself or someone else that what they are doing is wrong, not biblical and will bring them consequences which they would not want. I would prefer in most case to be silent.
I would prefer if they heard what needed to be said from someone else. I would prefer that I be considered that quiet and wise old man . . . with the emphasis on the words quiet, and wise. I would prefer not to be the one to ruffle the feathers of persons. See I grew up hearing that “silence is golden.” I grew up being told “it is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” And for me, considering how few times I was right, I thought that silence was often the way to go.
8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. Ezekiel 33:8-9
This was God speaking to Ezekiel. It is often this passage that motivates me to speak up. See I know I am not Jesus. I can not afford to have to pay for someone else's wrong, especially when I don't have to, when all I have to do is speak up. But to speak up seems to often get me in some kind of trouble. Generally none of us like to be told we are doing wrong. We would prefer that the other person be quiet. That is the politically correct way to handle things right? You and I should handle things as each of our understandings of the greater power, being, force, or cosmos should enlighten us through the universal energies.
Right? No! Hogwash!!
See the Lord our God, He is one. God is alive and does care about what we do and how we live. In fact, if we look at the words above we see that our warning only comes after His . . . “When I (the Lord) say to the wicked . . . and you do not speak. See oftentimes we already know we are doing wrong before another speaks.
Fools gold looks has the color of gold and is named such because it fools fools. You know it when you see its crystallized form. Someone who comes along and tells you it isn't really gold is not telling you something that you should not already know. Could telling you be important? Imagine you had 30 pounds of this “gold” and planned to pay for your house by trading it in. Wouldn't you want to know it was not gold? Which brings me to what should really be my motivation for speaking.
I should be motivated to speak because of the positive change, the life giving change that correction, that a warning can bring. I should not be motivated to speak up because of what I may fear may happen to me. Read on in Ezekiel:
‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
God's reason for warning us is to save us, to bring us life, full life! His warning to us to speak up only shows us exactly how important it is to Him that each of us have the opportunity to experience His love. For us to remain silent when we know better is to say to that person, I really don't love you as much as God wants me to – I am okay with golden silence . . . I am okay with trusting on fools gold.
Fortunately for you and I, God wants us to experience the real thing . . . real gold. He knows just how awesome it is for us to live a full life, blessed from the rising of the sun to its setting – living in total and complete communion with the God who created us and loves us as we are . . . as His own.
Speaking is golden. Confirming His love for others by speaking the God's truth, in warning . . . that is our loving others. Don't be silent when you encounter fools gold. Choose to love.
Got it? Got Word?
Love yah,
dad
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