I have always loves Proverbs 26. It's a great example of setting someone up for conviction, just luring them into a trap to see their own sin. The first 11 verses are all these statements about a fool--purposeless, loveless, moralless; they are just worthless people. We shouldn't honor them, shouldn't listen to them, shouldn't give them the time of day. And as you read them you think, "man, I'm glad I'm not a fool. I'm a lot better than that. I think I'm wiser than that."
Then you get to verse 12: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Yikes! Didn't see that coming...
I just think the word sluggard is cool. When was the last time you used that in casual conversation?
And finally, for a jokester like me, the proverb that squelches the fun: "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'I am only joking!'" So should I give up trying to trick people for fun?
Or is this more about trying to get out of bad behavior? When we get caught in something that looks bad, we like to play it off somehow. A good way is to say, "I was just foolin'. Didn't really mean that." As I'm trying to teach my children, our first response when we're in a situation where there is any chance we had some shortcoming in responsibility, we should own up to it immediately. No excuses, no playing it off. Just an honest, "You know, maybe I didn't think that through, and I'm sorry."
Just a thought.
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