Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Prudence-Driven Life (God forbid)

One of the themes of the 'wisdom book' of the Bible, Proverbs, is prudence. Prudence is basically 'wisdom for safety.' Or, as Merriam Webster defines it, "caution or circumspection as to danger or risk."

Prudence is clearly (or at least can be) a good thing. For example, it is never okay to let a child walk along the edge of a cliff.

When Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, prudence was almost all there was. As Solomon often stated, he was not too sure what he, nor anyone, was really supposed to do on the earth - except to fear and honour God. (This is especially true of Ecclesiastes - if indeed Solomon was the author.)

At the time Proverbs was written, Solomon didn't even know that there was life beyond death, or that there was a Heaven and Hell. God had not yet revealed these things to us. Furthermore, evangelism did not exist. There was no one really to evangelize as God had not yet made himself available to non-Jews. And so sacrificing on the part of other peoples (in a Great Commission kind of way) was not something people did, nor even something they were encouraged to do.

Everything changed with the Cross.

When Jesus arrived, he raised the bar on morality; challenged us to 'battle' in the Kingdom of God; defeated death and sin by dying on the Cross; and then, after rising from the dead, issued the Great Commission: to 'go' into the whole world and preach the Gospel to everyone, making disciples.

Suddenly, prudence took a back seat.

While he was here, Jesus said a few things that reduced prudence to something secondary. Speaking to his disciples in Matthew 10:16, Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." In Luke 14:33 he said, "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." And in Philippians 1:21, the apostle Paul--who had been persecuted, abandoned, imprisoned and beaten for his faith--said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

To be continued.
ar TORONTO, CANADA | 2023+

APRIL


MAY

27 Sat (1) 11am Commencement speaker at R. University, (2) ~3pm+ time w/ V/AR+
29 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer, (2) 3pm mtg DerCh - Mississauga
30 Tue (1) 10am ph call (AA), (2) 5:30pm video mtg (IsTan), (3) 8pm neighbourhood prayer mtg

JUNE
1 Thu (1) 11:30am Zoom mtg (LM), (2) 4pm mtg (VS,KBr)
2 Fri (1) 10:30am ph call (PVDW; SL w/ boys; ~J working)
3 Sat SL w/ boys and MG
5 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer mtg, (2) 2pm Europe call, (3) 5pm mtg/walk (YM)
6 Tue (1) 11:30am lunch (GD) - St. Jacobs, (2) 4pm mtg (AF) - Cambridge, (3) 7:30pm worship night
9 Fri ~J's b'day
10 Sat North Bay trip
13 Tue 11am mtg (DAy) (~J school trip w/ ~Co | text BD)
14 Wed 9:30am time w/ BD
15 Thu 4:30pm video mtg (Paul T.)
16 Fri (1) 9am video med appt, (2) 15-km run (Prayer Journey "warm-up")
17 Sat Prayer Journey (my own: 50km GTA bike-ride; Jessie's: 5KM) and speaking at GTA after-party
23-25 Fri-Sat poss. SL
26 Mon 2pm Europe monthly call
29 ... July 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas

JULY
... 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas
~8-17 SA+ in Toronto; P/H Bell likely visiting too
15 Sat aft+ baptism (Saj; NaB may be coming)
17-21 Mon-Fri Kids Kapers camp
24 Mon 2:45pm med. appt
26 Wed (1) 11am video mtg (SM), (2) 3pm Zoom mtg (SMa,SB), (3) 7pm ~J speaking at Greenhouse/Zoe - UofT downtown
27 Thu 10am video MVT board mtg
31 Mon 3:05pm med. appt
July/Aug CCWM board mtg / AGM

AUGUST
2 Wed 11am video mtg (SM+)
6-12 Sun-Fri Cottage w/ O/DN+ and UB/AC - Windermere; plus Muskoka
19 Sat poss. ~J fam beach day - Brighton area
25-29 Fri-Tue MoveIn staff retreat - southern Ontario

2023+
Sep 21 Thu - MVT board mtg
Sep 23 Sat poss. date of GV memorial
Sep 24 Sun ~Ch's b'day
Sep ~26-28 Poss. time in Lushnjë, Albania
Sep 29 - Oct 6 MoveIn Europe Conference+ - Durrës, Albania
Oct 21 Sat poss./unlikely date of GV memorial
Oct 21-27 Dollar-a-Day week
Early Nov Poss. fundraising event - Niagara
Nov-Jan Poss. time in India - Goa; Philippines - Manila+; Indonesia - Jakarta/Bali; LA/San Diego