Introduction

We know that the opposite of wisdom is foolishness. Ecclesiastes says that a little foolishness can ruin a person. People spend their whole lives fighting foolishness, as the human body is inherently foolish. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate foolishness in this process.

For example, consider the calculators we used as children. If one button malfunctions, the entire device becomes unusable. Similarly, if a corner of a mobile phone screen becomes unresponsive, it becomes difficult to use. You know that we need to read the instruction manual for any device we use. Nobody buys a computer and keeps pressing the Enter key, expecting it to turn on. It's obvious that if you don't follow the original design and mess around, it's a pipe dream.

If someone buys a computer and sometimes the power button works and sometimes it doesn't, no one says, The instruction manual is wrong. In fact, we Christians also need to learn according to the Christian instruction manual – the Bible – in the process of living. If what we do is different from the Bible, then it shows foolishness.

When I read Ecclesiastes, I read a short story (see Ecclesiastes 9:13-18):

Once upon a time, there was a city with few people, because many had been drafted into the army, leaving behind the elderly and children. One day, an army came and surrounded the city, and no one could think of a solution. Later, a wise man in the city came up with an idea, and the besiegers all withdrew. Originally, the people in the city were prepared to fight to the death, perhaps saying goodbye to their families the night before, but they were rescued the next day.

Many people searched for this wise man but could not find him. One person knew this wise man, but he was poor, so people discussed and despised him. Although no one could save themselves, it was only this wise man who could save them, yet they were concerned about whether he was poor or rich. Does the poor man's financial situation conflict with him being their savior? Isn't understanding this wise man's way of thinking much more important than knowing his assets?
In our church life, we often forget the word of God. Whenever we are completely focused on our own thoughts, we are like those fools. It is wise to not follow one's own ideas.

Scripture

How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and captured. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men, and their fields to other owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:8-13)

Prayer

Lord, please open our minds and let us know that a little foolishness can ruin ourselves. Lord, let us know to leave our own way and walk in your way, so that we can constantly stay away from our own foolishness and live out your image!

The First Kind of Foolishness: Focusing on the Small, Ignoring the Big

Lot in the Bible is the most typical example. If Lot is evaluated in terms of moral standards, he is a good person and a person with high moral standards. Maybe he is not very foolish, but his last foolish act was very big. We look at his ending, it is really miserable, living in the mountains, and incest with his daughters.

In fact, Lot had several opportunities, but he never seized them. Lot's first foolish act was to compete with his uncle Abraham for pasture for his sheep. If he had seen what his uncle had done for him, if he had known that his uncle's intention was to bless him, how could he have valued those cattle and sheep? And abandoning Abraham, whom God had blessed, Lot never valued such great resources as Abraham. Abraham's identity was also honorable. Even if he didn't know this the first time, wouldn't it have been better for him to turn back in time the second time?

What happened the second time? Lot was captured in the city of the five kings. When the two groups fought, his family's property and members were taken away. As a result, Abraham led 300 soldiers to defeat the four kings and recapture his family members and even the people and property of their country. But did Lot think about this? He did not realize it, but returned to the city of Sodom. He is simply a model of focusing on the small and ignoring the big, always with a small-minded mentality, separating from his family for the first time, taking away some of his cattle and sheep.

Didn't he see something better? The first time he stared at the cattle and sheep, the second time he stared at the transactions in the city of Sodom, and didn't even have time to talk to his uncle. What was the result of Lot and Abraham? Abraham lived in wealth all his life, and his blessings and Mingding Destiny were passed on to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and each generation was stronger than the last, it was a meteoric rise; but what about Lot? How he lived and how he died, it seems that there was no honor at all, even his descendants the Moabites and Ammonites, his descendants were all enemies of the Israelites, and were finally destroyed, completely unable to see any honor. If a person's brain is filled with small things, how can big things fit in?

Everyone must be grateful for the various training in the church. We have put in a lot of effort. We will be responsible for everyone's growth. This is an assessment of everyone's knowledge and a test of their flexibility. I will give everyone a scenario, read a question, and I find that many people start answering the question in confusion. I asked him, Do you know that your current state is very chaotic? He said he knew, and I asked him why he didn't re-enumerate what he had said.

Some people don't understand, but pretend to understand. What are they doing? In fact, people can buy some time. If you don't like what you say yourself, do you think the teacher can let it go? In fact, some people directly say that they did not hear it, which is not a waste of a few minutes, but simply answering the question correctly. Maybe it was doing other things that delayed things, but that's not the key. The key is whether you have a seeking heart to fight for it. Why do some people answer questions in confusion, while others like to buy time and think carefully about the questions? He knows that he has answered the questions correctly, which is beyond other external things.

We want to train brothers and sisters to become people who focus on the big and not the small. If you can always grasp the key points, I think you know the most important thing, eliminating foolishness.

The Second Kind of Foolishness: Blaming Others While Neglecting Oneself

This is a term I coined, essentially referring to the selfishness within people's hearts. We once ministered to a sister who suffered from insomnia. After she was healed, she always felt the prayer sessions were too long and unbearable. Why didn't she complain about the length of prayers when she couldn't sleep before? At this point, she started complaining. Later, too embarrassed to say anything, she resorted to alcohol to induce sleep, but the next day, she went to work with a groggy head. Later, she resolved to pray diligently, and her sleep problems improved. In her work, she became discerning of good and evil towards her boss. Thus, we taught her to learn from Joseph, and no matter what the boss said, to begin working diligently.

Later, this sister encountered the problem of low wages. I taught her again, and as a result, she received double her salary that month. She voluntarily decided to serve God well. Later, she wanted to switch jobs and went for an interview at a large company, but she was rejected. She then began to complain about God, saying that she felt the things said about the spiritual realm were mystical and not necessarily true. As a result, she returned to the problem of insomnia. Afterwards, I ministered to another sister whose testimony was so genuine that it moved this sister, and she said she would believe in the Lord wholeheartedly. However, after experiencing repeated setbacks, when I spoke to her, she relapsed into insomnia and began to corrupt other sisters, sending them messages. I received messages from those sisters. This sister felt embarrassed to stay in the church and left.

She was in the education and training industry, but all the parents came to withdraw their children from her courses, overwhelming her. She thought of jumping off a building to commit suicide and even resorted to drinking to fall asleep, resulting in a life that was neither human nor ghostly. When we ministered to her at that time, she was delivered. Several people couldn't hold her down; the manifestation was very obvious. I said to her, Sister, you need to have an attitude of dedication. She stopped speaking and thought for a long time. Then, she took out ten RMB and said she wanted to give it as an offering. At this point, I said to her, Sister, do you really not understand the root of the problem? Must you be so concerned about your own life? Does God lack anything from you? Have you not experienced God's grace so many times? Our God says in the 《Matthew》:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.(《Matthew》 19:29 ESV)

If you feel busy with work, you should serve even more. All the principles are that the more you give, the more you receive. If a person originally has little but does not give, even what little they have will be taken away. Everyone must examine themselves and not blame others while neglecting oneself.

The Third Kind of Foolishness: Knowing What's Near But Not What's Far

《Ecclesiastes》 Chapter 3 says:

If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth. And whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 ESV)

If you are walking on the road, you don't wait until the clouds are full of rain to start walking, but run as soon as you see dark clouds, right? If you see a tree falling, then you avoid it? This seems like nonsense, but the key is to have foresight and a concept of sowing and reaping in everything. Everything we do with our hands is based on prior judgment. Why is our shepherding and training so effective? Because we have undergone rigorous trials. When we design courses, we can anticipate what will happen and what answers we might face. In this process, we even think about the content of the comments and prepare accordingly. There is a big difference between being prepared and being unprepared.

We must begin to cultivate the habit of thinking about the impact of our actions on the next three to five years. The reason our church is thriving is not because of the impact of this matter on tomorrow, but because of its long-term effects. This is the work of a pastor. We have moved from simply shepherding to strategic thinking. If you are in such a church, how can you not have a good future?

Brothers and sisters, at this time, begin to sow seeds. Although it feels hard when being dealt with, seeing only the present, it is not the rain from the clouds pouring on you, but the water watering the seeds. These are two different mindsets. If your vision is long-term, how can you not do well?

The Fourth Kind of Foolishness: Knowing What But Not Why

The other day, I led a sister in prayer, and when she was filled with the Holy Spirit, she often quibbled about the way she was filled with the Holy Spirit. In fact, in the 《Bible》, Paul and Jesus both wanted people to receive the Holy Spirit. While leading her in prayer, her neck and shoulder pain improved a lot. If the manual doesn't mention the specific behavior, it is not the most important thing, but the fact that those who believe will be healed is the most important thing.

She asked me why her life and work were so chaotic. She used to be a project manager, but now she wanted to re-plan. I asked her what the concept of project management really was. She said it was managing a project, but she didn't know what the root was. I knew a sister whose father was facing health issues. I used words from the 《Bible》 to declare that her father must have violated the words of the 《Bible》. She said I couldn't insult her father. In fact, she probably knew I was right, but she didn't admit it. The first few sentences of the 《Jeremiah》 scripture we read today say:

Why then is this people of Jerusalem turned away in continual backsliding? They hold fast deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened and heard, but they do not speak rightly; no man repents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the ordinance of the Lord. (《Jeremiah》 8:5-7 ESV)

What does this sentence mean? It means they violated God's word and were even inferior to birds and beasts. I didn't say that to the sister. Actually, being inferior is not the key, but rather starting to listen to God's word and diligently following our life manual throughout our lives is the key. This sister I'm talking about doesn't know God's word and hasn't read it much. After I spoke to her, she agreed very much. Thank God, she began to turn around. Fear and rigidity both come from not understanding the essence of things. In fact, brothers and sisters, walking on a tightrope is not necessarily dangerous, and crossing the road is not necessarily safe. In fact, if we do not know how to avoid risks, we may encounter danger. Many people are still hit by cars on the road, but if safety measures are taken when walking on a tightrope, there may be no danger.

Conclusion

In the beginning of the story, many people forgot about the wise man who saved the city. Solomon foreshadowed one thing, which is the coming of Jesus in the New Testament era. The Pharisees did not expect Jesus to be the son of a carpenter, a person of humble origin. They thought the Messiah would ride a tall horse and gloriously rescue them. Although Jesus healed many people and gave the way to eternal life to everyone, the Pharisees didn't care. What they cared about was that this person was the son of a carpenter.

Jeremiah criticized the scribes for falsifying the law. A person with a small habit of falsification put the Lord Jesus to death on the cross. God's wisdom did not corrupt God's glory and wisdom because of their foolishness. Our foolishness and wisdom corrupt ourselves, not the Lord Jesus. Originally, foolishness was prepared for fools. Do you still want to be a foolish person today? I urge everyone to make a decision starting today, which is to diligently follow God's word. May God bless you all!