We make our choices, and we pay the price. That’s the way life is.”
                    –Stephen Bly (The Long Trail Home)

       “Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways.”
                    –Proverbs 3:31 (NKJV)
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          “Work in me all the good pleasure of thy will, and I will only lie still in thy hands and trust thee.”
                         –Hannah Whitall Smith

     “The need is the calling,” declares Bill Wilson.  I emphatically decided to not go into education.  No way was I going to deal with a bunch of brats; kids who didn’t care if they received a proper education much less become a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Nine years later I was in the classroom.  Much had happened in my life over the time when I decided not to become a teacher and the time I entered the classroom.  One of those was that God was working in me His good will, the other was that I saw a tremendous need–the need of discipleship.  Why were so many of our church young people falling away from the faith?  There was a need, so I accepted the calling, and I would say that need is perhaps greater than ever.
     We live in an evil world, one that is arrayed against God.  Paul tells us what our relation to the world should be.  
               “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
                         –Ephesians 4:17-19(NKJV)
We must–we must–get this, we must think differently than the world.  There is quite a bit in these verses, but I want to concentrate on the futile mind.  Ray Stedman states that Paul “does not start with actions.  He starts with the thoughtlife, with the mind, and he declares that the world’s thinking is empty.”  The world lives in futility, emptiness of mind.
     Futility is being “void of purpose of appropriateness,” or in other words, “pointless.”  In the light of eternity the efforts, the philosophy of men, the thoughts and ideas are pointless compared to the truth of Jesus Christ.  As Christians we must realize that there must be a distinct line between Christianity and the world.  John writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15, NKJV)  James tells us, “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, NKJV)
     “How close to the world can one live?” is often the question asked by, and let me call them by their right name, pseudo-Christians.  When the right question is, how close can I live to God?  Who is right then, the world or God?  “Christians must choose on which basis they are going to live their lives.” (Stedman)  As we follow Christ, we must change our thinking.  This is paramount.  “You must be willing to have your whole fundamental outlook on life drastically altered.  Christianity is not merely a change in outward action, or a bit higher moral or ethical level.  Christianity is a revolutionary change of government that results in a radical change in behavior.” (Stedman)
     Life is full of choices, and even when we have decided to accept Jesus we must then make choices on serving Him.  Every day there is a choice, there may be a great challenge to our faith, but even in the daily activities we decide whom we will give our allegiance.  The words of Joshua should ring out in our hearts and minds, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV)

Talking to them was like beating your head against an empty barrel, might make noise but accomplish nothing.”
                    –B.N. Rundell  (The Trail to Retaliation)

       “Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!”
                    –Proverbs 26:3 (NLT)
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This morning we look at Proverbs 10:13-14:
          13 — Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.
          14 — Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.  (NKJV)

          13 — Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
          14 — Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.  (NIV)

Jesus simply put it this way, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34, NIV)  Our words very often betray the heart, therefore, our “words should be words of kindness and truth, welling up from a godly heart.” (Beasley)  You don’t have to be around a person very long to know the condition of their heart by the words they speak.  Vile, foul, spiteful words tell that the heart is in the same condition.  These people, says J.L. Flores, “defraud the world of that which it is the duty of man to give it”  Man should build up, not tear down, should exhort, not curse, encourage, not spiel forth vileness.
     Dan Dick relays a story that has a lesson regarding this.  An old farmer was urging and encouraging a mule to move along, but despite the coaxing of the farmer the mule refused to budge.  The man tried to encourage, tried to move it with his words and efforts, but the mule held its ground.  In frustration the old man pulled a branch from a hickory tree, stripped off the bark, and fashioned a switch from it.  Moving around the mule to its hind quarters, the farmer swung back and laid a stinging stripe along the mule’s backside.  Without hesitation the mule was up and moving, motivated by the tender memory of the moment before.  
     Funny story, but the shame of it is that it is the disposition of a mule towards stubbornness.  A man chooses to be stubborn, to rebel, to not listen to the words of wisdom and truth.  There is no excuse for the man.  I have seen students (and adults) run and hit the wall, only to get up and run again hitting the same wall.  They are stubborn and bent on self-destruction when wisdom would encourage them to look to the right and see that there is a door open.  A fool can be beaten over and over again.
     The wise man continues to gather and gain knowledge.  They are always seeking.  The practice of the morally wise man is to lay up or store up knowledge.  He lays up wisdom and knowledge while the fool gathers more and more folly.  The wise man stores and gives out kindness, while the fool is devising treachery.  Note also, that this is storing up, that means for future use.  Also, remember that there is a difference between a wise man and a man of knowledge.  “A man may gather much intellectual knowledge without being able to make it profitable, or a source of enjoyment either to himself or others.” (Flores)  
     Flores states, “Spiritual knowledge and spiritual wisdom are never separated…  Where knowledge is in the heart there will be wisdom in the lips and life.”  A wise guy, who is arrogant or a wise person who “keeps his words for the right time and place, who does not squander it in unreasonable talk or babbling.” (Flores)   Solomon was known for his wisdom; his son, Rehoboam was known to be a foolish man listening to wrong advisors.  J. Vernon McGee says, “All the time the wise man is gathering up knowledge, the foolish man has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.”  There is so much truth there for if the fool continues on their course all that is left is the grave then the judgment.

A reputation doesn’t make a man tough.”

When minds are allowed to wander unhindered, accusations and recriminations often fill the void with guilt and despair. When thoughts were directed by the Scripture, God washes our minds clean and fills it with His comfort and guidance.”
                    –B.N. Rundell  (Naches Trail)

       “Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”
                    –Romans 8:28(Phillips)
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One thing age does for you is that you get a better perspective of the past.  When something happened when you were younger you might think, why in the world did the Lord allow that to happen?  Now, looking back you can see the hand of God at work in the situation.  Joseph is a good example.  Why did the Lord allow him to be cast into the pit, then sold into slavery, then the dungeon of Egypt?  Wasn’t his dream from God?  But then the day came when he told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20, NASB)
     The Holocaust, as evil as it was, brought about the nation of Israel. Israel, so important to God for we read in Zechariah, “For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.” (2:8, ESV).  What we see happening since 1948 is the fulfillment of prophecy.  People wonder and some fear, about what is happening with Iran.  Israel will be protected.  Is it the end time prophecy?  Yes (and no)–for all things that happen are part of the end times, and Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of wars.  
     Have you ever wandered off a trail while hiking?  I was hunting once in the mountains south of Eagle, Colorado.  It was rugged terrain, with downfalls everywhere.  It was hard to follow a game trail because of that.  It was cold, so cold as to make it miserable.  One ol’ boy we met in the woods was from Texas.  He remarked, “if yuh was to shoot an elk you’d have to bring a skillet an’ eat him there.”  That’s how rugged the terrain was.  My hunting buddy was hunting below a wooded area and on the way back he got off the path that would lead him back to camp.  He arrived just at dusk and it was easy to see that he was frightened.  He wandered for an hour or so in the woods.  
     The following by Dietrich Bonhoeffer helps us to see the hand of God.  “I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil.  For that purpose He needs men who make the best use of everything.  I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us resist in all time of distress.  But He never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on Him alone.  A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future.  I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them that with our supposedly good deeds.  I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that He waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions.”
     So don’t be worrying so much about your past.  Put it under the blood of Jesus, and perhaps, when you reach the “old codger” age you can see how God used your blunders to do things in your life.  If nothing else we can use our reckless stupidity and say, “chalk it up to experience.”  The Psalmist wrote, and maybe you can relate, “I used to wander off until you punished me; now I closely follow all you say.  You are good and do only good; make me follow your lead.” (119:67-68, TLB).  Allow God to use your life, stay close to His guiding hand and His Word, but if you find yourself wandering, get back quickly.