FOOLPROOF YOUR LIFE
(Full Sermon Text as Prepared for Trinity Methodist Church, January 26, 2025)
Every community has outstanding stories of triumph and tragedy cemented in their history. One tragedy felt by the worldwide Christian community occurred on January 8, 1956 when five American missionaries were speared to death in an Ecuadorian jungle by the very tribespeople they had worked to reach with the gospel.
Life Magazine published a feature story that same month on the massacre of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian; their ages ranged from 27 to 32.
By human standards, it was a spectacular failure of mission.
Five highly trained and prepared young men, four of them young fathers, one of whom was a highly skilled pilot, were massacred without ever having the chance to share the gospel with the tribespeople they had left America to reach.
This story vividly illustrates the contrast between earthly and heavenly viewpoints and how each weigh success and failure so differently.
Nate Saint, whose piloting skills landed the five men on a river sandbar in the Amazon jungle wanted to be a commercial pilot, like his brother who was flying for American Airlines. Instead, he answered God’s call to be a pilot with Missionary Aviation Fellowship.
By earthly standards he was a fool, on a fool’s errand, trying to proselytize jungle savages while forfeiting a promising career in commercial aviation.
Heaven had a much different perspective. Their martyrdom did not end their mission. Instead, it energized some of their family members to remain in Ecuador and to live among, and minister to, the same natives who murdered their loved ones. Many of these natives came to accept Jesus as their savior.
Who is a fool and who is wise?
No Biblical writer devoted more ink to the topic of Wisdom vs. Folly than King Solomon. He had prayed to God for wisdom and his prayer was answered. Solomon’s reputation, both then and now, was that of being an incredibly wise man.
As Pastor Steve did last week, we continue to trace a thought framework found in John Maxwell’s book, “How Successful People Win”. Today we’ll consider scriptures that relate to Maxwell’s emphasis on the importance of facing reality, living responsibly, and
being a lifelong learner, all of which influences the choices we make in life; choices for
which we—and only we—are responsible.
Ayn Rand said, “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.”
What better way to illuminate these concepts than by consulting Solomon’s writings in the book of Proverbs to see how he draws a contrast between the WISE and the FOOL.
Proverbs, written mostly by King Solomon, is packed with a lot of pithy statements about various aspects of life. These bite-sized nuggets of truth are great for teaching and learning.
We’re acquainted with the value of using similar shorthand truth sayings. For example, see if you can complete these statements:
“The early bird gets the WORM”. —This teaches us about competition and the
advantaged gain by being first.
“Strike while the iron is HOT” —teaches us to exploit windows of opportunity before they close.
“You can’t have your cake and EAT IT TOO” —From this we learn that life sometimes presents us with tough choices followed by consequences.
This morning we’ll consider several verses in Proverbs where King Solomon presents a contrast to us between WISDOM and FOLLY; between a WISE person and a FOOL.
My aim this morning is to show some practical ways King Solomon has for us to FOOLPROOF our lives. To succeed rather than fail. To make better choices – because every day presents us with choices, some with great consequence. We need to choose wisely.
With that setup, let’s go to the last verse of today’s scripture text, Proverbs 1:7 – a verse which many consider to be the motto for all of Proverbs. We’ll focus first on the first half of verse 7:
THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE.
Most of us understand the rules of decorum of a courtroom and how the judge is elevated on a bench, wearing a black robe, and referred to by everyone as “your honor”.
After all, that judge holds power of life and death in their hands; and has the authority to determine the destiny of the defendant.
Similarly, the “Fear” of the Lord is not an irrational fear, but a reverent sense of awe, respect, and recognition that He is our Creator. He has given us rules to follow and we are wise to be conscious of His power, provision, and providence.
When we deviate from His plan—disobey Him—it produces a different and defective
result from what He intended; something He does not want to see.
When we fear Him, we consider His will for us in everything we do and say. And by so doing, we live life better than we would otherwise because we obey Him.
The first point in your bulletin—
Our first order of business in life is to obey our Creator.
We are not the first to live in a culture where SELF is so brazenly elevated above God. For all of humanity’s existence, people have debated whether truth is absolute; if truth is objective or subjective.
A contemporary version of this sentiment can be found in the phrase, “My truth”. I must speak “my truth”. I’m living “my truth”. You live “Your truth”.
Whether knowingly or not, these folks are telling us that truth changes, it is not a constant and inevitable reality. Truth is subjective and is rooted in feelings and experience. They are rejecting that truth is objective—that it exists before and beyond them.
One of the great benefits of reading Proverbs and sitting under the instruction of wise King Solomon is you’ll immediately recognize how people who make these statements have not bothered to start their knowledge journey with God.
Please allow me to put a sharp pencil to this “motto” verse we find in Proverbs 7:1
because this point is the foundation in building a foolproof life:
Solomon wrote the fear of the Lord is THE beginning of knowledge, not “one” beginning, or “a” beginning. It is THE beginning.
Proverbs is a teaching book, not an OpEd page or a Waffle House menu. To get KNOWLEDGE—defined as the ability to go beyond mere factual information and derive moral and spiritual dimensions to life—Solomon says you must begin with God. Full stop.
If you have any desire to live a foolproof life, this is the first principle.
~ ~ ~
Now, let’s build on that foundation and consider another foolproof proverb:
Proverbs 28:26 says, “The one who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.”
Nothing good comes from making major life choices based on a rulebook you wrote.
If you want to fool-proof your life, every thought, feeling, and action must begin, continue, and end with God. To do anything less puts you at a significant disadvantage, and, as this verse states, makes life unsafe for you.
About God, the Apostle Paul says in Acts 17:18
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
If you want to be wise and successful in your life’s journey, to fool-proof your life, take direction from what King Solomon also wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Let’s now look at the last half of our “motto” verse in Proverbs 1:7- “fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
We know that wisdom here means the application of factual knowledge in making godly decisions.
To approach life and its choices without Godly wisdom is foolish, Solomon says. #2 in your bulletin:
Wisdom is essential to live a successful and righteous life.
In addition to despising wisdom, King Solomon says fools also despise discipline.
He addresses discipline in Proverbs 15:5 where he writes:
“A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible.”
Discipline is a structured and purposeful approach to guide people into right thoughts and behaviors; even if they don’t yet understand the benefits.
Through discipline and correction, elders and parents raise their young to be strong in skills, knowledge, and moral character which serves them and all of society well in adulthood. After all, society gets its citizens from its families.
The simple disciplines of childhood have immensely positive results in adulthood:
- Respect your
- Choose your friends very
- Say “please” and “thank you”.
- Make your
- Wash behind your
- Eat your
- Don’t hit your
Solomon knew, as we know, the wise person who wants to foolproof their life will appreciate I when something they do or say invites correction.
#3 in your bulletin:
Correction should not be met with resentment but welcomed with humility.
~ ~ ~
A similar thought for foolproofing one’s life is found in Proverbs 12:15:
“A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.”
No one here this morning needs to be told how difficult life can be. Life is hard. Life is not fair. And sometimes you can find yourself in a situation where you just don’t have a clue what to do and are at the end of a dead-end street.
We need to stop and ask for directions.
There is no mistake or failure you’ve experienced that someone hasn’t already gone through.
There is no problem you have that someone else hasn’t also faced.
So, when you feel isolated and wonder why you’re going through trials and adversity, there is someone who can listen, empathize, and counsel you.
Summon the courage and start seeking out counsel; ask around, and network to someone who can listen and help give you guidance.
Other times counsel may come to us unsolicited. When it comes, welcome it.
A timely piece of advice or helpful critique—even if it’s uncomfortable to hear—can
make all the difference in your life.
King Solomon expands on this when he writes in Proverbs 27:6
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”
There seems to be no shortage of people who will kiss up to you and affirm your poor choices. Stay away from these people, Solomon advises.
Welcome those who will give you a good noggin’ conking and knock some sense into you. It will feel terrible, but it may just make all the difference in your future.
When Terri and I started dating, there was a suit in my wardrobe that had a large green window-pane pattern on a crème-colored background. It was, as they say, loud. I bought it off the sale rack at J.C. Penney for $49. And it was double-knit!
When our relationship had developed sufficiently, Terri told me that suit made me look like a clown.
Apparently, I was dressed like a fool, but I was blessed with wise counsel. Somewhat reluctantly, I heeded her wise counsel and, as many of you fellows can appreciate, I’ve been heeding ever since!
~ ~ ~
Another fool-proof Proverb along these lines is found in Proverbs 18:2:
A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions.
The word “Understanding” here means having discernment, the ability to perceive and comprehend the deeper meanings and implications of knowledge.
Albert Einstein—another very intelligent human—said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
Solomon is telling us it is very difficult to learn about life from listening to other people if we’re always the one doing the talking.
Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher who studied under Socrates, said: “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools speak because they have to say something.”
King Solomon writes in Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.”
If you want to fool-proof your life, take a cue from Solomon and …
#4 in your bulletin:
Learn to elevate listening over talking.
~ ~ ~
In Proverbs 20:3, Solomon gives a positive example of how your speech can be used constructively. He writes,
“Honor belongs to the person who ends a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.”
Notice that Solomon is not saying here to end a dispute you have to compromise your deeply held beliefs and convictions.
However, you can’t live a foolproof life if a significant amount of your interaction with
other people revolves around debate.
Mark Twain wisely said, “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell
the difference.”
#5 in your bulletin:
A wise person seeks to end disputes, not prolong them.
Today’s final admonition from Solomon to help us foolproof our lives is found in Proverbs 26:11:
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.”
If we’re going to break the cycle of making the same mistakes repeatedly, we need to understand where mistakes come from.
They come from our heart and mind. Remember Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART? So, if we fail to have a heart for God, we won’t find knowledge, understanding, or wisdom.
Someone said it very well when they warned: Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. #6 in your bulletin:
Repeating the same bad choices creates a doom loop where you spiral into ruin.
~ ~ ~
After the savages murdered the five missionary men in the Amazon jungle sixty-nine
years ago this month, Jim Elliott’s widow, Elizabeth Elliott, Nate Saint’s sister, Rachel, and Nate Saint’s son, Steve Saint, went to live with the Waodani tribe in the jungle. They learned their language, and taught them about Jesus from the Bible they translated.
Three of the missionaries’ killers became Christians. Two of them baptized ten-year- old Steve Saint in the same waters of the river where his father had been killed.
The third killer, named Mincaye, was the one whose poison-tipped spear killed Steve’s faither, Nate Saint. Mincaye became a Christian and a minister among his tribe.
Mincaye became close to young Steve Saint and realized he needed a father. So, he adopted Steve and raised him as his own.
When Steve grew up, he would travel the world preaching the gospel and telling the
story of the five men who gave their lives in the jungle.
Mincaye traveled with Steve on many of these engagements before he died in 2006. It was one such engagement in 2000 where I met with Steve backstage at an event and had the privilege of meeting Mincaye and embracing him in a hug as a brother in Christ.
So, were those five young missionary men fools for failing in their mission back in 1956, for losing everything just to try and evangelize an obscure tribe in the Amazon jungle?
When the search party arrived at the site of the massacre, one of the artifacts they recovered was Jim Elliot’s diary – Elizabeth Elliot’s husband.
In an entry dated October 28, he penned a 300-year-old quote he had encountered along the way that reads as follows:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
If you’ve picked up anything during today’s teachings from King Solomon on how to foolproof your life, I trust you recognize this quote does represent the words of a fool, but of a very wise man.
May it be so with every one of us.
