Sunday 22 March 2009 On Mockers And Wealth

The mocking of others, as you can see by this photograph of a dinosaur eating a fish (the sign of a Christian), is all around us. I don't know if you notice this mocking of Christians, but I do. It really gives me heartburn. We seem to notice when other people mock us, but do you notice it in your own life? Do you mock others? I've been grappling with this question in my own life too. The reason is that we are all mockers. The Bible defines a mocker as someone that is proud and arrogant: "The proud and arrogant man -" "Mocker" is his name;" "he behaves with overweening pride, "Proverbs 21:24 (NIV) You may not consider that you are a mocker, but you may feel a twinge of shame about that little bit of pride and arrogance in your life. I know I do too. The way that mocking comes to life is when we defend our own values. Think about this Yesterday evening, I heard someone close to me say: "I can't believe you don't know that," as they corrected someone else. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. It was to imply that the other person was naive and simplistic. It was "mocking." When ever we correct someone else, or say "You can't take a joke," we are at best, on the very edge of being a mocker. Most times, we have crossed the threshold and have positioned our values (and hence, ourself) as being superior to someone else. That is the pride and arrogance that the Bible talks about.HOW DOES MOCKING RELATE TO WEALTH? . The Bible is very clear on what happens to the prideful, the arrogant, and the mocker. They are all set up for destruction. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18 Why is that? In practical terms, why are the mockers set up for destruction? If you read further into Proverbs, you see: "The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker." Proverbs 24:9 In other words, everyone detests the mocker, and they will avoid them like they have a contagious virus. For one reason, mocking others, is the tool that bullies use on their victims. Right? If you want to be accused of committing and being a cyber-bully, all you have to do is mock someone online. It is on the verge of being a real crime. That is how serious this is. How easy is it to do business when you have no customers? How easy is it to win your boss' favor when he doesn't like to be around you? Of course you're going to have a hard time of gaining wealth in those situations. On the flip side, there is "guaranteed blessing" when you don't mock others: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked" "or stand in the way of sinners" "or sit in the seat of mockers." Psalm 1:1 (NIV) I'm sure that you'd rather have blessings than to be guaranteed to take a fall. That is a no-brainer. In conclusion, all I want to say today is that you be very careful when you correct someone, make a joke, or point out the flaws of other people. And whenever you are put in a position to defend your values and imply that they are superior to someone else's, you step up to the line where you can come very close to mocking someone else. I struggle with this too. Be blessed by building up others, not mocking them. It is how to "MAKE MONEY, GOD'S WAY." . . Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION(R). Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.