In preparing to share this morning I did a Google search looking for times when a person or group of people stirred up a crowd and created an issue. The word for mockers in this verse literally means “men of derision.” They take shots at everything they perceive as “great or high”. They do not particularly care whether those people or positions are spiritual or not. We have all seen these people. “Stir up” in this verse means to “ bring into a snare” or more accurately to “blow into a blaze, inflame.” Yikes! We have seen this a lot globally and within our own nation and communities. This type of person can only really affect the somewhat ignorant or those predisposed to the same disregard for all those in leadership. To be sure there are certainly people, organizations and even governments that need to be challenged or even removed. But, leading people to attempt to bring that about by rage, violence and even savagery certainly doesn’t reflect the follower of Jesus. Certainly there is a need for brave people to speak truth to power. Thankfully we have always had sage voices of reason. Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and many you can probably name always not only spoke truth to power but they did it wrapped tightly in love. Without love they did not speak it at all. There lies the lesson. The wise understand the power of God’s unconditional love to sway a heart and move a mountain. Today continue to care deeply and show it in love, reverence and faith. #BeTheEdge
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15 NIV
