By justice a king brings stability to a land, but one who takes bribes brings it ruin. Proverbs 29:4, TLV
Where Do We Begin? Where do we begin with this proverb? The obvious, I suppose it is to look outward to politics. Maybe a little closer to home, we might look toward our jobs — those major corporations. Or our congregations. But perhaps we should look inward. To our own hearts.
An act of violence, an act of hatred, or a mob forming with evil intent, all begin with a thought. A corrupted thought. Corrupted by fear, lies, disbelief, unforgiveness, hopelessness, doubt, greed, or abuse. That thought grows. If it’s fed with more of these corruptions, it will continue to grow.
In our kingdom — our family, our home — are there corrupted thoughts creating instability? Then, begin at home. Understand the root of those thoughts and seek our Wise Counselor to determine how to pull them out.
“Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5, TLV
Before we point fingers at leaders, look inward. First to find our own
corrupted thoughts, then pray for wisdom and discernment if/where we are to get involved in taking “the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
When the last thing we see around us is stability, it’s easy to get discouraged. Begin with ourselves. Then move into the next realm. Keep going until we’re to stop.
“ADONAI [the LORD] your God will drive away those nations before you little by little—you will not be able to put an end to them all at once, or else the beasts of the field will multiply on you.” Deuteronomy 7:22, TLV
Begin in our own “kingdom” first. Be sure it is stable before we attempt to help others. Take back the ground little by little, until you see a breakthrough. And believe it or not, it can happen.
Think More About It
What are the ways we could change our thoughts to create more stability? Have you advanced to other “nations”?
Thanks so much for the read. As always, I appreciate your comments and insights.
