The Right Life of a Christian (2)

[Proverbs 20:19–25]

Over the past two weeks, we have studied Proverbs 20:13–18 under the title “The Right Life of a Christian”, and received four lessons on how we, as Christians, should live a proper life. These four lessons concerned right conduct, right speech, right love, and right management.

The right conduct of a Christian was the exhortation to work diligently (v.13).
Right speech included the lesson not to boast (v.14), not to speak deceitfully or lie (v.17), and instead to speak wisely (v.15).
Right love taught us to be cautious about standing as surety for others and that even love for neighbors requires self-control (v.16).
Lastly, in regard to right management, we learned the importance of seeking advice and guidance (v.18), and especially that we must entrust our plans to God so that His management may be fulfilled through ours.

Today, we will continue with Proverbs 20:19–25 and reflect under the title “The Right Life of a Christian (2)”, seeking to receive five additional lessons on how we can live a life that is right in God’s eyes.

First, in order for us to live rightly as Christians before God, we must have right relationships with others.

How should we, as Christians, build proper relationships?

Are there any of you who feel burdened by social relationships?
I think we all encounter people around us who are very difficult to get along with.
There are those who trouble us, hurt us, and wound us emotionally.
Because of that, relationships can be very hard.

Especially those who work in a company or organization probably understand even more how challenging and exhausting relationships can be.

According to a certain survey, there are two main difficulties in the workplace:
One is the difficulty that comes from the work itself, and the other is the difficulty of human relationships.
Interestingly, the latter is said to be twice as hard as the work itself (source: internet).
What do you think about that?

When we talk about “right relationships” for Christians, I believe it is helpful to revisit what we already reflected on in Proverbs 3:27–35 under the theme “The Relationships of the Wise.”
Back then, we learned three principles for wise human relationships:

(1) The first principle is that we should not withhold good from those who deserve it.
Proverbs 3:27–28 says:
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you'—when you already have it with you."

We must give when we have the ability to give, and not withhold good from those who rightly deserve it.

(2) The second principle is that we must not harm others without cause.
Proverbs 3:29–30 says:
"Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accuse anyone for no reason—when they have done you no harm."
In other words, we must not start quarrels or disputes without a valid reason.

(3) The third principle is that we must not envy the violent.
Proverbs 3:31 says:
"Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways."
Why? Because God detests the perverse (v.32), curses them (v.33), mocks them (v.34), and will ultimately disgrace them (v.35).

In today’s passage, Proverbs 20:19–22, God teaches us three specific lessons on right relationships for Christians:

(1) We must avoid those who talk too much.

Proverbs 20:19 says:
"A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much."

Here, “those who talk too much” refers to gossipers—people who love to talk about others, especially revealing confidential or personal information.
The English Bible refers to such people as “gossipers” or “talebearers.”

The Bible tells us not to associate with such people.
Why? Because they betray trust by revealing others’ secrets (Proverbs 11:13).
This is why we must avoid gossipers.

Additionally, Proverbs provides more reasons why we must stay away from such people:

• They stir up conflict.
  Proverbs 26:20 says:
  “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”

• They destroy close friendships.
  Proverbs 16:28 says:
  “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”

Don’t you agree?
Gossips who love to talk about others often cause strife and drive wedges between even the closest of friends.

But not only friends—they can divide siblings, church members, and even married couples.

How do they manage to divide people?
By bearing false witness.

Proverbs 6:19 says:
“A false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

That is why we must not associate with those who talk excessively or spread gossip.

(2) We must not curse our parents.

Proverbs 20:20 says:
"If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness."

You might wonder, “Who would curse their parents?”
But the Hebrew word for “curse” here also means to belittle, to despise, or to treat with contempt (Vine).

In other words, this verse can be translated as:
“Whoever belittles or shows contempt for their father or mother…”

Now, the issue becomes much more relatable, doesn’t it?
While there may be few children who openly curse their parents, many belittle them.

There are children who disregard, take lightly, or show disrespect toward their parents.
Many underestimate or speak down to them.

In the New Testament, Matthew 15:4 says:
"For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’"

The English Bible uses the word “curses,” while the Korean translation uses “slanders” or “speaks evil of.”
This shows that to curse your parents means to insult or speak ill of them.

In the Old Testament, those who curse or belittle their parents violate the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12).

And the punishment for this is found in Exodus 21:17:
"Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death."
(See also Leviticus 20:9.)

One commentary (Walvoord) explains that this punishment applies not only to cursing parents but also to rebelling against them.

In the latter part of Proverbs 20:20, it says:
"Their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness,”
which many interpret as symbolic of death (Walvoord).

Therefore, in our relationships with our parents, we must not curse them—we must bless them.
We must not belittle them—we must value them.
We must not despise them—we must honor them.

(3) We must not take revenge.

Look at today’s text, Proverbs 20:22:
“Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’;
wait for the Lord, and he will save you.”

Friends, when someone causes us pain in relationships, human nature wants to pay back that person for the pain we suffered. So, although Jesus said, “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:43), in reality, we tend to prefer “hate your enemies” (verse 43). When we hate our enemies, we have the same mentality found in the Old Testament, like in Deuteronomy 19:21, which says, “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” — the idea of repaying harm to the offender.

Therefore, God tells us in Proverbs 24:29:
“Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay him back for what he did.’”

And also in today’s text, Proverbs 20:22, the Bible says to us, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil.’” This means that even if someone causes us pain, we should not try to cause pain to them in return. If we do, aren’t we becoming the same kind of person as them? If we are true Christians who believe in Jesus, shouldn’t we be different from the people of the world? One of those differences is precisely not repaying evil but waiting on God (Prov. 20:22).

To understand what it means to wait on God, we should look at Romans 12:19:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’”

In other words, the reason we should not take revenge ourselves but wait on God is that vengeance belongs not to us but to God. God will repay on our behalf, so we are to trust God and wait. Deuteronomy 32:35 says:
“To their own shame they shall be afraid—
they shall be afraid like a fleeing bird—
like no one pursues them.
‘Because they have eaten up the vineyard,
the spoil of the poor is in their houses,
I will surely take vengeance,
and I will not relent.’”

What does this mean? It means vengeance is God’s business. What does it mean? It means our God is a God who takes vengeance. Look at Nahum 1:2:
“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies.”

Certainly, God will take vengeance for us at His appointed time (Jeremiah 51:6). Therefore, we must not take revenge. We must trust God and wait. At the right time, God will take vengeance and rescue us.

Secondly, in order to live a life right in God’s eyes as Christians, we must have the right view of inheritance.

Friends, what is “inheritance”? According to internet Wikipedia, “Inheritance means the comprehensive succession of property and status upon a person’s death,” adding that “the focus of inheritance is on property succession.” Look at today’s text, Proverbs 20:21:
“An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.”

The Korean Bible says “inheritance gained hastily at the beginning,” where “inheritance” means what in English is “inheritance” or “legacy.” The phrase “gained hastily at the beginning” probably refers to a child asking the father to give him his inheritance early (Walvoord). A good example is the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-20.

The younger son said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me” (v. 12). So the father divided his estate among them (v. 12). Imagine how the younger son felt when he received that inheritance. Wouldn’t you feel happy to receive your share of your parents’ estate early? But what does the Bible say? That younger son took his wealth and went to a far country, where he squandered his inheritance in reckless living (v. 13). Eventually, as Proverbs 20:21 says in the latter half, that inheritance did not turn out to be a blessing to him.

Dr. Park Yoon Sun’s commentary connects verse 21 with verse 20, interpreting that the “one who curses his father or mother” in verse 20 is a “delinquent” who disobeys parents, and verses 20 and 21 speak about that delinquent’s conflict with parents over inheritance. He says that such delinquents often cause family disputes over money, demanding their rights but neglecting responsibilities, even resorting to abusive language and curses (Park Yoon Sun). This interpretation makes sense.

Personally, I find it really shameful when children quarrel over inheritance from their parents. Not long ago, I saw Korean news about big company chairmen in Korea who, despite having great wealth, still quarreled over inheritance from their parents, and I thought how bad an example that is.

Therefore, I fully agree with Proverbs 20:21. One interesting thing is that the Korean Bible only has the word “at the beginning” in verse 21, but in the English Bible, the phrase “at the beginning” and also “at the end” appear. This means that when you receive an inheritance early from your parents, you may initially feel blessed materially, but in the end, that inheritance will not be a blessing. To put it more strongly, the inheritance received early may cause disputes among siblings, sometimes even severing their relationships.

Last Thursday (the 22nd), I read an article published on the online Chosun Ilbo, which included content from the American economic media Business Insider on the 20th, introducing 15 billionaires who have decided not to leave their wealth to their children (online). They referred to these individuals as “billionaires who refuse inheritance.” Among those 15, there are some well-known names, and to mention a few: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay), Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of New York), and Hong Kong action actor Jackie Chan. Their motto is that “inherited wealth can ruin a person.”

The oil magnate Pickens reportedly said: “I like making money and donating it... but I don’t like leaving inheritance because it usually does more harm than good.” Jackie Chan said, “If my son has ability, he will earn his own money; if he doesn’t, he will just waste mine.” Warren Buffett said, “I want to give my children enough so that they feel they can do something, but not enough so that they want to do nothing.”

What do you think? What are your thoughts on passing down inheritance (wealth) to your children?

Friends, if even people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus have this perspective on inheritance, how should we Christians be? Shouldn’t we have a proper view of inheritance, not according to what people see but according to what God sees?

So, what is the proper view of inheritance in God’s eyes? What does the Bible say about the inheritance perspective that we, the children of God, should have?

(1) We must remember that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Look at Romans 8:17:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Friends, who is an “heir”? Isn’t it one who inherits an estate? This means we are “heirs to the property of the Kingdom of God” (online). By God’s complete grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, we have become heirs of God. Also, we are heirs with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:6). We have become heirs of the property of God’s kingdom. We must remember this fact.

(2) We should be thankful that we have inherited eternal life.
Look at Matthew 19:29:
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
You and I, who have become heirs of God, have received eternal life as an inheritance through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is God’s complete grace. The apostle Paul said in Titus 3:7:
“So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
By God’s grace, we have become heirs with the hope of eternal life. We should be thankful for this grace of God.

(3) We should long for the glorious new body and the heavenly dwelling prepared as heirs in heaven.
Look at Philippians 3:20-21:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
When Jesus returns, we will be transformed to be like his glorious body. And we will enter the heavenly dwelling the Lord has prepared (John 14:1-3) and live with Him forever.
Therefore, as heirs of God who have received eternal life, we should live on earth longing for the glorious body and the eternal heavenly home that will be inherited.

(4) We should value the wisdom that comes from God more than the inheritance received from our earthly parents.
Look at Proverbs 19:14:
“Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
Friends, the inheritance (houses or wealth) we receive from our parents is valuable, but even more precious is the wise wife who comes from God. The focus here is not so much on the wife but on “wisdom.” In other words, the inheritance we receive from God is wisdom. We should value this wisdom more than the house or wealth inherited from our parents.

Thirdly, in order for us to live a life that is right in the sight of God as Christians, we must have a proper view of business.

Look at today’s passage, Proverbs 20:23:
“Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and dishonest scales are not good.”

When we think of “scales,” we can recall Proverbs 16:11, which we have already meditated on:
“A just weight and balance are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.”

Here, “weight,” “balance,” and “weights” all refer to measures. Specifically, they refer to scales that measure accurately—that is, “just” scales. In other words, these are “consistent” scales. Besides Proverbs 20:23, in verse 10, the wise King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, says:
“Differing weights and differing measures—the Lord detests them both.”

What does this mean? It means that a wise Christian who fears God also hates the inconsistent scales that God hates. In other words, a wise Christian hates deceit, which God hates. Put simply, we must hate dishonesty—dishonesty that God detests. Instead, just as God delights in honest weights (11:1), we too must delight in honest measures. In other words, we must be honest.

As we have already considered in Proverbs 11:1, it seems that in Solomon’s time, some merchants cheated their customers by deceiving them with their scales regarding the quality, weight, or quantity of goods, extorting more from them. These merchants cheated by using “double scales” and “double measures.” In other words, these dishonest merchants gave less grain using light weights and small containers when selling, but received more grain using heavy weights and large containers when buying.

Applying this to our reality, we can learn a valuable lesson about how Christian businesspeople should conduct business rightly before God. That lesson, in short, is to run a business with the right perspective, which means pursuing honesty that pleases God and hating dishonesty that God hates. If Christian merchants are dishonest in their commercial dealings, we must remember that God detests such practices. We must never act dishonestly to gain unjust profit. Rather, we must be honest in business.

Beyond this, the Bible says more about having a proper view of business. One example is found in James 4:13-17:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

From this passage, there are three lessons that Christian businesspeople should learn:

(1) Christian businesspeople must do good.

Look at James 4:17:
“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Christian businesspeople must know how to do good. The Bible says that if they know what is right but do not do it, it is sin.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:18:
“Let them do good, be rich in good works, be generous and willing to share.”
Christian businesspeople must be generous. They should enjoy sharing and do many good works.
Look at Hebrews 13:16:
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
The sacrifice (worship) that pleases God is doing good and sharing with others.
Look at 2 Thessalonians 3:13:
“Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”
If Christian businesspeople do good by their own strength, there will come a day when they become discouraged. But if they do good through the power of God’s grace supplied to them, they will not be discouraged.

(2) Christian businesspeople must not boast vainly.

Look at James 4:16:
“But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
The Bible says it is evil for Christian businesspeople to boast vainly.
Look at Jeremiah 9:23 (second half):
“Let not the rich boast of their riches.”
Look at Psalm 49:6:
“Those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches.”
The Bible tells us not to trust in our wealth or boast of our riches. Instead, it tells us to trust in God.
Regarding boasting, the Bible says:
“Whoever boasts, let him boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17),
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (11:30).
Christian businesspeople should not boast of their strengths but of their weaknesses. And they should boast in the Lord.
Look at Jeremiah 9:23-24:
“Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
but let him who boasts boast in this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, declares the Lord.”
We should boast in knowing God, and this pleases Him.

(3) Christian businesspeople, even though they may make various plans to gain profit, must always remember that their life is like a mist that appears briefly and then vanishes, and they should have the mindset and habit of saying,
“If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Look at James 4:14-15:
“You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

Having this mindset and habit is not easy. It requires praying to God and deliberately striving with His help.
One of my efforts is meditating on this word from James about life being like a mist when I see fog while driving on a foggy day. This reflection leads me to have a deeper perspective on death.
When Christian businesspeople have this perspective on death, they need to consider what kind of profit they should leave behind. Not only monetary profit but also something more valuable and eternal — praying and pondering what kind of profit God desires through their business.

Besides James 4:13-17, another important Scripture that Christian businesspeople must know is Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (first half):
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...”

We must always remember that we do not gain wealth by our own ability or strength, but because God gives us the power to gain it.
A Christian businessperson who believes this truth will certainly not waste the wealth God has given but will use it wisely for God’s glory.

Christian businesspeople must have a proper business perspective. That proper perspective means doing business honestly. Also, Christian businesspeople should do good works, not boast vainly, and always know that their life is like a mist that appears briefly and then vanishes. They should have the attitude and habit of saying, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Furthermore, when Christian businesspeople acquire wealth, they should not say, “I have gained this wealth by my own ability and the strength of my hands,” but rather remember that God has given them the ability to acquire wealth and not forget this fact.

Fourth, as Christians, to live a life that is right in God’s eyes, we must have a proper view of the future.

Look at Proverbs 20:24:
“A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?”

Have you ever made your best plans and pushed forward toward your goal, only for things not to turn out according to your plans? What do we usually think at those times? Perhaps you think, “People’s plans don’t go as they want.” My own heart doesn’t always go as I want either, so even if we plan our future and try hard to walk the path we planned, how can it all go exactly as we planned? Sometimes it goes well, but more often, things don’t go our way and we face difficulties.

I recall Ecclesiastes 7:14:
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other, so that people cannot find out anything that will come after them.”

What does this mean? The Contemporary Bible says: “Be happy when things go well and think carefully when you face difficulties. God gives both happiness and hardship, so no one knows what will happen next.” In the Common Translation, this phrase is rendered as “Realize that no one knows even a step ahead.”

Friends, we can be glad when things go well. We rejoice because we feel happiness when everything is prosperous. But what should we do when we face difficulties? When the Lord, our Shepherd, leads us beside “green pastures and still waters,” there is no problem. But what about when we choose to walk through the “valley of the shadow of death”? (Psalm 23:2,4) The Bible says to “consider” or “reflect” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

What does this mean? When we face hardship or difficulty, we should look back at the past. By reflecting on the past, we remember the difficult times we went through and how God saved us in those difficulties, recalling God’s saving grace. This is the proper view of the past. When we do this, we come to believe that the same God of salvation who helped us then will also deliver us from the difficulties we face now.

When we do this, we face our present difficult reality with faith and confidence in salvation. Even if the difficult circumstances haven’t changed, because we ourselves have changed, we boldly overcome the difficult situations by faith.

Why does God not only give us blessings of prosperity and happiness but also causes us to go through hardship and difficulty? The reason is that God allows both to happen so that we cannot fully understand our future (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

Although it may seem better to know what will happen in the future, if we knew our future, we would surely sin more against God. Knowing our future would make us arrogant and less reliant on God. We would live as if we were the masters of our own lives, doing as we please. We might become lazy or live life waiting for things to happen when it’s convenient for us.

It is better not to know the future. Like watching a football game after it’s already over and knowing the score—there is no fun, and sometimes we don’t even want to watch it. We need to not know everything. We must not know our future.

But the certain fact is that only God knows our future. God says in Isaiah 44:7:
“Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what will happen afterward.”

Who can tell what will happen? Who can announce the future? No one can speak with bold certainty about the future in this world. Only the omniscient God knows the future. And all future events happen under God’s providence and sovereign will.

Therefore, we must pay attention to Proverbs 16:1 and 9:
“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue… In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

What does this mean? Even if we plan our way in our hearts, it is only God who directs our steps. The God who guides our way says in Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

We must know this God’s plan. We must believe this God’s plan for us. And this God’s plan must become our plan. In other words, we must live with future and hope in the Lord by faith—not only in prosperity but also in hardship.

Friends, what is our future and hope? Is it not the return of Jesus? We hope and confidently believe in Jesus’ second coming, knowing that we will stand before Him to give an account. We must faithfully fulfill the mission entrusted to us on this earth by the Lord.

I believe that Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, will be with us (Hebrews 13:8).

Fifth, in order for us to live a life right in God’s sight as Christians, we must have a proper view of dedication.

Look at today’s scripture, Proverbs 20:25:
“It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows.”

When you hear about vow prayers, who comes to mind in the Bible? I think of Hannah in 1 Samuel. As we already know, Hannah was a woman who was unable to conceive (verses 5-6) and she made a vow to God in prayer. Look at 1 Samuel 1:10-11:
“10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’”

God remembered Hannah, who prayed this vow (verse 19), caused her to conceive, and gave her a son named Samuel (verse 20). After weaning the child, Hannah brought Samuel to the house of the Lord at Shiloh (verse 24) and dedicated him to God for all his life. Listen to what Hannah said to the priest Eli:
“Hannah said, ‘My lord, as surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshiped the Lord there.” (verses 26-28)

Hannah offered her precious son to God. This is the dedication we should imitate.

Another good example of dedication to imitate is found in the New Testament story of Jesus. The story is of a woman named Mary who poured very expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3). This “Mary” is not the mother of Jesus but the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, and also the sister of Martha. She came to Bethany before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and broke an alabaster jar of perfume, pouring it on the Lord’s head and feet.

From John 12:4-5, when Mary did this, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, said,
“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

Jesus answered Judas,
“Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:6)

When we consider Jesus’ words, we can think that there are people in the church who have dedication like Mary, but there are also thieves like Judas.

Thinking about these two people, I believe there are those with a proper view of dedication and those with a wrong view of dedication within the church.

So who has a wrong view of dedication? I summarize it into three categories:

(1) Those who are only dedicators with their lips.
Honestly, how many people in the church only verbally dedicate themselves to the Lord or say they serve the church, but don’t act? Dedication with words only, without action, is never beneficial to the church. Rather, it often causes problems.

(2) Those who harbor greed in their hearts.
Some people seem to serve diligently in the church in both word and action, but their motives are impure. They serve the church with greed in their hearts. These kinds of dedicators are dangerous and harmful to the church.

(3) Those who dedicate to God lightly or carelessly.
This means those who rashly make vows to God, promising to dedicate something, but then reconsider and fail to keep their vows. This is addressed in Ecclesiastes 5:6:
“Do not say to God, ‘What is this?’ when you make a vow, for he has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.”

For example, during a revival meeting, after receiving God’s word and grace, when the pastor calls for those willing to dedicate themselves to come forward, some come up and dedicate themselves, but later on the way home think they cannot truly fulfill their vow and do not keep the promise they made to God.

Look at Deuteronomy 23:21-23:
“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will surely demand it of you and you would incur guilt. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be careful to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.”

Also see Numbers 30:2:
“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”

Then, who is a person with a proper view of dedication?

(1) A person with a proper view of dedication is one who faithfully keeps the vows made to God without second-guessing or hesitation.

(2) A person with a proper view of dedication is one who joyfully dedicates themselves to God.

Look at Psalm 110:3:
“Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the dawn, your youth are like the dew.”

God desires joyful dedication, and the heart of a person with a proper view of dedication is honest. This is because they know the Lord examines the heart and delights in integrity.

Look at 1 Chronicles 29:17:
“My God, I know that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. I have given with a sincere heart, and now I see your people here willingly giving to you with great joy.”

(3) A person with a proper view of dedication is one who humbly offers themselves to the Lord.

Look at 1 Chronicles 29:14:
“Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

We must not dedicate ourselves to God rashly. We must not dedicate ourselves with impure motives. Nor should we dedicate ourselves only with words. Rather, we must carefully keep the vows we make to God. And we must dedicate ourselves joyfully and humbly to God.

To conclude this meditation on the Word, today we have been taught five aspects of the proper Christian life: proper human relationships, proper view of inheritance, proper view of work, proper view of the future, and proper view of dedication.

May we all put these into practice and live a proper life as Christians, giving glory to God.