The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4

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On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Genessaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11

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In lining up for discipleship training, are we always going to check the box marked “easy level,” or are we willing to spring for “difficult,” if we sense God’s leading? Will we go through doors of opportunity with no guarantee of success, and a high probability of pain? Do we love people to the extent that we would risk everything so they might know Christ, or are we reluctant to go through even the easy doors when it comes to witnessing? (I’m talking to myself, here).

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A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
Proverbs 19:19

Proverbs is a book about reality. The teachings are reminiscent of the oft-repeated sayings of parents, intent on imparting all the wisdom they can into their offspring in the usually vain hope that their own mistakes won’t be repeated anew in the next generation. It’s worth a try. Proverbs has that tone. Again and again, on a myriad of subjects, Proverbs puts wisdom down where we can get it, if we’re interested. If we choose to go our own merry way, we can’t say we weren’t warned.

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