An abundantly clear theme throughout the book of Proverbs is the distinction and conflict between wisdom and foolishness. It would probably be fair to say that every Christian desires to be wise, chiefly because the alternative outcome is being labeled as foolish. Very clearly throughout Proverbs, and the entirety of Scripture, Christians can glean how to attain wisdom and display it with their actions.
Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is as a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” An often-overlooked display of wisdom is the active participation in winning souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can Christians be wise this year? The answer is to win souls. It is a wise thing to do, but why would it be wise? The explanation resides in the opening part of that same verse: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;” The fruit, or product, of Christians who are righteous and do right in their actions, interactions, thoughts, and behavior is as a tree of life. It is something beautiful, lasting, and vivacious. The illustration of a fruit tree is extremely poignant and appropriate. In creation, God designed each tree to produce after its own kind. Genesis 1:11 mentions “the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:” The same principle can be applied to the fruit of the righteous. When Christians are righteous, they are likened to a tree of life, producing more of itself. The antithesis to this illustration would be an unrighteous Christian producing destruction and ruin.
The act of winning souls, or persuading and guiding people to the gospel, likewise produces wisdom in the Christian. In Scripture, wisdom is not promised to the lawyer, to the professor, nor to the business man. Instead, it is promised to the Christian who is active and often participates in winning souls. In this endeavor, the act of winning souls is elevated to a position beyond any other Christian act. People strive to attain harmony in their homes, success in their businesses, and happiness in their lives. They seek understanding through online courses or podcasts with their favorite personalities. Yet Christians today neglect a promised source of wisdom: to be a soul winner. It would be wise of every Christian to take inventory of whether he is neglecting or utilizing this proven source of wisdom in his own life.
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Luke Flood, Bus Director
Luke Flood serves on staff as the bus director and is responsible for seeing hundreds of people in church on a weekly basis. He is a true product of North Valley Baptist Church. Having grown up in a wonderful Christian family, he attended North Valley Baptist Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade. After graduation, he attended Golden State Baptist College where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
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