Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9:8-9
How many times have we sat disgusted at the return on our investment? Not of stocks and bonds, but the venture of imparting truth, advice, and guidance. We hope to shape the framework of an individual, but invariably, we are let down, not heeded, or even regarded, much less respected.
There is an old saying, “You can’t fix stupid.” I know that may not be politically correct, but it is still true, nonetheless. The Psalmist backs up the wiseman in Psalms 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
It’s amazing how a scorner sucks the life out of a room, meeting, staff, family, and church. How many times has our investment failed because we choose to keep changing the diaper of the untrained, instead of investing in those who are ready to heed, learn, change, grow, and be mindful?
Could it be, for our family, company, church, community, or municipality to elevate and go forward, we need to change who we are investing in? In Matthew 26:11, Jesus reiterated, “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.” It seems like the bad penny is always turning up. Yet, once in a while, there is one who comes along that values wisdom, insight, perception, and intelligence: a just man, woman, child, friend, employee, or saint that heeds the advice, one that shares the insight you have been kind enough to share with them because you saw the value in who they are and what they can be.
Our prayer for you this week: May you have the discernment of who and what to invest in, that you may see the return of your efforts.
