June 28, 2025 -- Proverbs 28:1 -- Are you running when no one is chasing you?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1 ESV
 
This is one of my absolute favorite Proverbs. Whenever I am driving and I have a passenger with me, and I see a jogger, I quote this proverb. Well, at least the first line of it: “the wicked run when no one is chasing him.” It is good for a laugh. Mind you, since I’ve taken up jogging, I realize I am also making fun of myself.
 
Much of my work is taken up with men inside prison and those released, who have severe addictions. The sad reality is such men do run when no one is chasing. Their drugs induce hallucinations, fears and anxieties which are not grounded in reality. But it is not only addicts to are runners. Those who are liars will also spend much time on edge, ready to bolt at the first sign their lies are about to be exposed. Wickedness produces instability. The wickedness that abounds in our cultural context means that people who are applauded one day will be reviled and abandoned the next. The evil ones flee from one thing to the next.
 
The righteous are those who remember their days of running and hiding and paranoia. The righteous are those who, captivated by the love of the Father, shown in Jesus Christ, are grounded. They are prepared to stand with those who know their sinfulness, recognizing if a wicked man is drawn to him, he has been prompted by the mercy of God. The Spirit created in him a desire to seek Jesus, Who has long been seeking him.
 
The people around you are partakers in a twisted and crooked generation. The people of this world are folded pretzel-like into mental contortions to suit the craziness of this age. The righteous are not bent, but are straight, arrows in service to the LORD. They can be bold as lions because they have the clarity of God’s truth, which is unchanging. What is right today, is what was right yesterday and will still be sane and right tomorrow.
 
Not all that long ago a family member asked me, “Aren’t you worried that the Bible is not keeping up with all the changes in the world?” It was a sincere question. The context of that conversation included gender issues and climate alarmism. Ecclesiastes is quite right; there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Cross-dressing and gender confusion were already addressed in Deuteronomy 22:5. I also noted that when I was in elementary school, a climate activist came with plastic bags, telling us students that this would save the world. Paper bags cost us our precious forests, but plastic would save the trees. We can see how that’s turning out! What seems new is the same old regurgitated wickedness of past ages. A righteous man or woman knows the Word of God, knows that wickedness is not creative, but a corruption of what is good. Wickedness can not create anything new. It is always a parasite infecting something that is wholesome and good.
 
Dear fellow believer do not be ashamed of the Gospel, nor afraid of going against the trends of this age. Be as bold as a lion for the righteousness and wisdom and holiness you have comes from Jesus Christ. Take a stand and honour Him in all your ways and many weary people, who’ve run from this and run to that and exhausted themselves, will by your witness be led to Jesus, in Whom they too will find rest and peace. They will be refreshed of mind and soul and join you in holy boldness.
 
O Lord, Your law is perfect. Your word revives the soul. Your commandments lead us to Yourself, the All-wise Who establishes rules that are true and righteous. By Your Spirit, keep back Your servants from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over us. Give us the clear-sighted discernment we need to live in righteousness, so we shine as lights in this twisted and crooked generation. Oh God, forever blessed, the heavens declare Your glory! O LORD, You are the Rock and Redeemer! Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=7C5YrYWOTSNIrKyJ O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer
 

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