We are Pilate, we trust the jury of the crowd, the jury of popular opinion, as if voting on something makes it right or wrong. But Pilate had another option, and so do we. He had another jury that spoke that night. He had his wife. It is an odd little aside in the story, but Pilate’s wife sent him a message – at a crucial moment – to have nothing to do with Jesus. And I don’t want to make this a “listen to your wife, she’s smarter than you” sermon. That’s obvious, at least in my case. But I do want to say that listening to those people of your heart, those friends and family members who have proven themselves faithful and reliable over the years make a whole lot more sense then listening to popular wisdom or some TV personality. Those who know you best, and love you anyway, they are the ones who God will use to give you guidance and insight, to help you judge and choose. Why? Because they care about you, they make up a credible jury. And you know the people you know. You know the people who have traveled the roads that you are on, you know the people who have specialized knowledge that you lack, you know the people who have struggled and fallen and gotten up and struggled some more. Talk to them. Listen to them, because God is speaking through them to you. I can’t imagine where I would be in life without the wisdom of so many people whom I have trusted, not to make the decisions for me but to give me the information and experiences that move me closer to where God wants me to be. I can’t find that from Google or Oprah or Dr. Phil. I can’t find that from the Star-Ledger or talk Radio or People magazine. I can’t even find that from Jimmy Buffett, although I do try :). None of those places or sources love me or care about me, but when I give up listening to what is glittery and popular and start paying attention to the people whom God has given me, the answers start to come into focus. I can’t help but believe that Pilate had more than a few nights, as he lived out his life, when he wished, deeply, that he had listened to his wife. - Excerpt from sermon, 3/16/14
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 17:35:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015