The Best Advice

Friday morning, while eating breakfast, I was scrolling through Instagram, as I often do, and ran across a post from @achievetheimpossible that requested the following:

"Share your best piece of

advice in 4 words or less."

I must admit that I don't frequently weigh in on these types of requests but this one struck a chord on this particular morning.  So I played along by offering this:

"Trust God fully."

Shortly after, there was a reply that showed on this from another reader which read:

"That's pretty crap advice for 

anyone who doesn't believe in a god."

My ire burned quickly and I wanted to issue an immediate and intensely emotional response, but I waited.  The question of what is an appropriate response rolled around in my head off and on all day long.  As I write I have not responded but feel that this is good discussion material for this very blog post.

I believe that there are a multitude of ways that this could be responded to appropriately, and the scripture that comes to mind most prominently is Proverbs 26:4 which states:

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

lest you also be like him.

(NKJV)

Scripture also tells us in Psalm 14:1 that:

The fool has said in his heart,

"There is no God". . . 

Personally I find it unfathomable to think that someone could look at all the complexity of the world and the beauty of creation and believe that it all happened by random chance.  In this case it seems that the words of an unknown author might be applicable:

"Better to remain silent and be 

thought a fool than to 

speak out and remove all doubt."

With this in mind I finally decided not to respond, and ultimately determined that this person likely was looking to create a situation that might lead to a back and forth that did not glorify God.  Beyond the words of my detractor I must remember that he or she is also human, was given a free will, and as Genesis 1:26 tells us, made in the image of God.

Then God said, 

"Let us make man in our image,

according to our likeness. . ."

With that I will choose to stir your thoughts on how you might respond or react to a similar situation.  There are plenty of people out there who look to goad Christians into saying or doing things that are in their worldly nature, but against the better principles of what we believe.  In fact, just yesterday I heard a minister say, "if we are to accept the grace of God, then we MUST also be willing to extend it to others."  Wow, does God know how to put the right people, with the right words in front of us just when we need them or what?

I am thankful for the wisdom that God provides in His word.  I am thankful for the people who have influenced me by the grace they have shown.  I am thankful for the challenges that come before me that help raise the bar of my faith.  I am thankful for this forum in which to share my thoughts, and the opportunity that it provides to help each of you grow as well. Finally I pray that this detractor will find what he or she needs in order to recognize the necessity for a belief in God.

I would love to get your thoughts on this subject.  How would you have responded?  I will end by reiterating the initial piece of advice that started this whole thing:

Trust God Fully!

Doing this will go a long way toward Making today GREAT!