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Day 189, or July 8. God's Word is vital. Our thoughts today come from Proverbs 29 verse

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18. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint, but blessed is the one who

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heeds wisdom's instruction.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. The final chapters of Proverbs contain some

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of Solomon's wisdom as well as Proverbs by other wise men. They include advice for

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leaders and some thought-provoking comments about wise women. These last chapters include

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one of the most popular texts to adorn many wayside pulpits up and down the country. It

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is usually associated with solidarity and reaching out, but its true meaning is quite

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different.

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And now our action step for today. Our proverb for today is better known in an older translation

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of the Bible, which reads, Where there is no vision, the people perish. It has often

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been used to muster congregations of believers around a vision for the future, which must

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be followed otherwise people perish and go to a lost eternity. There is nothing wrong

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with the sentiment, but this verse is not the best one to use. The basis of the proverb

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goes right back to Moses and his brother Aaron and the worshipping of the golden calf. When

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the Israelites turned to the golden calf, they turned away from God, they cast off restraint

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and ran riot. They had no moral or ethical compass. Sounds very similar to the twenty-first

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century in the UK to me.

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A common response from wrongdoers today is, You can't tell me what to do and who gives

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you the right to correct me anyway? Many believe that all opinions are of equal value and therefore

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the most forceful wins. The Bible teaches that we are only happy or blessed when we

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obey God's instruction, which is to be found in the Bible. Looking around it seems to me

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that we have tried total freedom to do whatever we like and it's failing abysmally. Now is

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the time to get back to the Bible, not just as churches but as individuals. It is a personal

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response starting with you and me today.