For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” but his heart is not with you.

.                                                                                                                   Proverbs 23:7 

Today: Read Proverbs 23

Much has been written about today’s passage. The idea that how and what we think greatly impacts everything else in our lives is certainly true. But in the context of this passage, the writer is issuing to us a caution, a warning not to fall victim to the flattery of insincere people. As Jesus was going about His earthly ministry, He faced this same dishonesty. Consider some of these examples:

The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

                                                                                                     Matthew 16:1 

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

                                                                                                       Matthew 19:3 

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.                                               

                                                                                                   Matthew 22:15 

In each instance, the interaction with Jesus was not in a search for truth rather a convenient opportunity to try and trap Him in something that He might say. As Christians, we are living in an unbelieving world that will also attempt to ridicule our faith in Christ. Sometimes we will be asked questions that are intentionally designed to entrap us and leave us intellectually “defeated.” When we interact with others who are outside of the body of Christ, we need to remember three things.

(1) Be Discerning About Other’s Motives

Jesus had the advantage of being able to look inside the hearts and minds of those around Him. We cannot peer directly into a person’s heart or mind, but we can ask God to give us a spirit of discernment. Listening to a person’s rhetoric can give clues as to what the person believes and how receptive he/she is to the gospel. As our passage reminds us, be aware of false flattery or condescension in what is being said. There are genuine people seeking the truth who need to hear the gospel, but believers need to be discerning and shrewd in their assessment of any given interaction. Remember what Jesus told His disciples as they were being sent out into the world:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 

                                                                                                            Matthew 10:16 

Being “as innocent as doves” simply means that we should not harm or take advantage of others in our quest to share the gospel. Our motive should be love and our presentation should be sincere. But being more astute than others around you will assist in guarding against the insincerity of those hostile to the gospel.

(2) Know Who You Are In Christ

It is not uncommon for the gospel to get distorted by some of the misguided ideas that people have about what it means to be a born again believer in Christ. The reality is that we are all in need of salvation (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23, James 2:10). As believers, we know that, apart from Christ, we are just as sinful as the next person. But the accusation often presented is that Christians view themselves to be “better” than others. This is founded on the false notion that the Christian life has something to do with how “good” a person we are instead of focusing on our inability to save ourselves. What Jesus has done for us on the cross is the pivotal point of the gospel. Everyone is but one prayer away in moving from spiritual death to spiritual life. As we interact with people, we should be clear and confident in our communication of this reality. Knowing our standing in Christ is monumental.

(3) Be Kind!

Finally, as we guard against the insincerity that is in the world, we should always be looking for ways to be kind to others. Even when our flesh tells us that someone does not deserve our consideration or kindness, we should follow through nevertheless. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Being astute is essential, but we should never be rude or inconsiderate. Our actions will either back up our faith or act to discount it. What we say is important, but what we do and the motive behind those actions is what demonstrates the validity our message.