Welcome to Friday….and time for another Five Minute Friday. It has been several weeks since I participated in this free writing exercise and joined the other talented bloggers who create the FMF community. I always enjoy it…and I am ready to jump in this week. The prompt is VISION – which immediately brings Proverbs 29:18 to mind: “Where there is no vision, the people perish….”
I know it is a popular verse and there may be many who use the same reference. However, at the risk of being redundant, here are my (five-minute and roughly unedited) thoughts on this verse.
GO – As I mentioned on Wednesday, our annual missions conference is only about two weeks away. It is a highlight for our church as well as for me and for my husband. I have often heard this verse in connection with missions – as an encouragement “to go” and to reach others throughout the world with the gospel. However, I think it is much more. And much more personal and specific to me.
Vision comes from the idea of a dream or revelation…and a lack of vision is a lack of God’s word. The idea of people perishing (without God’s word) is, yes, a spiritual perishing but it also has root in “being exposed” – or without restraint and out of control. Does that not apply to so much in our society today?? Our world seems to have cast off all restraint. I can’t help but make the connection to the disregard, ignorance of, and/or complete disdain for God’s word and Biblical principles. And, in many ways, it is the death of our homes, our governments, and our society.
But there is a second part to that verse I quoted above. Provers 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: BUT he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (emphasis mine)
God has given us a great promise if we will but heed His word. If we will not only seek to know its wisdom but will then also trust it and obey it. Those who walk in relationship with Christ are happy. Blessed. And rewarded by God. Psalm 19:11 says, in reference to the Lord’s statutes and commandments: “…and in keeping of them there is great reward.”
STOP. For those of us who are Christians and do walk with the Lord, these words should be an encouragement (for all of God’s promises are true!) but they are a challenge, as well, as we live in this “out of control” world. This world acts the way it does because they need the gospel. They need us to share the gospel. To be the gospel. It is easy to criticize, judge, condemn, and to find fault….but we need to be busy sharing the vision to a lost and perishing world.
My thoughts were a bit all over the place here. Apparently, I need to participate in this exercise more often. It is can be more challenging than it seems. I would love to hear your thoughts, though. Not only on this post but your thoughts on this verse…or the prompt. Thanks for stopping by –
With no vision, people perish,
and that is just plain wrong,
for they are brothers we need cherish
and thereby bring along
and help them start to understand
that free gift that awaits
in Jesus’salvation-land
that saves them from the fate
of eternal boring fire,
swamp-gas lit but never rising
to delight, refine, inspire
the daily news, sometimes surprising,
that the Paradise to which we go
is where we begin to grow.
So true. There are so many who need to hear of “that free gift that awaits”! Thanks for your comment, Andrew. Have a blessed day ahead!
Jennifer, I love your message. So wonderfully spoken. Blessings.
Visiting today from FMF#23
Thank you, Paula. That is encouraging to me!
This is really insightful- especially for something you wrote off the top of your head in five minutes! (& after 10 PM too =))
You know me too well!
Yes, Jennifer, very insightful. Sharing the vision to a lost world is so important. I think with regard to those walking in relationship being happy and blessed- I know of many people who live and lived sorrow filled lives, where seemingly one bad thing after the other happened to them (and they were followers of Christ). I also think of Christians around the world who are persecuted for being Christians and live in fear or physical harm or death for their faith. These people will be happy and blessed for eternity in heaven but on Earth blessings and happiness may be elusive. Everyone who follows Christ lives with hope and assurance of eternal life but this present life may be extremely difficult and may not seemed blessed by most standards. (For me that is based on the lives of several people whom I know or knew when they were alive.) I always enjoy reading your posts, Jennifer!
I loved this post, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I agree about how we need to always live “on mission”. I read a book on that years ago, that really hammered that point into my brain. Our world is such a sad place right now and you’re right about how we’re NOT supposed to act- sometimes as Christians, we have the worst reputation, because we can be the most judgmental people.
One way that I like to pray is that God would draw me to those who are lost and to help me love them, which I consider to be the second part of the commandment to love the Lord with everything within us, then to love others. It’s easy to love those who are a lot like us, but I feel like it really means to love those who are NOT like us. I’ve certainly not attained this yet, but I’m a work in progress. I’m able to extend kindness to people because the Lord often reminds me they’re not out to “get me”, they’re just lost. Lost people act lost!
I could always do better at this, though and I’ll consider this post a challenge for myself. Thanks for always sharing your heart, my friend. ❤
Without vision people perish – how very true these words are.
Just stopped by from FMF#31