Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. Proverbs 26:8 (NLT)
When I was a kid, I learned how to make my own slingshot. I would tie a string to both ends of a piece of leather and then placed a rock inside. After whirling it around a few times, I’d let go of one of the strings to launch the rock, but sometimes the stone would drop out of the sling as I started the wind up. One day I had an idea—I would make the leather sling into more of a pouch so the rock wouldn’t drop out.
The first time I tried my new-and-improved slingshot, I wound up and let go of one string, expecting the stone to soar in the air. Instead, the stone caught in the pocket, swung back and hit me in the head!
Proverbs 26:8 says that giving honour to a fool is like tying a stone to a slingshot. Someone is going to get hurt! Honouring foolish behaviour is just as dangerous. I’ve often heard speakers share stories about what their lives were like before Jesus. They talk about the drugs they’ve done, people they’ve killed and cars they’ve stolen, and it all sounds very exciting. Then they say something like, “And then I gave my life to Jesus and my life has never been the same.”
Although their testimony may be powerful, the way they share it honours the wrong thing. Parents also need to be careful with this. Kids will be drawn to what you honour, so don’t make your life before Jesus sound more exciting than a life of serving the King of kings!
Honour right living and integrity. Share your passion for serving our amazing, incredible God, and you’ll attract people to the right thing!
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