If you watched the football game yesterday between Seattle and Minnesota, today is another day. I've been a fan of the Vikings ever since they came to Minnesota. In the fall, they provide entertainment for about three hours a week. They play a game.
It's just a game.
Next year, they will line it up in their new state of the art stadium and will attempt to move further than this year. But for now, it's good to remember that it's just a game and today is another day. Coach Zimmer, the players (especially Blair Walsh and Adrian Peterson) didn't try to pass the buck. Peterson stated his fumble cost them the game. Said Walsh of the missed field goal that could have won it in the last few seconds: "When they needed me in this moment, I didn’t come through for them. That hurts.” He told it like he saw it and accepted responsibility for the shocking ending of the game.
As I read chapter 11 of Solomon's wisdom, I realized that he, too, doesn't beat around the bush. According to Solomon's wisdom, when you are talking about life, it's either one thing or another. There really isn't any middle ground when it comes to matters of integrity, honesty, faithfulness. You either demonstrate you have these things or you don't.
As I read chapter 11 of Solomon's wisdom, I realized that he, too, doesn't beat around the bush. According to Solomon's wisdom, when you are talking about life, it's either one thing or another. There really isn't any middle ground when it comes to matters of integrity, honesty, faithfulness. You either demonstrate you have these things or you don't.
Solomon talks about righteousness a lot. Perhaps that is a word that puts us off sometimes because we may not fully understand (or embrace) its meaning. Let's keep it simple and like Solomon, let's keep it straight. Righteousness defined is acting in accord with divine or moral law : to be free from guilt or sin. Maybe that's where we shy away from the term righteousness because we know that we sin and that causes us to feel shame or guilt.
But we're not expected to be perfect. We will make mistakes and fall short every so often. We will fumble our attempts to live properly and our best intentions some days will go wide of the mark. Solomon may agree with that, but he also is a hardliner when it comes to demonstrating faithfulness and living correctly. For him there, is no middle ground.
The challenge for us is that we often live in the middle ground. It is a hard thing to live righteously all the time.
Today is another day. The Vikings football team will take the field again next year and try to win. Peterson will run and score touchdowns where he doesn't fumble. Walsh will line up for extra points and field goals and he will make them.
When we are given another day, we have another chance at righteousness. We have no really good excuse for not trying to live that way.
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