Friday, March 8, 2013

Noble Minded Men

Listen, for I (Wisdom) will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.
Proverbs 8:6

Now these (the men of Berea) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Acts 17:11

We typically associate the term noble with nobility, that is, we associate it with royalty. However, it doesn't simply refer to something being elevated or above normal standards. Consider the title of a certain group of elements, specifically known as the "noble gases". These elements (Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon) have an extremely low rate of reactivity. This is a result of the fact that their outer electron shells are full. That is to say, they are satisfied. For another element to bond with a noble gas, one or more electrons have to first be stripped off. Some of what they are has to be relinquished before they can be changed.

Are we like the noble men of Berea or clinging to noble wisdom? Or are we discontent and seeking to be something else? Do we readily accept any new teaching, because we either don't know Scripture or because we don't bother to check what we've been told?

Paul told the Ephesians what happens when we mature in our faith and knowledge of Scripture in Ephesians 4:14. "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming"

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