{"id":424,"date":"2014-11-30T21:13:31","date_gmt":"2014-12-01T03:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/melissakaysimonds.com\/?p=424"},"modified":"2014-12-02T21:33:36","modified_gmt":"2014-12-03T03:33:36","slug":"on-wisemen-and-wiseguys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melissakaysimonds.com\/?p=424","title":{"rendered":"On Wisemen And Wiseguys"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen he said to me, \u201cWrite: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThese are the true sayings of God!\u201d And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, \u201cSee that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.\u201d Revelation 19:9-10 NKJV<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old joke that goes something like this:<\/p>\n

A woman wakes to the sound of crying coming from the kitchen. She gets up and finds her husband slumped over the kitchen table sobbing like a child. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d she asks. \u201cDo you remember when you were 16 and your father caught us at Lovers Lane?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d she says. \u201cHe told me I had two choices: marry you or go to jail for twenty years.\u201d The wife folds her arms. \u201cGo on,\u201d she says. The husband wipes at his eyes and cries, \u201cToday would have been twenty years!\u201d<\/p>\n

Vulgarity aside, there\u2019s something to be said for taking the long view.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m married to it,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not married to it,\u201d has become a popular description of our commitment to something. \u201cMarried to it\u201d, for me, conjures an image of being tied together at the wrists. You\u2019re not going anywhere without that one or that thing…perhaps for a very, very long time.<\/p>\n

The Mafia has seduced our collective imagination for decades. No organization demands a person \u201cmarry it\u201d like the Mob. What is it about these \u201cfamilies\u201d that so captures our fancy? The wealth? The power? The complete independence from any other authority? Is it the to-the-death loyalty among its members that seems so attractive and glamorous? Is it the code of silence, the closeness of ranks?<\/p>\n

We all know drugs, extortion, murder, slavery, and sexual torture are the fuel of organized crime, yet the lives of its \u201cmade men\u201d and women still seem sexy. That\u2019s kinda messed up. Or perhaps it\u2019s just short-sighted. We aren\u2019t the first ones to envy the people at the top of this world\u2019s food chain. Thousands of years ago, a fellow named Asaph envied them too, writing in what we now call Psalm 73, \u201cFor I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace. Violence covers them like a garment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turns out the Mafia, or something like it, has been around a long, long time.<\/p>\n

Asaph came to a realization that would serve us well, too, \u201cWhen I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.\u201d He goes on to say, \u201cAs a dream when one awakens, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image…Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel and afterward receive me to Your glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard it said the devil peddles bankrupt stock. He is running the con game of the ages. In the end, he will supply nothing except sorrow, regret, and anguish.<\/p>\n

Not so the one with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13) He came to provide life in abundance. (John 10:10) His cord on our wrists is as light as a feather and never chafes. (Matthew 11:30)<\/p>\n

At this wonderful Christmas season of 2014, let\u2019s take a moment to ponder wisdom. Let\u2019s take a moment to consider the Child in the manger is a soon-coming King. Very, very soon.<\/p>\n

And let us, like Asaph, be thankful.<\/p>\n

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
\n<\/em>“Do you see what I see?
\n<\/em>Way up in the sky, little lamb,
\n<\/em>Do you see what I see?
\n<\/em>A star, a star, dancing in the night
\n<\/em>With a tail as big as a kite,
\n<\/em>With a tail as big as a kite.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,<\/em>
\n\u201cDo you hear what I hear?<\/em>
\nRinging through the sky, shepherd boy,<\/em>
\nDo you hear what I hear?<\/em>
\nA song, a song, high above the trees<\/em>
\nWith a voice as big as the seas,<\/em>
\nWith a voice as big as the seas.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,<\/em>
\n\u201cDo you know what I know?<\/em>
\nIn your palace walls, mighty king,<\/em>
\nDo you know what I know?<\/em>
\nA Child, a Child, shivers in the cold-<\/em>
\nLet us bring Him silver and gold,<\/em>
\nLet us bring Him silver and gold.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Said the king to the people everywhere,<\/em>
\n\u201cListen to what I say!<\/em>
\nPray for peace, people everywhere,<\/em>
\nListen to what I say!<\/em>
\nThe Child, the Child, sleeping in the night,<\/em>
\nHe will bring us goodness and light,<\/em>
\nHe will bring us goodness and light.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Psst\u2026pass it on: Wisemen still seek Him.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Melissa Kay Simonds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen he said to me, \u201cWrite: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThese are the true sayings of God!\u201d And I fell at his feet to worship him. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Mo02-6Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64,"url":"https:\/\/melissakaysimonds.com\/?p=64","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":0},"title":"Play By The Rules","author":"lsimonds","date":"July 1, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cA poor man\u2019s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.\u201d Proverbs 13:23 NIV A friend told me about something that happened to her last year. 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Agnosticism seemed less\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2017"","block_context":{"text":"2017","link":"https:\/\/melissakaysimonds.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":71,"url":"https:\/\/melissakaysimonds.com\/?p=71","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":3},"title":"Don’t Fake Faith","author":"lsimonds","date":"October 1, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cBut when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, \u2018Lord, save me!\u2019\u201d Matthew 14:30 Not too long ago, I heard about a woman who was diagnosed with kidney disease among about a dozen other ailments. 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