“Everyone is ignorant only on different subjects.”
WILL ROGERS

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
PROVERBS 9:8-9 NASB

I’ve heard it said that Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. That must mean that he was able to receive instruction and also be reproved. I have met some very wise people, only you couldn’t tell them anything. They knew that they knew more than me and therefore wouldn’t listen to what my pea brain had to say. How arrogant. Of course when I honestly take a look at myself I see where I have been guilty of the same arrogance. I can remember times when my path has crossed the paths of other people who didn’t have all their lights shinning real bright. No fault of their own, they just seem to have been born that way. And I recall from my own experience how I didn’t put as much value on what they had to say as I did someone who I considered wise, successful, and educated. As I get older I find the truth is, that everyone has something to offer. Everyone! Will Rogers hit the nail on the head when he made the statement that “everyone is ignorant only on different subjects.” Solomon also hit the same nail when he said “give instruction to a wise man and he will be wiser.” It’s all about being teachable and staying flexible. To be flexible you must stay green and continue to grow. This morning as I look out my window at this January day I notice all the trees are absent of their leaves. This allows me to see the structure of the trees. I also notice that there is a slight breeze which moves the limbs of the trees in a swaying motion from side to side and up and down. All the trees move and give some with blowing of the breeze. All accept the old dead oak over by the old outhouse. It does not move and most days as I pass that way I have to pick up small limbs that the wind has blown to the ground. My conclusion today is if I stay flexible and keep an open mind to instruction, stay grounded in the Word of God for nourishment, and be willing to bend to help others, then I will be able to demonstrate the life and love of God in my life. If I ever become an old dead stick in the mud, then that is exactly what I will be. Today I chose instruction, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE

The pride of righteousness of “good people” may often be just as destructive as the glaring sins of those who are supposedly not so good.
BILL W. ……………………. Grapevine, August 1961