Appetite of the Fool

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Appetite of the Fool ------------------- Date: 5/17/2001
Keywords: "fool" "treasure" "wise"
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.

Passage: Proverbs 21:20*

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.

Questions

1. Do you consider yourself wise?

 

2. In Proverbs, the definition of the fool is one who does not believe that God exists or that He is relevant. By this definition, will you have to change your answer to the first question?

 

3. Imagine that the treasure described in the proverb is a priceless painting. What would a fool do with such a painting?

 

Practical help

Would you like a diet tip? Every time you prepare to take a bite of food, first consider, not only how good it will taste and make you feel this moment, think also about how it will contribute to your health (and weight) one year from now. By using the mind and making wise choices, we can dramatically affect the future direction of our lives.

Pornography is another type of craving where wise thinking can help. When you are tempted to surf for smut, the wise response is to pause and think about God's instructions. Should you obey Him or disobey Him? The fool never considers this question. To him or her, God is irrelevant. The reason this is foolish is the same reason it's foolish to think you can fend off an attacking dog by closing your eyes. Not believing in God does not make Him disappear.

This proverb also points out that wise people and foolish people act differently. Wise people create, obtain and preserve beauty. Fools trash beauty while on their way to filling their stomachs or growing their bank accounts. The fool, being totally selfish is unable to appreciate beauty and share it with others. The wise person understands how best to live with God and others. Pornography, because it degrades the body and trashes the gift of human sexuality as God intends it to be used (within marriage, see Hebrews 13:4), is anti-beauty and therefore a foolish waste of your time, talents and purity.

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."