Proverbs 11:29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
Harmony and unity are important. God has an order to things. He revealed His order in Genesis 1:1 —
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
He is the ultimate and absolute authority. Under Him, Jesus Christ is the Head of every man.
I Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Lost people reject this fact, but saved people must understand this. Saved people must submit to God willingly every moment of every day in order to know His peace.
God also established the family. He made the man the head of the family. No family can function properly when it disrespects God’s order. God says the person that troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. No one can control the wind. We build houses to get out of the wind. A person might hide behind some trees to try to break the wind in that area, but we cannot control the wind. Thus to inherit the wind is not possible.
God is telling us that it is not profitable to try to destroy His order. Submission to His order is the wise thing to do.
The righteous person will produce good results. The righteous person will tell others how to have life. Many people today are deceived into thinking they have life, but in reality they are in darkness and they are dead.
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Winning souls is something that must be done in agreement with God’s Word. We have warned of the “Jack Hyles” method before. The Bible never shows anyone leading some other person in a prayer for salvation. The Bible does command saved people to pray for one another and for the lost. There are hundreds of people walking around, who assume they are saved but their lives prove them to be liars.
I listened to a man this week who was sure his nephew was saved. I have never met his nephew and would not know if he were saved or not up to that point. Then this man stated that his nephew does not go to church, is shacked up with a woman and they have a couple of children together.
Now I have something to go by. This nephew is a fornicator. I Corinthians 5 addresses fornication among saints. It must be stopped. God directed Paul to use some very clear and sober words to deal with this sin.
I Corinthians 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
A clear indicator of the love of God dwelling in a person is to love others. Loving others is to tell them the truth. A born again Christian cannot continue to live in sin. He or she has been delivered from the power of sin. He or she has the indwelling Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit is in the saved person to open his understanding to the truth. The saved person cannot continue to ignore the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart and life. Hebrews 12 tells us that every true child of God will be chastened of the Lord when needed. If a person is living in sin and not being chastened of the Lord, it is clear they are not saved.
To tell a man that is living with a woman and not married to her, that he is saved is wickedness. It demonstrates a lack of love for that person. Saved people love others with the love of God. Winning souls is an act of the love of God.
In verse 31 we are reminded of the rewards of being a righteous person. God will grant His child peace on this earth. He will reward His child on this earth. The wicked will also be rewarded on this earth. They are rewarded with the results of their wickedness. They cannot know the peace of God. They often have multiple types of troubles, ie marriage problems or problems with family or financial troubles, etc.
It is a foolish thing to try to pretend you are saved when you are not. In the end you will stand before the God who gave you the privilege to live on His earth. Without knowing Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour, you have no hope. Those who do know the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord will know His blessings, they do not need to try to manufacture them. Be sure to submit to the Word of God and know His blessings.
Pastor Bartel