ACCEPTING THE WORLD’S WISDOM
Marijuana has now been legalized for recreational use in 11 states and the District of Columbia. The first states to so legalize it were Colorado and Washington (in 2012), followed by Alaska and Oregon (in 2014). The world’s wisdom had been that legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement to focus on other types of crime, would help many people with medical needs, and would be a boost to personal freedom and choice. Last month, New York Medical College, Valhalla, released a study examining the connection between legalized recreational marijuana use and traffic fatalities in the four states where it has been legalized the longest. The study found that traffic fatalities increased about 20 percent in those states. “Legislators in states considering legal commercial sales of marijuana should take the likelihood of increased deaths into consideration when drafting new laws,” says Russel Kamer, M.D., who was involved with the study. The world’s wisdom led to many unnecessary deaths.
REJECTING GOD’S WISDOM
The world does not understand godly wisdom even when it sees it. When John the Baptist preached in his ascetic style, many rejected him as being demon-possessed. Yet when Jesus came in a less ascetic style, “eating and drinking,” many accused the Lord of drunkenness and gluttony. When people are turned away from God, godly wisdom looks like foolishness. But people turned toward God recognize godly wisdom in its many guises.
Questions
- When have you been swayed by the world’s wisdom on something you later realized was not God’s will?
- What’s a time when you saw the wisdom in reacting in a way that was contrary to how others were reacting?
- What teachings of Jesus seem especially contrary to our current culture’s mindset?
