Proverbs 31.27
“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Yesterday I emphasized the importance of not conforming to the world’s standards for family life. The godly woman of Proverbs 31 sets an example for us, as she “looks well to the ways of her household.”
To “look well” means to see with clarity. It means to see with a Kingdom perspective. This principle extends to how Christians see other key institutions of society. We need to look well to the ways of …
- Government
- Business
- Science
- Healthcare
- Media and the arts
- Education
- The church
Our views of these culture-shaping institutions will determine our involvement in them. The lens through which we look is critical. Also, when it comes to our interaction with these institutions, we should “not eat the bread of idleness.” We cannot and must not be indifferent or lazy in our engagement with our society and its key structures.
The church should have a strategy for impacting and transforming the institutions that shape culture. Christian influence on culture occurs not primarily by human design (although human designs are involved) but by God’s supernatural use of obedient and effective Christians in their spheres of influence in all domains of American society.
The gospel does not call us to stand on the periphery and protest the culture, nor does it call us to copy the culture. Rather, we are called to be agents of change in society. However, like the godly woman of Proverbs 31, we must earn the right through — through our character and competence — to push for change.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5.17-20)
If we do not build effective, obedient Christians who can penetrate and impact culture-shaping institutions, there is little hope for sustainable transformation in our nation.
More tomorrow …
