The Wisdom of Men

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." Proverbs 1:7

"Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." Romans 1:21-25

"The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?" Jeremiah 8:9

I've been considering the above passages the last month or so. They are both humbling, and worrisome. It's humbling to consider that without the Lord mankind posses no wisdom or knowledge worth possessing. It is disconcerting to know that so many leaders in our world have no use for God, and the result of that stance is that God removes all wisdom from that person.

There is something about human nature that makes pride such an easy trap for us. On one hand we know enough about the universe and how the natural world works to realize that we've only just begun to understand how things work. To put it another way, you could be twice as smart as the smartest person on earth and still know nothing. Imagine for a moment that you're the most knowledgeable person on the planet in your field. Even if that is the case, outside of your field you're little better than a novice. Yet we approach all our government and social issues today as though we, as a collective, have found all the answers to life. Case closed. There is little room for debate anymore among even the most divisive of issues such as Global Warming and Abortion. People are generally split down partisan lines, end of story.

Do we not live in a world where many have no faith in the authority of the Scripture cited above? And even among those who do submit to the authority of Scripture, we sure aren't able to live under it every day, every moment. As humans we lack the ability to keep the right perspective at all times. We forget the past, we forget to pray for the future and get caught up in the small things daily life is filled with. It is really quite remarkable.

Consider that the above scripture is in fact true and speaks with authority: how then are we to view public policy? If we aren't led by those who fear the Lord or seek His wisdom, then the policies those people draft aren't even close to being good or right. That thought alone should inspire us to become more active in our government. But active how?

In the United States we've been led to believe that the most important thing about us is the letter behind our name. Whether it be a 'D', an 'R' or 'I', our party affiliation is supposed to shape our thinking and be the prism through which we view all opposing politician's actions. Every now and then I'll speak critically of the Federal Government, and all too often it is followed up with some snide remark about how the previous administration was no better. It doesn't matter if I was referencing the current administration or not, some people just make the assumption that I was. So their reaction is to immediately become defensive, defend 'their guy' and attack who they perceive as 'my guy.' It's too bad, because not only does it prohibit us from working together constructively, but it prevents us from aiding those who hold office even when we disagree with their policies.

But again we have to ask ourselves, how do we aid those who hold office above us, especially if we disagree with what they are doing? In a letter Paul wrote to Timothy, he said "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." Because we are aware that the Lord withholds His wisdom from those who do not seek it, God is desirous of us to have a different attitude towards those who oppose us than the world would have. We are to pray for them, that God would impart his wisdom to them 'that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.' Solomon spoke of this in his Proverbs: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Without God's wisdom, no society will have peace. Not just in war, but peace in the way society is built, structured and run. We will form bad institutions, bad forms of government, bad government programs. Our attempts to reform health care or social security will fail. In fact, our attempts will produce oppressive forms of government that waste our money and solve no problems. Problems enough to make 'the people mourn.'

But we cannot just pray for them against our will, snidely and without confidence. God's would like us to go a little bit further than than just praying for those who oppose us and for those in power. He wishes for us to love them. "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"

It isn't love when we're so quick to assume the worst in people. And it isn't love when the first thing to come to our mind is the desire to come to the defense of 'our guy.' At that point, we are no longer searching for the truth of the matter as much as we're looking to win an argument. And it isn't important who is right as much as it is important what is right.

Quick Hit Sunday

For those who express a desire for an option in regards to health care other than the status quo or government involvement, I'd suggest a few different ideas as a starting point to reduce costs:

- Electronic record keeping could improve efficiency.
- Re-work the doctor/patient relationship. Instead of a 'one size fits all' approach to doctor visits, offer different options such as video-conferencing visits, phone visits or emailing visits.
- Re-institute doctor home visits, which could cut down on the doctor's overhead in regards to leasing costs, property taxes, staffing, etc.
- Lower malpractice insurance premiums.
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), with higher deductibles but low max annual out of pocket expenses.
- Revert back to a pure consumer/provider relationship. Right now the consumer (patient) rarely directly pays for their provider's (doctor) service. Normally a third party (insurance company), hired by a fourth party (employer), pays the bill. There is too much confusion in the marketplace to sufficiently determine what the actual cost of care is. In order to better know how to reduce costs the fog needs to be removed from the equation.
- Charity. If you're concerned about someone not being able to pay for their medical care, quit complaining and do something about it. And I don't mean outsource the responsibility to the Federal Government. Start a charity. Give to a charity. Pharmaceutical companies have programs for those less fortunate as do some hospitals. Get involved in that arena. The truth is in the United States it is illegal for a hospital to deny someone care if they don't have insurance, so people aren't dying on the streets for lack of care. The question becomes how to best help them when the bill arrives, and private charities full of people who love others and funded by people who care for others has always been the best way to help.

Keep in mind that health care is expensive for a reason. You're paying for cutting edge services every time you go in no matter if it is your annual visit, blood work or an MRI. No one provides medicinal care learned 10 years ago. And the more exotic your condition the more expensive the care becomes as the doctors scramble to simultaneously treat your symptoms and determine what your illness is. You're being treated on million dollar machines developed at great cost and run by people who are in some instances being paid hundreds of thousands every year. When you buy a car you have the option of buying a brand new Lexus or a 10 year old Camry. That isn't the case with health care and I think we'd all do well to keep that in mind. 100 years ago if you had cancer you'd pay the doc 10$ to visit your home, at which time he'd tell you to chew a root and call on him tomorrow. And in a year, you'd be dead. If you want cheap health care you can get it, but the 'best' always comes with a price tag. Certainly we can take steps to make it more affordable, but there will always be those of us who struggle to afford a 2009 Lexus and in the same way there will always be those who struggle to afford services such as hospital stays.

On a lighter note, about the Broncos:

- I'm not excited about him being a Bronco, but Orton is serviceable. He is the same type of player Jake Plummer was, and I'm not just saying that because both share an affinity for left handed jump passes. As long as the game plan calls for short dunk passes Orton will be successful, but once that is shut down he isn't the type of player who can put the team on his back and carry them to glory. Think Jake Plummer in the AFC Championship game in 2005. Lucky for Orton there is more offensive talent on this team than there was for Plummer, so perhaps he won't have to shoulder the load all that often.

- If the Broncos are 3-3 at the Bye they'll be doing pretty good. They should beat Oakland, and defeat either Cincinnati or Cleveland. However I don't see them defeating Dallas, New England or San Diego. If they manage to take one of those games they'd be doing well.
- I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 5-11, and 8-8 should be considered a success after everything that has happened.