Genesis 4:7a If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

If is a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, interrogative, or conditional. If is used 1595 times within the bible and never in connection with the character of God but rather of man. Over the years I have heard unbelievers make claims that the bible is iffy. Their failure to connect this all important word to the condition of man should not be used as an excuse to resist believing God.

Man has within himself a desire to be right. There is nothing wrong with that, it is a natural instinct. It was demonstrated in Cain and Abel’s sacrifices, seeking acceptance. We all want to be accepted, to be loved. In this man is fraught with demonstrative, interrogative, or conditional participation in seeking and showing acceptance and love.

God is not iffy when it comes to love. His love is perfect, consistent, unwavering but acceptance is not a condition upon which God is responsible, man is the one who is iffy. God’s love is offered freely, it is demonstrated dramatically, and it is conditioned only by man’s acceptance of an unchangeable, non-iffy offer.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There will be some that say Jesus was God and was not iffy about it. Jesus was also man, so therefore had to have an iffy side at some time in order to demonstrate His humanity. He did, once.

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

The Father’s answer was no, there is no other way. Being the obedient Son, He went to the Cross and died for us, knowing we were going to be iffy about it.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. ESV

Proverbs 13:16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. ESV

Yesterday I spoke about selfishness and more examples to find wisdom associated with the word. As I ended yesterday’s devotional a thought came to mind about associated with our behavior in communication.

Do you value your opinion over your relationships? An opinion is personal. In a way it is selfish because it is yours. It doesn’t really matter if others agree with you so much as it does in your ability to express it. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked into the eyes of another, knowing in my heart that all they are waiting for is a lull in the silence to voice their opinion on the matter. I can recognize it because I have done that very thing myself.

It is one thing to be knowledgeable of the Lord and help where needed and another to flaunt your opinion. True enough these verses in Proverbs speak to a fool in his folly but does it say with any certainty that the fool’s opinion is wrong? By implication we would like to think that the fool is wrong, but what if his only motivation is selfish desire and takes no care or concern for others, timing, and the leaning of the Lord?

Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Just because you want to say it and it is true, does not mean it is a word in due season. It is important to know if the moment is of the Lord or in self-interest. Wisdom is knowing the difference.