A long time ago, an English teacher taught her class rare words we would never use again. One of those words was “capricious.” When we couldn’t guess the meaning, she defined it for us. What strikes me about “capricious” is that “fickle” can replace it in most contexts. Perhaps writing a poem requires you to rhyme with “delicious.” If, however, you are trying to rhyme “pickle,” then don’t be capricious; use “fickle!”
In Acts 14:19, the people of Lystra proved themselves to be fickle people. One moment they treated Paul as a god, and the next, they tried to kill him with large stones. People are funny like that. Paul did not place his trust in the capricious whim of man. If his trust was placed anywhere other than God, the whiplash of life might have ruined him.
People can still be fickle today (although being murdered with large stones generally doesn’t happen anymore!) When we share the love of Christ with others, we hope they will respond positively. If our faith is built on the expectation of conversion of others, we will be ruined when those others react poorly to God’s offer of salvation. Build your hope on God. He is the opposite of capricious and offers us life beyond this one. He will never let us down.
Do you need spiritual stability in your life? Have your friends, family, or neighbors turned on you and no longer offer the love they once did? Every day God remains constant, extending His offer of love and eternal life. Would you like to learn more about Him? Drop me a note or drop by on Sunday morning!
Photo by Jonathan Pielmayer on Unsplash
