The Wisdom of Righteousness: Capturing Souls for Christ

Sometimes, the Lord brings a verse across your path that must be circled, noted, underlined, and remembered. The scripture I share today was just such a verse for me.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30 ESV)

Because I was studying one verse at a time in Proverbs, it was easy to sit on this one. Not only is it underlined and circled in my Bible, but there is also a name next to it—Raouf. Why? Because my late husband embodied the wisdom of these words, and I’ll explain.

The fruit of the righteous

For those who repent of sin and place their lives at the feet of Jesus, Scripture tells us that we are made righteous by His completed work on the cross.

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:30-31)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

This second verse, found in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, comes right after he talks about being an ambassador for Christ, and this is reflected in the wisdom found in today’s proverb. As the righteous live out the righteousness imparted by Christ, they cannot help but share this good news with others. Righteous lives make an impact—they bear fruit.

My husband’s name was next to this verse, because I had a front-row seat to what this looked like in real time. It wasn’t just that people were drawn to him because of the love that flowed from his veins, but he constantly talked about Jesus! Having come to faith in Christ at an older age, he knew what life looked like without Him, and he did not wish that on anyone.

Not only was Raouf’s personal tree full of life, but he planted seeds for the Kingdom that fell on fertile soil and brought life to many who wanted and accepted his message. We have a family full of spiritual children because Raouf lived an active, righteous life.

Capturer of souls

I’m sure when you read the title of this post, your mind went to the idea of a soul-catcher. The fact that I would know what a soul-catcher is fascinates me and tells me a lot about our modern culture. It is also a reminder that Satan likes to mimic what God designs. There is no way an amulet or man-made item can catch a person’s soul, though Satan can work through such things to influence the unsuspecting.

In our verse today, we are reminded that God has chosen, from the beginning of time, for men and women to be the ones who make God and His salvation known. Remember how God intended for Israel to be a blessing to the nations? What they failed to do, God made possible through a “people who were not His people,” as His Son made the way clear through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa. 49:6)

As Jesus tore the curtain of division between God and man, He enabled believers, through the Holy Spirit, to take up that same light and call others to Christ.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-6)

While the righteousness of Christ enlightens our lives and draws men to Jesus, He doesn’t want us to just sit back and expect them to come. We must get out into the water and fish. The sea represented the world, a dark place of fear and uncertainty. However, knowing that our future is secure, Christ-followers must not be afraid of going where the fish are. That’s what He told real fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matt. 4:21-22) 

Was this a totally new concept that Jesus threw out that day? Hardly. He knew Scripture better than anyone! What was casting a net to capture fish, compared to the opportunity to capture souls? The wisdom of the fisherman pales in comparison to the wisdom of one who captures souls for Jesus.

My husband, through his words and actions, drew people toward Jesus and introduced them to the One who would capture their souls for eternity and transform their lives for today. We too can cast our nets deep into the waters of this world through the way we live, serve, and speak, and watch how God uses us to capture souls to His glory.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start this Walking in Wisdom series from the beginning.