Walking the red carpet at the Oscars, hosting your own television show or having an Emmy on your mantle doesn’t automatically mean you know what you’re talking about or that you’re an expert. . .as some in show business pretend to be.

My Daddy taught me years ago, that an expert is somebody fifteen miles out of town with a briefcase or it could be a drip under pressure.

Compassionate conversation even when it’s stained with tears doesn’t make you a competent counselor or an expert.

Jumping up and down or dancing and shouting on the set of a TV show doesn’t make someone the pinnacle of wisdom.

As Forrest Gump once said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Here are seven things that make people….stupid

First, stupid people don’t have common sense. Proverbs 30:2 in the New Living Translation says:

Why do people talk to themselves?

Some people will say. . .it’s because they’re starved for intelligent conversation which most certainly reflects on the people around them.

Others say that people who talk to themselves are a hamburger short of a Happy Meal.

Do you know what impresses God. . .what makes a difference with Him?

Romans 2:13 in the Message Bible says:

“Merely hearing God's law is a waste of your time if you don't do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.”

God is impressed by what you do. . .not what you intend to do.

Do you want God’s approval?

Are you in a tough work environment?

Is your boss like Hannibal Lecter…after a pound of flesh?

I feel prompted to share three things with you.

American Express. . .says don’t leave home without it.

MasterCard. . .takes you wherever you want to be.

Truthfully, the credit cards may take you there. . .but if you don’t pay your bills they won’t bring you back.

The young Marine who left home. . .never to enjoy his mother’s home cooking again.

The Navy Seal who left his pregnant wife. . .never to see his daughter take her first step.

The Army private who left college early. . .never to return to finish his education.

The Air Force fighter pilot who left a lucrative job offer. . .never to fly again.

Throughout our history. . .and indeed the history of the world there has always been those who so unselfishly gave their lives for the freedom of others.

There’s a country and western song entitled “looking for love in all the wrong places” written by Waylon Jennings.

The first stanza says:  “I’ve spent a lifetime looking for you.”

This morning God directed me to tell His children not to be looking in the wrong places to find the right Person with the answers to the problems they’re facing.

Then He said:

Ephesians 5:11-16 in the Message Bible:

 “Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

“Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!  So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!” Ephesians 5:11-16 MSG

The New Living Translation tells us in verse 16 to make the most of every opportunity we get.

Over the years, I've heard people say that if you want to be lazy you need to learn to smile as it takes less muscles than to frown.

I can give you seven scriptural reasons why you should smile.

# 1       You’re uglier when you frown.

I have no scriptural basis for this reason. . .just the opinion of someone who has literally met hundreds of thousands of people in his life.