SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 6:20-35
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. “This teaching is a light… the way to life” (6:23). Light helps us to see, to avoid the pitfalls along the way. These words of wisdom come from the heart of a parent who wants their children to find life, true life as God intended it to be. As a parent I can appreciate this, as I see my own children making choices, and worrying sometimes that they may make foolish choices, and have to live with the consequences. When they were young, I could direct their choices. But they must learn to choose on their own, when I am not there.
2. “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes getting burned?” (6:27). Sometimes wisdom is so obvious, yet our blindness to our folly is more proof of the deceptive power of sin in our hearts. Often the choices we make are like scooping fire in our laps. And then we grumble against God for letting us get into this mess.
3. “A man who commits adultery lacks judgment” (6:32). This is just a nice way of saying that he is a fool. Stupid. This is not being judgmental, this is just calling it for what it is. God has given us enough sense to think things through, we all have wisdom written in our hearts, even if it is distorted by sin. I can say this for myself, that if I am honest, I can admit after the fact that what I did was stupid. How can I train myself to think before I act? That is what it means to lack judgment, to not think before we act.
4. “Whoever does so destroys himself” (6:32). Actions have consequences, and foolish actions have harmful, even destructive, consequences. We need to stop and think through the direction of our life, our actions, our values. At the end of the day, we will not be able to blame God for our folly, we will reap what we have sown. Now is the time to stop, to discern wisdom, and to bind wisdom to our hearts.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to discipline myself more, to think though my choices and their consequences with You. Amen.
This passage reminds me of Deuteronomy 6 where it states;
thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
All of my life I need to serve the living God be cause He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. My journey of joy must be focussed n Him because He is my All in all. Any other focus, leads to death, Any other journey is a betrayal of my Master, Faithlessness.
Help me to be faithful to Your Way Lord and continue to deliver me from evil as You have promised. Help me also on this day to love You with heart, soul and mind.
O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.