SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 6
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. [Proverbs 6:23] How does a person figure out the right or best way to live? To some extent, it is trial and error. We learn by experience. But at times the consequences of ‘errors’ can be devastating. Is there a way to figure this out without learning the hard way? Solomon suggests listening to your parent’s wisdom, what they learned through life experience. In this passage he warns his son about getting into serious debt, being lazy, dealing with scoundrels, the kinds of things God hates, and the dangers of sexual temptation and unfaithfulness. You don’t have to learn this the hard way, listen to good advice, like a light illuminating a dark and dangerous path.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. [John 8:12] This world is a dark place. Our hearts are twisted and misdirected. We need light! Jesus does not just pass on the wisdom of His experience, He Himself is the wisdom of God embodied for all to see. He is the light, not just His words. Choosing to follow Him is the way to life.

The Jesus way of living – which includes submission to God’s will, humility, integrity, generosity, love and grace – is the way to survive this dark world, and to help others survive it too. Not only will following Jesus protect us from foolish vows, laziness, getting mixed up by tricksters, falling into sexual sin, and the other things that God hates, it will also make our own lives shine like lights, so that others can see the Jesus way through us. In this way, we become the light of the world [Matthew 5:14].

Our light is like the light of the moon, it is a reflection of the sun. We do not generate light, we reflect it. The better we see His face, the more we shine His light! This is a call to focus as much as possible on Jesus, on His way of life, on His teaching of truth. When we do, with His Spirit’s help, we be better able to resist temptation, avoid immorality, and live the kind of life that God loves.

PRAYER:
Lord, may Your Spirit shine in my heart, and may others see Your reflection in me.