Michael
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- Joined
- Jun 21, 2019
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- Non-Denominational
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- Conservative
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- Married
Been writing devotions on the Proverbs for many years now. The Truth found in today's Proverb is becoming increasingly important for us in the churches.
PROVERBS 5
"My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may preserve discretion,
And your lips may keep knowledge.
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell."
- Prov 5:1-5
The words of this Proverb exhort us not to give into temptations of the flesh, and warns of the consequences of heeding not the instruction of the Lord. Never do we HAVE to sin. There is no temptation that is stronger than the power of God in those who dwell with His wisdom, who continually seek His direction.
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." - 1 Cor 10:13
God’s words to Cain so long ago, are still True today.
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." - Gen 4:7
Always, the Lord is near to those who cry out to Him for strength to overcome in the hour of temptation. Always, He returns to the path of Life, those who turn from sin. Always.
"If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents." - Job 11:14
"She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house."
- Prov 5:6-8
God does not ask of us anything that we cannot accomplish. When He commands us to ’repent’ it is for our good. For He knows the end of those who choose the crooked paths, who turn aside from the ways of righteousness.
Paul, in writing to the Christian churches, reminds us that when we are baptized, we are baptized into Christ’s death, and by the Spirit he charges us - "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." - Rom 6:12-13
"Lest you give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
Lest aliens be filled with your wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
And say:
’How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!’"
- Prov 5:9-13
There will come a Day of realization, a Day of reckoning, when the Eternal consequences of our choices in this life will come to pass. We read a few days ago - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7) God calls ’fools’ those who hate His instruction, despise correction, and obey not His commands. He warned that those who give into temptation give their honor to others, and lose their ’wealth’. I believe here He is speaking of the Crown of Life. In the Revelation to John, Jesus tells us to cling tightly to the hope of the glory He has in store for us, for those who overcome.
"Hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." - Rev 3:11-12
And what is that crown? Just a few verses earlier, we see the Lord warning His Church, and exhorting us to stand strong in times of testing, that we may receive the fullness of His promises.
"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of Life." - Rev 2:10
For there is a crown to desire, that Paul said was even waiting for him and all who strive to live godly lives in this present age. May we have similar words to say one day -
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2Tim 4:7-9
For those who have heard His Word, yet did not obey; for those who forsake Him for sinful lusts of the flesh; for those who hated the chastisement and the discipline of the Lord; there will be mourning, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us, ’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from, ’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out." - Luke 13:24-28
Dear saints, may we be found among those who fight that good fight of faith, turn away from iniquity, and walk not on the crooked paths that we know lead to temptation. May we cherish the wisdom of the Lord, and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us, with all diligence, seek to walk in ways pleasing unto the Lord, remaining faithful to Him always, and allow Him to bless us in that Day, as is truly His desire. Praise His Holy Name.
God’s wisdom and understanding to all,
Michael
"For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD,
And He watches all his paths."
- Prov 5:21
PROVERBS 5
"My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
Lend your ear to my understanding,
That you may preserve discretion,
And your lips may keep knowledge.
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell."
- Prov 5:1-5
The words of this Proverb exhort us not to give into temptations of the flesh, and warns of the consequences of heeding not the instruction of the Lord. Never do we HAVE to sin. There is no temptation that is stronger than the power of God in those who dwell with His wisdom, who continually seek His direction.
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." - 1 Cor 10:13
God’s words to Cain so long ago, are still True today.
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." - Gen 4:7
Always, the Lord is near to those who cry out to Him for strength to overcome in the hour of temptation. Always, He returns to the path of Life, those who turn from sin. Always.
"If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents." - Job 11:14
"She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house."
- Prov 5:6-8
God does not ask of us anything that we cannot accomplish. When He commands us to ’repent’ it is for our good. For He knows the end of those who choose the crooked paths, who turn aside from the ways of righteousness.
Paul, in writing to the Christian churches, reminds us that when we are baptized, we are baptized into Christ’s death, and by the Spirit he charges us - "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." - Rom 6:12-13
"Lest you give your honor to others,
And your years to the cruel one;
Lest aliens be filled with your wealth,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
And say:
’How I have hated instruction,
And my heart despised correction!
I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!’"
- Prov 5:9-13
There will come a Day of realization, a Day of reckoning, when the Eternal consequences of our choices in this life will come to pass. We read a few days ago - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7) God calls ’fools’ those who hate His instruction, despise correction, and obey not His commands. He warned that those who give into temptation give their honor to others, and lose their ’wealth’. I believe here He is speaking of the Crown of Life. In the Revelation to John, Jesus tells us to cling tightly to the hope of the glory He has in store for us, for those who overcome.
"Hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." - Rev 3:11-12
And what is that crown? Just a few verses earlier, we see the Lord warning His Church, and exhorting us to stand strong in times of testing, that we may receive the fullness of His promises.
"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of Life." - Rev 2:10
For there is a crown to desire, that Paul said was even waiting for him and all who strive to live godly lives in this present age. May we have similar words to say one day -
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2Tim 4:7-9
For those who have heard His Word, yet did not obey; for those who forsake Him for sinful lusts of the flesh; for those who hated the chastisement and the discipline of the Lord; there will be mourning, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us, ’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from, ’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out." - Luke 13:24-28
Dear saints, may we be found among those who fight that good fight of faith, turn away from iniquity, and walk not on the crooked paths that we know lead to temptation. May we cherish the wisdom of the Lord, and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us, with all diligence, seek to walk in ways pleasing unto the Lord, remaining faithful to Him always, and allow Him to bless us in that Day, as is truly His desire. Praise His Holy Name.
God’s wisdom and understanding to all,
Michael
"For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD,
And He watches all his paths."
- Prov 5:21