Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Consequences of Choices or AKA "one thing leads to another."
Has God ever started you down one road of thought and just as you were about to make that known, a gentle tap on the shoulder and the still small voice says, "wait, I have something else to show you." I am sure it has and it happened to me this morning, I had plans to write one thing and in my morning devotional, God took me in a totally different direction so I hope you enjoy the run as much as I did!!
In reading my Proverb of the day (Proverbs 7) I noticed that Solomon is teaching about choices and direction of walking. In this Proverb we find a young man void of understanding (v.7) and he is on his way to another location when he passes by the house of a harlot. "Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night." (v. 8,9) At this I paused. I know that God never uses words lightly and I know that twilight, evening and the black dark night happen at different times through a nighttime, so that leaped out to me that this was a progression, it was a journey starting out in innocence where one could see (in the twilight) followed by less sight (in the evening) and ending up stumbling around not able to see (in the black dark night).
God reminded me there are steps we take every time we sin. He reminded me of what is found in James that says, "...Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:14-15)
There it is plain for everyone to see. Every time we make a choice, we have lost the freedom of choice and the consequences of that choice are inevitable, incalculable, and up to God. (Principle number 9).
What Satan wants us to believe is that the choice will lead to pleasure, that he has set it aside just for us and we are special. We see that in the harlot's sales pitch in Proverbs 7. "I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face." (vs.14-15) She is playing to the young man's pride. "I have only been looking for you, for you and no one else and we must give in to our lusts. " Solomon's advice to us comes at the end of this Proverb, "Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths... Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death."( vs. 25, 27) If only we can write those words on the chambers of our hearts, tie them to our hands, and place them before our eyes!!!!
The final thing the Lord shared with me this morning is just as Satan has placed a path for making wrong choices as shared in James, In II Peter there is another path to follow and Praise God this one leads to life!!!!
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1: 3-8)
For those of you who have stayed with me on this rather long and circuitous journey, thank you!! I am just Praising my Lord this morning that while Satan is trying to take us down and devour us like a roaring lion(I Peter 5:8) The Lord has a way out from every temptation that is common to man. (I Cor. 10:13) and as long as we look to our Lord, diligently seek him, meditate on his Law day and night, as long as we strive to be that Psalm 1 Christian then the choices we make will consistently leave us neither "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Blessings
In reading my Proverb of the day (Proverbs 7) I noticed that Solomon is teaching about choices and direction of walking. In this Proverb we find a young man void of understanding (v.7) and he is on his way to another location when he passes by the house of a harlot. "Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night." (v. 8,9) At this I paused. I know that God never uses words lightly and I know that twilight, evening and the black dark night happen at different times through a nighttime, so that leaped out to me that this was a progression, it was a journey starting out in innocence where one could see (in the twilight) followed by less sight (in the evening) and ending up stumbling around not able to see (in the black dark night).
God reminded me there are steps we take every time we sin. He reminded me of what is found in James that says, "...Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:14-15)
There it is plain for everyone to see. Every time we make a choice, we have lost the freedom of choice and the consequences of that choice are inevitable, incalculable, and up to God. (Principle number 9).
What Satan wants us to believe is that the choice will lead to pleasure, that he has set it aside just for us and we are special. We see that in the harlot's sales pitch in Proverbs 7. "I have peace-offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face." (vs.14-15) She is playing to the young man's pride. "I have only been looking for you, for you and no one else and we must give in to our lusts. " Solomon's advice to us comes at the end of this Proverb, "Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths... Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death."( vs. 25, 27) If only we can write those words on the chambers of our hearts, tie them to our hands, and place them before our eyes!!!!
The final thing the Lord shared with me this morning is just as Satan has placed a path for making wrong choices as shared in James, In II Peter there is another path to follow and Praise God this one leads to life!!!!
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1: 3-8)
For those of you who have stayed with me on this rather long and circuitous journey, thank you!! I am just Praising my Lord this morning that while Satan is trying to take us down and devour us like a roaring lion(I Peter 5:8) The Lord has a way out from every temptation that is common to man. (I Cor. 10:13) and as long as we look to our Lord, diligently seek him, meditate on his Law day and night, as long as we strive to be that Psalm 1 Christian then the choices we make will consistently leave us neither "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Blessings
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