(Proverbs 6:20-35)
20 My son, comply with the commandment of your father,
And do not ignore the teaching of your mother;
21 Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
26 For the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And an adulteress hunts for a precious life.
27 Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To satisfy himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance.
35 He will not accept any settlement,
Nor will he be satisfied though you make it a large gift.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And do not ignore the teaching of your mother;
21 Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the foreign woman.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
26 For the price of a prostitute reduces one to a loaf of bread,
And an adulteress hunts for a precious life.
27 Can anyone take fire in his lap
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a person walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
To satisfy himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must repay seven times as much;
He must give up all the property of his house.
32 One who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself commits it.
33 He will find wounds and disgrace,
And his shame will not be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a man,
And he will not have compassion on the day of vengeance.
35 He will not accept any settlement,
Nor will he be satisfied though you make it a large gift.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
We can see how destructive adultery is, whether it is sex with a prostitute, someone else's spouse, or with any other person. This is applicable to both men and women, and it doesn't matter who you sleep with... God's will is that sex is only between a man and woman who are married. And if one is a believer, it is so important and makes complete sense that we marry another believer.
These are the teachings and commandments (instructions) from God - written for all people to read, with the desire that all come to know Him personally, with the desire that we have a peace-filled, joy-filled life of purpose, fulfillment and blessings. But God doesn't force anyone to believe or embrace His will. These are personal decisions that everyone must make.
If we desire to know truth, we will seek and find it - here - in God's word. And if we desire to be wise and discerning, we will understand that it is to our benefit that we put these teachings into practice. Out of all the people who have done this, I have never heard any of them say that their life was bad or miserable as a result. Sadly, I do know of people who simple decided that "their heart wanted what their heart wanted" and so they were going to live by their own fleshly desires, no matter what the consequences would be.
For those who walked away from the faith saying, "I've tried Christianity, but it doesn't work," never fully understood what it means to be a Christian. What they were doing was only going through the motions and living by the do's and don'ts. What they totally didn't understand is that it is all about humbly going to the Lord, repenting of our sin to receive His forgiveness and His free gift of salvation.
In that moment of making Jesus our personal Lord and Savior, He gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise, and changes our hearts from the inside out. And then, moving forward in our walk with the Lord, we should continually ask Him to work in and through us.
(Philippians 4:13) I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
We will make mistakes, but we cannot lose our salvation. The temptation might be to sin anyway, because God's grace covers us. But, as He promises, He disciplines those He loves. He will allow us to go through consequences as a result of our mistakes.
I can't say it enough, it is to our benefit to enjoy the blessings of living in God's will, all in His strength, wisdom, love and joy... all to His glory! The Lord will teach and help us live in righteousness, because He is righteous! The Lord will teach and help us to love unconditionally, because He is agape love! The Lord will teach and help us to live in healthy wholesomeness, because He is holy! And the Lord will help keep us faithful in His strength, because He is faithful and all-powerful!
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