Proverbs 6
I would offer that the word love is not a verb, it is a noun. It is not a thing you do. It is the light that you are made of and what you were created to be.
Choices – Lessons for Daily Life
1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger- 2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said- 3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- 11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
12 What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, 13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. 14 Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. 15 But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.
16 There are six things the Lord hates- no, seven things he detests: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, 18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, 19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
20 My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 21 Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. 23 For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life. 24 It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
25 Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. 26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. 27 Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? 28 Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? 29 So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished.
30 Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving. 31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house. 32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself. 33 He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased. 34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. 35 He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size. (NLT)
insights
It’s all about Choices. This chapter speaks to everyday situations and habits, and how to handle them with wisdom.
Have you ever been asked to co-sign a loan, or credit application? Have you ever been asked to post bail for a friend or relative or loved one? Sometimes it works out, and other times we are held responsible or made to pay for the actions of another. This can be a very dangerous trap, not only because we may suffer financial loss, but often it can cost us our relationship with that person as well. In this day and age, there is no begging to have your name removed from such a debt, so best we pray for wisdom prior to making such choices.
The good news is that God shows mercy when we make poor choices, and whatever we get ourselves into, He will be beside us to get us through it, even though we have made foolish choices.
Laziness is another of the foolish choices we often make. There is a time for work and a time for rest, a time for reflection and a time for recreation. To experience all of the wonderful plans God has for us, there is no room for laziness. Habitual laziness stagnates our existence. When we accomplish little, we feed the furnace of lack and scarcity in our lives. When we are not in motion to achieve something, we can achieve nothing.
This relates to both physical work and to the kingdom work. We are told in 1 Thessalonians that Jesus’ return will be sudden, and that some will not be ready. The great commission demands that we spread the word and make ready for His coming.
There are two kinds of people in this world, those who cling to life and those who cling to death by the choices they make. The wisdom of proverbs tells us what to look for in a person in order to avoid the influence of those who are clinging to death. Friendships and intimacy with those who cling to death will draw us away from that which nourishes life. Whether it be gang connections or an enticing seduction, the result is the same. We can not cling to spiritual life while flirting with spiritual death, so let wisdom guide you always.
lynnibug
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