The first line in Chapter 1 that stands out to me is "...if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Proverbs 1:10
This seems applicable to all until you realize that technically all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In this perspective then, it seems anyone of us could be the sinner who entices others to sin. Our company can often determine our actions--and as was mentioned in the sermon today at Jubilee, your friends can either take you to Heaven, or take you to Hell. Strong words, but if you think about it, it's true.
I would say nearly all of my friends throughout my life have been as moral and upstanding as they could given the circumstances. I have had some make horrible decisions--and I have had some make good decisions, but through apathy or intellectual pursuit, have avoided things of a Biblical nature.
I am where I am currently because this is where God wants me to be, and for the first time, I am GREAT with that. If one is in the will of God, what could they possible fear or need. Jesus said come unto me all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (paraphrase). Would that not entice someone to just relax and let God watch over their lives?
Each of us has a gift from God. Mine is music. Someone else may have a gift for missions---or translating---or kindness even. Just as in the parable of the three talents, we are all accountable to "the master" for what we have been given. In the parable, the first two servants make use of their talents and gain more. A good "return on the Master's investment" if you will. The 3rd servant is called lazy because he took what was given and hid it away.
I believe Jesus was saying, that each of us have been given gifts from God, and He expects a good return on his investment. It wasn't until I joined Jubilee that I had an opportunity to give a return on God's investment in my musical ability. I don't know that I was wasting it, so much as honing it, during the years I played in the Huntsman. I do know it wasn't going to further the Kingdom, though there is something to be said about bringing people together through music, secular or spiritual. (This depends on the type of secular).
So the statement do not let sinners entice thee, in my current thought process, is saying to me, do not let anyone distract from the purpose that God has given me. Do not let anyone tell me how to use the talents that I have been given (and yes I know in the parable it refers to money). I want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" someday when I give my account for how I used what was entrusted to me.
This goes for money as well. Is not all money and value inherently God's? Aren't we all just watching over it for a time? I know up until recently in my life, I have not been taking very good care of what was entrusted. I gave no honor to what was not mine to begin with, and spent needlessly.
I recently made a commitment, to stick to the Biblical principle of giving. As much as I tried to fight it, the Bible does really push believers towards a 10% offering---not because God needs money--but because it is a way of honoring what we have been temporarily entrusted with.
You may think, "but Chris, you have so much debt, shouldn't you take that 10 % and put it towards your credit cards?" I would answer that by man's standards, yes, that is logical. But my life is governed not by my will, but the will of God, and the least we can do is honor God with what has been entrusted to us. We have not always had much extra money between checks, but the times we were at our lowest and didn't know how to get groceries for the next few days, God always came through. A random check refund, a gift unexpected, $20 from fellow church members {shout out ;) }. When you are in the will of God, you are His to take care of. And while I am sure we will continue to be blessed even more as we begin honoring God, it is not about the return I get, it's about the return I can give to God.
Christian living is a mindset of obedience, humility and understanding that without Christ, I am nothing. The world will say, "oh but you are something, you're a beautiful product of nature..." "you're kind and loving and people like you," it will say. I can be the best person in the world, and that won't get me one inch closer to an eternal life after this one. If I give you directions to my house and tell you it's the only way you can be sure to arrive, are you going to drive around searching for another way just because you don't feel like my directions were the ONLY way? Or are you going to listen and arrive to my house in a timely manner?
This year, amongst other commitments, we have decided together (Juliet and I) to begin tithing regularly--not so that we can run around boasting about it--but so that we can honor what has been given to us these past few years (and technically every year or our lives).
"the fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding;but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
Fear in this context is not in regards to being afraid...but rather indicates respect and honor. In this way I too fear the Lord, and long for understanding.
Maybe some of you out there have everything you could ever want, but you still feel like something is missing. When all is said and done, and all the treasures of this world pass away, how will you fill that void? There is a God-shaped whole within us all, and by earnestly repenting and desiring to walk the Christian walk, that longing will be fulfilled. And then maybe, we will all be able to hear Him say, "well done good and faithful servant!"
I hope you will all join me on this journey during the month of January. God Bless!
Enjoy this song I recently recorded that relates to the blog- Well Done
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