Daily Sightings

Proverbs 4:27 (KJV) Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

As we celebrate the 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed it does us good to develop the habit of a captain of a sailing ship of 1776.  They would take daily sightings to determine their exact location.  They would do it at high noon because the location of the sun directly overhead was important for accuracy.

We should do the same thing.  Have we as individuals drifted to the right or left?  We know the direction of the country and it is not promising.  Keep in mind that the nation is made up of individuals who either go with the flow or check their compass setting.  We cannot revive our country unless we revive ourselves.

So?  What a great time to make sure we are on target.  You can’t do it for me and I can’t do it for you but together we can do it for the nation.  

The Entrance

Proverbs 8:35 (KJV) For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

The thing being found here is wisdom.  You could interpret this to mean that wisdom will allow you to experience the best of life.  It would bring completeness and make you sensitive to the good things.  That is certainly part of it.

I think the inference goes a bit deeper.  The result of wisdom is a love that reflects the “favor” of the Lord.  I am looking at that as the blessing of being born again and attaining the assurance of eternal life.  I think this infers that genuine wisdom will lead us toward the Lord.  False wisdom will help us win game shows.

So?  Go for the gold.  Embrace the foundations that God has laid out for us.  

Action vs Knowledge

Proverbs 2:11 (KJV) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Earlier in the chapter we read about discernment.  Now the narrative switches to “discretion”.  This is a maturing of the message.  Discernment is a mental process.  You look at the facts and carefully analyze what you see.  You come to a conclusion.  This is where discretion comes in.

There is a saying about things like atomic energy and AI:  “Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.”  What applies to technology also applies to our actions each day.

So?  As usual, start with the foundational truth, think and pray, and finally act based on what has gone before.  Too often we act and then pick ourselves up.  

Foundational Principles

Proverbs 1:11 (KJV) If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

I have been coming across a number of videos that have Christian apologists interacting with Muslims.  Since the aggressive nature of modern Islam and the pushing of Sharia law is so front page today, I have been paying a bit more attention to this than normal.  I have also read the Koran and am in the process of slowly reading the Hadith.

This month as I begin reading through Proverbs again I am starting at verse eleven so this was the first verse that hit me.  My thought was that this tended to reflect the teachings of Mohamed in certain sections of the Koran.  That made me realize how different the basic principles of Islam are from Christianity.

So?  Know the difference when you see it and hear it.  If you are paying attention it will be obvious.  Build your life on the truth of God not the distortions of other religions.