Deadly Oatmeal

(Pro 7:17 KJV) I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Are myrrh, aloes and cinnamon evil and sinful?  I don’t know about myrrh but that would make all skin treatments that include aloe a path to hell.  If cinnamon is evil what have I done to my Granddaughter?  I put it in her oatmeal every morning for months.  Woe is me.

It is hard for us to accept but many things that are sinful are not sinful in themselves but in the attitude and application of the people using them.  Think about a simple thing like aspirin.  We are told not to give it to children because it can cause something called Reye’s syndrome.  The elderly are told to take a small dose for their heart.  In one case it is a poison and the other it is a life saver.  I am sure that more research will change all these positions but the point is the problem is not the aspirin but the dosage and timing.

So?  There are many activities, foods, books and such that can be beneficial or deadly in spiritual terms.  For medications we are told to consult our doctor.  For righteousness we are to consult our Doctor and read his instruction book. 

The Art of Procrastination

(Pro 6:4 KJV) Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

This verse can be summed up in one word:  Now.  You may be one of those people who doesn’t understand the art of procrastination.  I hear there are people like that.  They plan ahead and get an early start on everything.  When in school they always had their assignments done early.  On the church board they brought in a report a month early.  They are the kind of people that many of us learn to avoid.  There are many personality types but I think that God wants us to learn to be like these people when it is important.

The situation in the previous verses is important.  It comes from sinful financial practices.  Yes, I said sinful.  When we are told not to do something and we do it anyway, it is a sin.  What Solomon is saying is that when the Holy Spirit finally makes you aware of your disobedience, do something about it, now.

So?  Sin is like a dirty splinter that gets under your skin.  The longer you wait the more damage it can do.  Don’t go septic. 

Making Jerky

(Pro 5:7 KJV) Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

Did you indulge in New Year’s Resolutions this year?  I generally avoid it in those terms.  I have taken the time to review the year and set some goals for the next.  That is me exercising my penchant to do things my way.  Some things I want to change.  Some things I want to keep the same.  One of the requirements of a sane year is to spend time reading the word, thinking about what I have read, and applying it to the real world I live in.

You can’t make jerky unless you know the ingredients and the method.  The same it true of walking the Jesus walk.  

So?  Develop a habit.  Read, ponder, pray, act.  Today is a good day to start or resume. 

They Understand Very Well

(Pro 4:16 KJV) For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

One of the good reasons to have a habit of reading and meditating on the Bible is that it reminds us of things we would rather not face.  This verse points out one of them.  There are people in the world who get their jollies from making other people miserable.  This verse says they cannot even relax at night unless they have messed with someone.

In the politics of the past several years I keep hearing people try to make excuses for the evil actions they see.  “They can’t see what they are doing.”  “They just don’t understand.”  There are many ways we try to ignore a basic point:  Sin is real.  Sin destroys.  The majority of people you see in a day are still servants of Satan and think only of themselves.  

So?  Get used to the idea.  They are not all like you with just a few misunderstandings.  That clerk at the DMV?  She did it on purpose.  Why?  Because she could and you couldn’t.  Be glad God is on your side. 

Pick Your Attitudes

(Pro 3:3 KJV) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

I am a big one for truth.  I seek accuracy.  I want the words to match reality.  I think I am on the side of angels with that, however....  The thing I need to concentrate more on is “mercy" (kindness NASB) (2617a) [chesed].  If there is anything that is lacking in this world it is truth presented with kindness.  That does not mean watering it down or muting it.  It does mean presenting it under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

This hit me today as I read it after a bit of interpersonal conflict.  It is so easy to take our position or to get huffy that we have been wronged and go Viking on people.  That is not allowed if we follow the mandate of love [agape].  In I Corinthians 13 the second quality of love is kindness.

So?  More important than picking your battles is picking your attitude.  May God help us all. 

Count on It

(Pro 2:8 KJV) He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

As I write we are in political chaos.  There is no way to know which way things will go and what that will mean to the man on the street.  In that context, as I read this verse this morning I was reminded that His presence “preserves” (8104) our “way” (1870).  This is not a new revelation.  I live in it every day.  Yet it is a reminder that God is constantly reinforcing because we tend to be creatures of the moment.  

The moment can promise all kinds of rainbows or threaten with hurricanes and broken water mains.  Being finite creatures we can be shaken to the roots.  If you notice the context of this verse it is the roots that will keep us firm and moving forward.  It is the roots that are established as we have been listening and seeking the wisdom He has to offer.

So?  Storm clouds ahead, sometime.  Count on it.  Also count on Him. 

GPS to the Rescue

(Pro 1:32 KJV) For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Recently we were driving on less that major roads in an area we had never adventured in before.  We thought we were going right.  We had checked the GPS and everything but it was taking a long time to get to our next checkpoint.  We had a choice.  We could keep on driving or we could take a moment to check and see if we were still on track.  There had been many junctions and forks in the road to lead to confusion.  

Life is like that and there are points where it is always good to stop and check if we are still following the plan.  New Years is one of those obvious days.  Others could be your birthday or an anniversary.  It could be a weekly thing.  The important point is that getting off track can have serious consequences.  If you are going to a wedding you might miss the ceremony.  If you are headed into eternity it is a bit more serious.

So?  Stop and smell the eternal GPS.  You still have time.