Trevor S. Ferguson
July 29, 2012
Proverbs 3:11-12 (KJV)
11
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his
correction:
12
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth.
Proverbs
4:14-15 (KJV)
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Proverbs
6:27-29 (KJV)
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Proverbs
6:6-11 (KJV)
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or rule ,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or rule ,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
In this blog,
I will continue to share with you from the book of Proverbs again focusing of
practical principles for Christian living.
PRINCIPLE #1: THE CHASTENING AND CORRECTION OF THE LORD IS
DESIGNED TO MAKE US BETTER CHRISTIANS - PROVERBS 3:11-12
God’s desire
is for us to be fruitful Christians. If He sees that were are faltering or
falling into sin, He will step in to correct us and get us back on the right
path. His correction may take many forms. It may be a simple rebuke in private,
or public if that is required. At other times God will set up life events that
blocks desires or prosperity so that He may get our attention. In more extreme
cases God may allow us to go through bad experiences (usually the consequences
of our own actions) so that we may recognize our error and turn back to him.
Regardless of
the degree of discipline, it is never Gods intention for us to fail, but rather
His desire is for us see the error of our ways and make amends. If he allowed
us to continue in error then that would suggest that He does not love us. But
we know that He does. Let us therefore be sensitive to the rebuke or chastening
of the Lord so that we may grow and become better, more fruitful Christians.
PRINCIPLE #2: STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT IS EVIL OR SINFUL.
IF WE TOY WITH TEMPTATION WE MAY BE TORN BY ITS TEETH – PROVERBS 4:1-15;
6:27-29
Man by nature
is adventurous, but sometimes what we think is adventure is just plain stupid.
There is often the temptation to participate in activities even though we know
that they are risky. Many have tried it and have failed. Many are out of the
church today because they put too much trust in their flesh. The principle
proposed by Proverbs is to stay clear of temptation: Enter not in the path of the wicked; go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn away from it and pass away!!!
In chapter 6,
Solomon asks some pointed questions: Can a man take fire in his bosom and be
not burned? Can one go up on hot coals, and his feet not be burned? In verse 32
he describes the person who commits adultery as one who lacks understanding and
one who destroys his own soul.
My charge to
us today is to stay clear from trouble and any form of sin. It is not worth
it! It is better to lack a few things here on earth than to lose out on our
salvation and end up spending and eternity in hell!!
PRINCIPLE #3: DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY LAZINESS. PERSISTENT WORK
BRINGS SUCCESS – PROVERBS 6: 6-11
God does not
sanction or reward laziness. The principle of work actually predates the fall.
God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden with responsibility to dress it and keep
it (Genesis 2:15). We note that the command to dress and keep came before the command
to eat. In God’s economy therefore man is expected to work for his bread. Paul
reiterated this principle in 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 “… this we commanded you, that if any would
not work, neither should he eat.”
In the church
therefore we expect that Christians will embrace the principles of hard work
and eschew laziness. We leant from the ant that small size does not limit our
capacity to work. Although a tiny creature the ant is among the most
industrious animals. They will group together to move objects much larger than
themselves and as cited in this passage they will store up food in times of
plenty so that they have great reserves between harvests.
We as
Christians must embrace similar principles. Laziness is never acceptable. In
everything that we do let us make persistent disciplined efforts. Progress may
sometimes be slow, but in the long run we will reap great success.
