Proverbs
8:1-36 – Think about it! Failure is learning what to do before success happens…
it is okay to make a mistake, but don’t make it the second time and don’t give
up! Solomon says through the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit that, “All the
words of Wisdom are soak in the Righteousness of God. There is nothing crooked
or perverse in them. And all of the words of God are plain to those who
understand and right to those who find knowledge. Keep seeking the wisdom of
God
Comments and Challenges
The
military has a language of its own and in using the Navy as an example; let’s
look at a few words that are common to these men and women who wear these
uniforms. Bulkhead this is not an entry way leading to the basement; but
a wall within the structure of the ship. Overhead is not that bird flying
over head, but it is the ceiling over your head. One last one: bight
this is not the half-moon circle missing in your peanut butter sandwich, but in
naval jargon it is a loop in the mooring line.
When
ships dock; deck hands (sailors) will use the mooring lines to bring the ship
to a safe docking position at the side of pier. To do this the mooring line is
fastened to bollard on the pier and the cleat on the ship. (Whoops,
two more words) The bight in naval language is when the rope is laying on deck and
is looped in a circle. Someone standing in the circle is said to be standing in
the bight, a very dangerous place to stand when a sudden movement of the ship
will cause the rope to tighten.
If
someone is standing in the bight; life and limb is threatened. The stories of
peg-legged sailors are not as glamorous as fighting with man eating whales and
sharks, but more like a sailor ignoring the warning of standing with one foot
in the bight and losing his leg up to the knee. Here is the rub: Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light; 2 Corinthians 11:4-15. There is the
light of the world and the blight of religion. Do not get caught up in the bite
of life or the blight of Satan, instead let us be prepared and alert for
Satan is a roaring lion who uses deception to take a bite out of your walk with the LORD.
Mark 7
Presenting the
gospel of God’s grace to the people around us is not complicated, that is
unless someone seeks to mix the grace of God with religion. “Oh you say that
you would never do that” and I am sure you mean that sincerely. Here in Mark 7
the Pharisees (the religious crowd) are observing the disciples of Jesus as
they ate with unwashed hands. Just as religion and tradition go hand in hand to
the altar of counterfeit worship; likewise grace and liberty go hand in hand to
the throne of God.
Religion finds its
yoke heavy and burdensome, Mark 7:6-9 by rejecting grace and adopting
tradition. This is because religion and tradition dictates what is really in
the heart of man.
And He said, “What
comes out of a man that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of
men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these evil things come from within and defile a man” Mark 7:20-23.
There is a strong
need in our circle of influence to be steadfast and abounding in the work of
the LORD and not in the work of man. In order that when we are challenged by
people about our actions that these actions be found in the purity of grace and
not of works. Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the LORD, knowing that your labor is not in vain in
the LORD. 1 Corinthians 15:58.
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