Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Proverbs 2 - "Where I Belong"

Proverbs 2 New International Version (NIV)

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding
indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
    and who are devious in their ways.
16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
    and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

We have choices to make each and every day in what we do, what we believe, who we listen to, etc.  The thing I have learned in life is when I listen to the Lord, believe in Him and follow His ways life is easier.  Why?  Because I am living in His Will, not on my own.  I will admit it is not always the easiest choice to make.  Sometimes it would be easier to take the ways of the world but I chose to not do that.  

Matthew Henry writes:  "The righteous must leave the earth as well as the wicked; but the earth is a very different thing to them. To the wicked it is all the heaven they ever shall have; to the righteous it is the place of preparation for heaven. And is it all one to us, whether we share with the wicked in the miseries of their latter end, or share those everlasting joys that shall crown believers?"  It brings to mind the song "Where I Belong" that Building 429 sings.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

The earth is only our temporary residence but the things we do on this earth have eternal consequences.  If we chose the ways of the world and make decisions based upon the world, we will spend eternity in hell.  But if we chose God's ways and make decisions based on living a life of eternity with Him, we will do just that.  I chose Kingdom Life.  I chose to live for the Lord.

Dear Jesus,
I pray for more of You to come through in my life.  I pray for Your decisions to be my decisions.  I pray for Your wisdom to be my wisdom.  Thank You Lord for being My Kingdom Life.  Amen.


No comments: