Scripture:
Proverbs 7:1-3 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Observation:
A father provides a lesson to his son in the form of a story about a man who is tempted and falls prey to an adulterous woman. It is a story of how temptation is all around. The world tempts. It is inviting. Yet it is also destructive. A foolish person falls for the world’s temptation.
Application:
There have been times in my life when I have fallen prey to temporary pleasure and temptation. But the minute it was over I realized that the fun was not worth the consequence. It is easy to fall into all kinds of temptation. It is all around us. It is attractive. It is often easy and it can be fun. But the world’s temptations don’t lead us to pleasure in the long run. The short term benefits may seem fun but the long term consequences are death.
Keeping God’s commandments take proactive action. It is something I must work on diligently and continually. I must seek His wisdom and not rely on my own knowledge. The author even goes so far as to say to use a string on your finger to remind you of God’s word and commandments. Ways to do that include:
· I must stay in the word. It is not enough to check the box and say I read the Bible today. I must read the word, study the word and apply it to my life.
· Surround myself with other believers and have accountability with other Christians. It isn’t that other Christians don’t sin but we can hold each other accountable. We all know God’s commandments and can help each other out during times of temptation.
Prayer:
Help me to realize when the world is tempting me. Help me to have the wisdom to stay away from temptation and to seek you and other Christians to keep me on the right path. Put strong Christian brothers in my life to help me be accountable and help me continue to be reminded of your commands.