Godly Correction
by Pastor Dan
We are continuing the series of articles from the book of Proverbs in the Bible. They are very practical for our life today even though they were written many years ago.
The life of a Pastor is interesting at best. I am sure many pastors could write a book on things that have been said and done to them and others. In my experience, when people make certain decisions in their lives and then the consequences roll around, they want relief. Of course, many of us who might be asked to help with this consequence relief know the struggle ourselves, and so we want to “throw the book at them.” The book I am talking about, of course, is the Bible, more specifically, the Ten Commandments.
Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light, and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.” While the Ten Commandments are a base to guide our lives, that is not what King Solomon is writing about here. He is writing about the relationship with God that is revealed as you live your life. Sometimes that commandment is revealed by learning what not to do; where we did something and then realized it was wrong so we ask for forgiveness and ask God to help us not to do that again. Sometimes it is being wise and looking at the possible consequences before doing something and choosing wisdom’s path of refraining from the actions and relieving ourselves from the potential consequence beforehand.
In the Bible verses preceding this verse, it tells us that there are seven things that God hates. I won’t get into them all here, but I will remind you that it is the action that God hates, not the person. The challenge is that God is perfect, whether we like it or not or whether we believe it or not. This means that God has the perfect balance of love and justice. When we ask for forgiveness and ask God to help us with the wisdom of refrain, we then can apply the grace and mercy of God through His love and can be relieved from the consequences of our sin. When we refuse this opportunity, God has no choice but to require justice, which applies the consequences to our lives.
The Bible uses the term “stiff-necked,” meaning we know we should not do something but do it anyway, not caring about the consequences. Solomon tells us that we can learn this corrective relationship through our parents and others around us, and as we learn, we are to “bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck.” (Proverbs 6:21) If you do this, then “when you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you.” (Proverbs 6:22)
May we always be learning and growing in our relationship with God and others. Are you growing by learning from God and others and then sharing your life experiences to help others grow?
Blessings,
-Pastor Dan
We are continuing the series of articles from the book of Proverbs in the Bible. They are very practical for our life today even though they were written many years ago.
The life of a Pastor is interesting at best. I am sure many pastors could write a book on things that have been said and done to them and others. In my experience, when people make certain decisions in their lives and then the consequences roll around, they want relief. Of course, many of us who might be asked to help with this consequence relief know the struggle ourselves, and so we want to “throw the book at them.” The book I am talking about, of course, is the Bible, more specifically, the Ten Commandments.
Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light, and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.” While the Ten Commandments are a base to guide our lives, that is not what King Solomon is writing about here. He is writing about the relationship with God that is revealed as you live your life. Sometimes that commandment is revealed by learning what not to do; where we did something and then realized it was wrong so we ask for forgiveness and ask God to help us not to do that again. Sometimes it is being wise and looking at the possible consequences before doing something and choosing wisdom’s path of refraining from the actions and relieving ourselves from the potential consequence beforehand.
In the Bible verses preceding this verse, it tells us that there are seven things that God hates. I won’t get into them all here, but I will remind you that it is the action that God hates, not the person. The challenge is that God is perfect, whether we like it or not or whether we believe it or not. This means that God has the perfect balance of love and justice. When we ask for forgiveness and ask God to help us with the wisdom of refrain, we then can apply the grace and mercy of God through His love and can be relieved from the consequences of our sin. When we refuse this opportunity, God has no choice but to require justice, which applies the consequences to our lives.
The Bible uses the term “stiff-necked,” meaning we know we should not do something but do it anyway, not caring about the consequences. Solomon tells us that we can learn this corrective relationship through our parents and others around us, and as we learn, we are to “bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck.” (Proverbs 6:21) If you do this, then “when you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you.” (Proverbs 6:22)
May we always be learning and growing in our relationship with God and others. Are you growing by learning from God and others and then sharing your life experiences to help others grow?
Blessings,
-Pastor Dan
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