Proverbs 23 "Food, Money, Sex & Alcohol"

People in America are looking for relevance in the church, today. If this chapter doesn't smack of relevance, I do not know what will. God deals with four issues that I think America struggles with. God is not afraid to tackle them. One thing we must keep in mind is that this is for everyone. We can not teach it if we are not practicing it.

FOOD

2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. (Yikes)

Right off the bat, we are confronted with one I struggle with, gluttony. I hate this one; because, I love all kinds of yummy, sweet, fancy, gourmet, fast, you name it food! Okay, see how quickly we can be caught up in the area food. Addictions come in all forms and food can be one of them. Sad, I know and this can be tough because we need to eat in order to live. But God wants us to find balance. He wants us to enjoy food but in moderation. So go on and have an Oreo(praise Jesus) but do not eat the whole package. We need to teach our children portion control too. This will help them learn self control as they grow. We need to have a healthy relationship with the food we put in our mouths.

MONEY

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

The American dream: house, car, vacation home up north, 2.5 kids, 2.5 baths, Starbucks in the morning, boat, vacations, 401K, early retirement the list can go on and on. The question is, "Is the list all you think about?" What are our needs and what are just plain wants? Look at our economy today. I think we are in the state we are in because of our greed for the American dream. We bought beyond our means and used money that we do not have. We need to be good stewards of the money God has given us. Does our money control us or do we control our money? My husband always uses the quote, "You can always tell the heart of a person by how they spend their time and their money!" The key here is moderation again.

SEX

27 for a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

28 Like a bandit she lies in wait,and multiplies the unfaithful among men

Listen my friends, any relationships outside of God's design of marriage is wrong. Once again we are confronted with our potential for selfish indulgences. God looks down into the deep parts of our hearts, the parts that are so secret, and the parts nobody knows about. He knows our desires and our longings. We need to bring into submission every area of our lives. God designed sex to be fulfilling, wonderful, and full of pleasure; but within His plan. His plan will bring joy. In our sex driven world; God brings it all back it into perspective. Bottom line God is speaking about our selfishness. Let's not forget what Christ says in the New Testament where he goes right straight to the matter of the heart.
Matthew 5:28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

ALCOHOL

20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.
35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt!
They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?"

I think this passage speaks for itself. I have a feeling the last question speaks to the heart of addiction. "When will I wake up so I can find another drink?" I will not claim to know anything about alcoholism; I have never even had a sip. But I have seen the destruction it has caused in a person and their family. God does not want us to be addicted to a substance; He wants us to be whole and healthy, functioning in a real world. He wants us to depend on Him with a problem not get lost in a bottle.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.

18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.

God wants us to have a future and a hope Jer. 29:11! He wants us to teach these precepts to our children. He wants us to control life's problems not our problems controlling us. His plan is full of joy and promise for me and my children.

I will be zealous for you today, Lord; and I will
GET JOY

Check out my friend's perspective on Chapter 23!

Proverbs 7 "The Apple of Your Eye?"

The seductress is the topic of chapter 7 again. God is showing us once again to flee from this type of immorality. God wants' us to listen to Him; we need to guard our hearts in the little things of our life. We do not wake up one morning and say, "I think I might have an affair, today." An affair is a result of a few choices that start a long time before the sin is committed. I think we would all be surprised how simple they start...

Oh, I wish my spouse was as romantic as so and so.

If my spouse would meet my needs things would be better.

Longing for compliments of the opposite sex.

The grass is always greener thinking.



Selfishness is found at the root. We begin to realize that it starts in the heart and is a battle of the mind. Sin does not happen to us; it is something we allow to dwell on and then do. God's design is for one woman, one man to death do they part. He designed this; because He understands the hurt and pain that can come when we look outside of our commitments. He is watching out for our best interest. Why? Because, He loves us.

So, here is the sum up...

you + someone other than your spouse= Sin

you + spouse = God's Design...Priceless

Verse to meditate on today found in verse 2:

"Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye."

And with that...
Get Joy!

Check out my friend, Jen's perspective on Chapter 7!

Proverbs 5 "No Silence"

Well, to be honest I was not excited to write about this proverb. I did was not thrilled to discuss adultery. At first, I was like…”This passage is not going to speak to me!” “I am not having this problem in my life.” As Christians, it is funny how often we may do that. Time and time again when I let God direct me, He shows me something I never thought of before.


Then God reminded me of something from yesterday…

Here we have Solomon instructing his son to keep away from this type of sin. In Proverbs 4 I wrote about as a mom I need to direct my own children towards the path of life. To teach them, I must not be afraid to talk about the tough topics such as adultery. Of course they are young right now and it would not be appropriate topic. When they are older I should instruct them not only about a Godly marriage; but also how to protect that marriage God put together.

How many marriages might be saved if our parents talked so freely about every aspect of it and how to guard that marriage. I grew up in a home where you did not talk about sex, details of marriage, problems that can happen in a marriage or how to deal with those issues. All I learned is from what I saw. From a child’s perspective things can be interpreted very differently then what things really are. All I could do was put bits and pieces together and my parents probably figured I would figure out all the rest.


It is like a light bulb moment now! God does not want us to remain silent about issues with our children. He is not silent with us. His Word is not afraid to deal with the tough topics or the ones we would rather not talk about. Here in Proverbs 5 we see an example of Solomon teaching his son to run from adultery.

In the Family Bible notes I read this and it is good. “When we are tempted to sinful indulgence, we should consider well its consequences. It is a sad exchange to give property, health, character, peace of conscience, the favor of God, and everlasting life, for a little momentary pleasure. How true this statement is and what a great truth we need to teach our children.

There is nothing hidden from God, nothing is kept secret. So, why should I ever be silent on any topic with my children? I leave with this verse from Proverbs 5


21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.


Get Joy!

Check out my friend Jenilee's perspective on Proverbs 5!