Guard Your Life

Proverbs 7 warns of the adulteress woman,
But I see how it applies
to every area of my life.
What in my life
is seducing me away from
my relationship with God 
and His Word?

Entertainment?
Food?
Sleep?
Things?
Busyness?
These are not wrong
in an of themselves . . .
but . . .
anything that is elevated above
my relationship with
my Heavenly Father
has seduced me.

The young man
had PLANNED
to meet
the "woman of the night" (vs 8b) . . .
he had purposed in his heart
was convinced
no one was watching.

How many times
do I plan to sin . . . 
in thought, 
in word,
in deed . . . 
convinced no one is watching? 
No one knows 
what I am thinking. 
But God knows our thoughts 
before we think them. 
As a man thinks in his heart, 
so is he. 

Her voice was
seductive,
rebellious,
boisterous
(vs 11)

He was swayed
by her sophistication (vs 21)

Sound like the things of this world?

"Stick close to my instruction,
my son,
and follow my advice.
If you do what I say
you will live well.
Guard your life
with my revelation-truth,
for my teaching is
as previous as your eyesight."
Proverbs 7:1-2 (Passion Translation)

I'll Put It Where I Want To!

Our soon-to-be-5-in-March grandson

spends Tuesdays with us. 

He loves

donuts

paintin’ and puzzles

games and gluing

play dough and playgrounds

movies

sand

wrestling

Yup . . . he’s busy

and smart

and he likes to

put.his.toe.over.the.line

on occasion.

Yesterday

when asked to put

an item in a certain place

his reply was

“I’ll put it where I want to”

The momma mode

in this Meme kicked into gear

(or as my son would say

“he’s barking up the wrong momma”)

and this Meme replied

“It’s my house

I’m the boss

and I’ll put that where

I want it.”

Truly spoken like

one child to another

Yes?  Yes!

Well . . .

I’m pretty sure that God gives us

children and grandchildren

as a direct channel of communication

with us

since we don’t always

hear / listen to God

in our “quiet times”

I remember saying

to my children

“how many times have I told you . . "

as God

at the very same time

said to me

“and how many times have I told YOU . . .”

Yesterday’s

“I’ll put it where I want to”

was a gentle reminder of the

rebellious

self-sufficient

I-know-what’s-best-for-me

I-can-do-it-myself

attitude, carnal nature

toward God

when

God only means to do us good

It is a daily

sometimes moment-by-moment

knee-bending

(aka submission)

to the work of the cross

and cleansing blood

of my Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ

It says in Colossians 3:10 . . .

“Put on your new nature

and be renewed

as you learn to know your Creator

and become like him.”

(emphasis added)

(all of chapter 3, actually)

This putting on of our new nature

of being renewed

doesn’t happen over night!

It happens

through relationship

through time

in His presence!

So very thankful for 

His unconditional love

and

His great grace and mercy . . .
and for
children and grandchildren!

The Wind is Blowing

Let all that I am praise the Lord;

may I never forget the good things he does for me.

vs. 2

David was not saying

“soul (mind, will, emotions)

if you want to”

David said . . .“never forget . . .”

Never forget  . . .

He forgives all my sins

He heals all my diseases.

He redeems me from death

He crowns me with love and tender mercies.

He fills my life with good things.

My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

He is compassionate

He is merciful,

He is slow to get angry

He is filled with unfailing love.

He does not punish us for all our sins;

He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve

He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

How different my life would be

if I began each day . . .

remembering!

But tucked into this Psalm of blessing

are these two verses 

like thorns on a rose . . .

Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

The wind blows, and we are gone—

as though we had never been here.

vs. 15-16

As an amateur gardener  

I love to watch

and photograph 

the full cycle of flowers

especially roses . . .

 

from

tiny bud

to maturing of the bud

to unfolding of the flower

 

the full beauty

the fading flower

and dropping of petals

like a rose 

our natural life is

delicate

fragile

temporary

verse 16 says

when we are gone it will be

as though

we have never been here

I am challenged by this Psalm . . .

First, to remember

all the good the Lord has done for me!

Second, how am I living my life on this earth? 

I don't want it to be

as though I had never been on this earth

Third, is my legacy 

like a flower in the wind?

or eternal? 

Psalm 103

New Living Translation