sin – Page 4 – Be Still…

Proverbs 23:19-35 – What’s Your Remedy?

This passage has some bigger chunks of wisdom. Solomon paints a little more of a picture into the wisdom he imparts. I wasn’t sure at first what to reflect on. There are recurring themes here. After some discussion with my husband, discernment has finally come. We’ll focus on verses 29-35. I am reminded of the years we spent involved with Celebrate Recovery ministry, as well as the words of David’s sermon yesterday on being shackled to our sin.

We all have addictions of some kind or habits or hang-ups that are interfering with our life in some way. Chances are good our relationship with God takes a hit when we desire things other than him. Today’s passage speaks of the abuses of alcohol. That isn’t something everyone struggles with, however it is only the outward “remedy” for a hurt much deeper inside. We all have our remedies to help us forget the pain.

Proverbs 6:20-35 – Adultery–Don’t Do It!

Read Proverbs 6:20-35

We know that committing adultery (sleeping with someone else’s spouse) is one of God’s top 10 commandments he forbids us to do. Our text continues from yesterday’s theme of promiscuous sex and goes into more detail about what happens when we commit adultery. It is certainly not a pretty picture.

We are also encouraged to listen to our parents. They may not be perfect, but they have lived longer than we have and have been given wisdom we have not yet attained. Godly parents, who have followed the words of Scripture, are even more of a treasure. So, what about parents who don’t know God’s ways? Are all of their children supposed to rely on them?

1 John 1:5-7 – Light or Dark?

Read 1 John 1:5-7

Light or dark? I’m not referring to the type of turkey meat you want on your holiday plate! (If that seems a little odd for an introduction, remember I’m writing this on Thanksgiving to be published and distributed to my subscribers the day after — we’ll probably all be in a food coma by then!) We do have a choice on whether we choose the light or the darkness. Some people would like to think you can flip flop back and forth. God knows our hearts. Where do we belong?

Of course, God wants us all to be with him in the light. There is no darkness in him at all. But there is plenty of darkness when we look around. Our society is crawling with distractions and opportunities to step out of the light. Sometimes it seems to me that the light is shrinking. It’s harder to find the light than ever before. But God is where he has always been. Everywhere. Waiting for us. Sometimes he’s just harder to see because of all the noise and confusion.

Matthew 5:27-32 – How to Avoid Sexual Sin

Read Matthew 5:27-32

Adultery. It’s one of the top 10 biggie sins. We recently walked through the book of Exodus (see other posts) and we learned how God gave Moses the law he wanted for his people. Adultery was one of the 10 Commandments. It is a sin that requires another person. This is a big subject to unpack. But I’ll try.

Divorce. Another huge subject. One that I’ve struggled with for 20+ years now. Ever since my own divorce, I wondered how my sinfulness was affecting my salvation. You know, a broken vow is a broken vow (stay tuned for a future post in Jesus’ sermon on the mount). So what does Jesus really say about divorce? We’ll see.

Matthew 4:12-17 – Darkness and Light

Read Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus has been baptized and taken into the wilderness to be tempted. He is now ready to begin his mission, the reason he came to earth. Again, we see Scripture fulfilled from a geographical standpoint. It seems Jesus goes in response to the news of John’s arrest.

God’s word has placed Jesus in a territory populated by Gentiles as well as Jews. The Gentiles were living in darkness but probably didn’t realize it. They hadn’t been brought up with the same beliefs, law, or expectations as the Jews had. They would not be looking for a savior. If anything, they were enamored with false gods with empty promises. Many in our society today are also lost in the darkness.