This was a recent devotion from Days of Praise by the Institution for Creation Research. Although it says nothing new, the words seemed to make so much sense. We live in a day of confusion, and if anything is more twisted than man’s thoughts on the marriage relations, I don’t’ know what it would be! I’ve added the Bible verses and bold type which were not in the original article.
Love or Lust – Days of Praise (April 2,2016)
The entire fifth chapter of Proverbs concerns the use or misuse of the highest function of our physical bodies. Under the sovereign control of Almighty God, a man and woman have been granted the ability, through their union, to make an eternal human being with the ability to accept or reject God, eternal life, and forgiveness. The contrast in this chapter is between the usage of this God-given function in lust or love, adultery or fidelity.
Verse 3 through 6 provide insight into the character of promiscuity, which includes deception (v.3) and sorrow (V.4).
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Psychologists have long recognized that many prostitutes ply their trade out of a hatred for men, purposefully and conscientiously destroying their companions. (v5).
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
The solution, of course, is to stay away. Don’t play with fire! Avoid any opportunities to be enticed (8).
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
The results, of course, of yielding to temptation would be that we would lose our youthful vigor (9),
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
our wealth (10),
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
our health (11),
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
our self-esteem (12-13),
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
and even our lives are in danger. (14).
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
On the other hand, married love is a beautiful thing (15-20), providing health, companionship, joy, and satisfaction.
15 ¶ Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;
and be thou ravished always with her love.
Remember, none of this is done in secret. “The ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings” (21). We should stay away from any involvement in sin, for sin entraps us (22), and we keep going back.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself,
and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Men die for lack of instruction, or lack of obedience to the instruction they have (23).
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
This leads to great folly, and the end, total shame and destruction.
Ladies, are you caring for your husbands? Is his heart safe with you, or is he in fear of being mocked, ridiculed, or hated? You may have all the reasons in the world as to why you do not love and care for your husband, but will they pale in importance when you stand before God and give an account of your responsibilities?
Are you raising your daughters to be clean and pure? Are you setting a standard of submission in your home for her to follow? Or will she also be trapped in the endless cycle called the Blame Game?
Are your sons strong in character? Do they see your love for the Lord and, somewhere in the depths of their hearts, that image is causing them to secret away a beautiful model of the wife they long to have one day?
If your children are in the public school system, do know that all of these challenges are ridiculed and not only tampered with, but are trashed by many!
I hear you already making excuses: But he… All I can say is, Prove God! Be all that He wants you to be and leave the rest to Him!
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, (or show your obedience in any of His commands) and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10
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