The readings that have been chosen for today truly reflect the type of mindset we are seeking to harness and cultivate this year in our studies and much of what I have preached on thus far. The idea is simple; that is, with every action there is a natural outcome in our lives. Consider this verse from our first reading, “He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, but trouble will come to him who seeks evil” (Proverbs 11:27). Or how about this verse, “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly” (Proverbs 13:16). The choices we make in life will impact all of us, not only as individuals, but also those who are in our circle of life.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the hearts.
Proverbs 21:2
Our second reading begins with the above verse and when I read it, it caused me to reflect. So often in my life, I have made decisions, that at the time seemed right to me. I would tell myself, “I thought about this and prayed about it and it seems right.” Well, I cannot count on my hands the number of times that “reasoning” was proven to be wrong. And as years have passed by, I have come to learn more and more the insight of a book like Proverbs. It provides hundreds of bits of wisdom, that when learned and applied, can help prepare us to make better, God centered decisions, which can dramatically impact multiple areas of our lives for the better and more importantly, be pleasing to Him (Ephesians 5:10).
…by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises…
2nd Peter 1:4
As we seek to grasp the importance of our call to maturity and the reality that how we approach it has implications, I am humbled at the incredible gift of Christ that was given to sinful man (Romans 5:8)…of which I am one. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, I have been given the chance to be one of the “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2nd Peter 1:4). What follows in this reading; that is, the call to grow, and what happens when we don’t, is meaningless if this truth is not understood. What we have in Christ is the very reason we seek to become more like Him. He is the REASON behind a Christian’s desire to grow! Remember, for every action there is a natural reaction. The action in this case is that of Christ and the reaction is that of one who has come to understand exactly what Christ has done for him or her. Remember, for every action there is a reasonable reaction. How are you reacting?
Dennis
