Articles
The Way Of Wisdom & Folly / I Hate Sin / Genuine Love
The Way Of Wisdom & Folly
(Kevin Heaton)
We make choices every day. All day long. All kinds of choices. Big and small. Our daily lives are left up to the choices we make. Whether they are wise choices or foolish ones is totally up to us. Righteous choices or sinful choices. Right or wrong. Good or bad. Which will we choose? Will we walk in the way of wisdom? Or will we walk in the way of folly and sin?
Wisdom and folly are both calling for our attention. For our hearts. God is calling for us. Satan is calling for us. Who will we answer? Who will we follow? Look at how Solomon pictures it for us in the book of Proverbs:
“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’ To him who lacks sense she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (9:1-6).
“The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’ And to him who lacks sense she says, ‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’ But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (9:13-18).
Who are we going to answer? Where will we go? What choices will we make? It’s totally up to us. We are presented with wise choices that lead to God and we are presented with sinful choices that lead to Satan. Who will we follow? Which will we choose? Who are we listening to? We have to decide.
Notice the blessings of listening to God’s wisdom and obeying the LORD versus the consequences of ignoring the Lord’s instruction: “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster’”(Proverbs 1:20-33).
Choose wisely. Choose wisdom. Choose God. Choose righteousness. Choose eternal life in Heaven with the Lord.
I Hate Sin
(Kevin Heaton)
How do you feel about sin? May seem like a funny question but it’s a serious one. How we look at sin and what we feel about it says a lot about whether we will stay away from it or not. Does it bother you? Do you care? Does it affect us? How do we respond to it?
If we want to live for God and be pleasing to Him then we have to feel the same way about sin that He does. He hates it! And so should we.
Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” It should make us mad. Make our blood boil. Want to get rid of it and stay far away from it. Psalm 97:10 reads, “O you who love the LORD, hate evil!” If we love the Lord then we will hate wickedness.
Paul tells us that we are to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). He also tells us that we are to “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
Even though we often look at the man Lot as a bad example, there is one good thing said about him. Peter wrote that Lot was tormented or “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7-8). Is that how we feel about all the sin around us in this world? We should.
Sin is bad. It is ugly. It separates us from God. It leads to Hell. We need to get mad at it. Hate it. Want to get rid of it. Want to help others get out of it. We need to be disgusted at sin. We will only ever overcome sin when we hate it. God hates sin. So should we.
Remember that Jesus Christ the Son of God died on the cross because of our sins. That should cause us to hate sin more and more
Genuine Love
(Kevin Heaton)
It’s easy to say “I love you.” But do we mean it? Is it real? Is it true? Is it heartfelt? True love comes from the heart and is seen in our words and actions.
In Romans 12:9 Paul said to “let love be genuine.”
Paul is telling us that we have to have a love for others that is without hypocrisy, sincere, active. Real. How do we treat others? How do we think about others? Even those we may not agree with. Or those who may not love us. No matter who it is we are to love them. For real.
Paul also tells us as Christians that we are to “love one another with brotherly affection” and in doing so to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). If we love one another then we’re going to find ways to show it. Our love has to be genuine. Not just words. Not just a smile on the face. But real care for each other.
Is your love for others real? Or is it only on the outside and not really in the heart? Let’s love like God. His love is real. Our love has to be real too. Do it on purpose. Make the effort. Do it God’s way. His way works wonderfully.
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