1-4 "My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and to insight, ‘You are my relative.’"
Proverbs 7:1–4 (NIV)
A coach's job is to point out to his or her players the difference between good and great, the difference good execution makes and the difference little things make. God also wants to show us a few things that can make a huge difference. Let's unpack today's Scripture:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH – God says the difference between life and death pivots on this: obedience by faith. Following God's commands leads to life. Writing our own game plans for life leads to death.
Keep His words. Store up His commands. Put great sweat into this. It leads to life.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT – The “apple of your eye” is a term used for something or someone that you cherish above all others.
When God's commands become the guarded apple of our eye, our education in the University of Life moves from good to great. And a great education there sets us up for great execution of life.
THE DIFFERENCE OUR MINDS MAKE – When it comes to seduction, God's Word intersecting the mind makes a huge difference. That's the point the last 23 verses of Proverbs 7 make.
When we get our fingers on His Word, faithfully letting it mark our hearts and minds and finding true adoption, here's what happens: Our focus gets rerouted to a better place, our self-talk turns positive, our emotions stay in check and we rise victorious above (all kinds of) seduction.
Simple as that. Seduction can't play out in us; not if we do the hard work of keeping, storing, guarding, cherishing, attaching and adopting God's Word. As the mind goes, so goes the man or woman.
Reflect: How's your obedience by faith going? Are you trusting God and doing what you ought more than what you feel like doing? What area of your life could use some obedience by faith improvement?
Are you settling for good rather than going for best; cherishing God's commands or avoiding them? Are you renewing your mind through God's Word to battle seduction? Are you staying on the victory side?
A prayer to consider: LORD, keep reminding me of the huge difference Your Word and my obedience to it makes. Don't let me settle for good when You offer me great.
Renew my mind through Your Word so that no kind of seduction has place in my life. Amen.
