Proverbs – Life Skills
Proverbs 5
1-2 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom;
listen very closely to the way I see it.
Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;
what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.
3-6 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,
her soft words are oh so smooth.
But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,
a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.
She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death;
she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.
She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,
about who she is or where she’s going.
7-14 So, my friend, listen closely; don’t treat my words casually.
Keep your distance from such a woman;
absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.
You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,
to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.
Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?
Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?
You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,
nothing but sin and bones,
Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?
Why did I reject a disciplined life?
Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,
or take my teachers seriously?
My life is ruined!
I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”
Never Take Love for Granted15-16 Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,
draw water from your own spring-fed well”?
It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home
and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.
17-20 Your spring water is for you and you only,
not to be passed around among strangers.
Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!
Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—
don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.
Never take her love for granted!
Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore?
for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?
21-23 Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;
he’s aware of every step you take.
The shadow of your sin will overtake you;
you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.
Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;
your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.
WISDOM WORTH PONDERING…
Never take what has been given to you in holy matrimony for granted. In trying times, and there will be plenty, remember your first love, recall what drew you together in the first days of flirting with each other. Agree on love for God and for each other at all costs. Evil, “the seductive woman” works in this world, (he things he owns), to pull people apart and destroy all Godly relationships. That is his goal. Know your enemy and run from him.
Walk in the Light of God’s love. Avoid the dark alleys that lead to the death of loving relationships.
Don’t take for granted the precious love instilled deep within you, “fresh flowing fountain”, that grows deeper and richer each time you weather a storm of doubt, despair, depression or distaste.
Return to your first love, Jesus Christ. We are his bride. Jesus is coming back to claim His bride soon. Be ready.
“…God doesn’t miss a move you make; he’s aware of every step you take.”
Will Jesus find us walking in confusing darkness or walking gingerly in the clear Light of His Love with our eyes focused on Him?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our relationship with you is the most important relationship of our lives! You are Real Life. Our growing relationships with others flow from our loving relationship with you. Once we realize the depth of your love for us, only then can we love others like you love us. Thank you for your love for us. Help us to stay out of the darkness and run freely in the Light of Your Love.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 