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1/16/13. Proverbs 7:1-27. Make God’s Word The Apple of Your Eye –my devotional

1/16/13. Proverbs 7:1-27. Make God’s Word The Apple of Your Eye –my devotional

Proverbs 7:1-27                                                                               Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

Key Verse: 7:2                                                                                Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

 Keep my commands and you will live;guard my teachings as the apple of your eye”

     Dear Lord, heavenly Father, thank you for sustaining us. Thank you for growing us. Thank you for helping us along the way to follow and serve you and have a relationship with you. Where would I be without faith in Christ? What would my daily life be without the element and dimension provided by Gospel faith? I can get up and go to work each day through the strength that you alone provide. I pray that all people may discover the life and the power and the peace and happiness that Jesus brings. Please illumine my heart through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: The Apple of Your Eye (1-5)

In this section we see the importance of the word of God in a believer’s life and the place that it must take in our lives. Verses 1-5 read, “My son, keep my wordsand 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.”They will keep you from the adulterous woman,from the wayward woman with her seductive words.”

This tells me the intensity that I must keep the word of God in my heart. It is not a casual thing. It is deliberate. It requires focus and decisions. They say there are two dogs in our mind and in our hearts, a white dog and a black dog. Both of them are aggressively competing with one another. The question is, “Which dog will survive?” Obviously, it is the dog that you feed. I need to think about what I am feeding my soul, head and mind with. I want to make writing daily devotionals a priority. I want to make Bible reading and prayer a priority. I need to always take time out of my busy schedule for mediation on the word of God.

I really appreciate the tradition of writing daily bread handed down to me from the UBF Korean missionaries. I get so much out of writing and sharing my daily bread. It organizes my thoughts and focuses me on Christ. I also have something to share with the world, something that people can follow along with. The meditative writings are also foundations for future gospel messages. Some people collect coins, or rocks etc. I collect Gospel messages and daily devotionals that I have written. They have become the tools of the trade for Gospel ministry.

God has many purposes for asking us to intensely hold onto the word of God. One of them is if I keep God’s commands as the apple of my eye, and write them on the tablet of my heart, then God’s word will keep me from the tempter’s snare. There are so many things tempting my heart to leave the path of righteousness. As a Christian leader I was led astray in the path of despair and depression that hurt my family and alienated me from those close to me. There is a temptation to be negative and pessimistic. There is a temptation to not take hold of and embrace a mission that God has designed perfectly for me, postponing, for another 5 years and saying next time around. There is no better opportunity than now. Lord, keep me from a wandering and uncommitted heart. Keep me near to you and your purposes.

Meditating on the words of God can be very satisfying. It can be the highlight of one’s day. It is the highlight of my day. I love the most to be fully awake with a cup of coffee in my hand and be able to write daily bread. I am going on a journey to Texas and I am looking forward to morning devotional times in Texas. Sweet! I am going to a youth winter retreat and I am looking forward to morning devotion there in the Wisconsin wilderness. I thank God for making the word of the Lord the apple of my eye.

I also am thankful for being introduced to the textual, systematic approach to Bible study. The Korean Missionaries of UBF taught me this. And now, Pastor Steve Leston at KBC is emphasizing this. There is power and clarity and spiritual growth and satisfaction in this type of preaching. This preaching operated under the premise that the Word of God must be the apple of our eye.

Part 2: Like An Ox To The Slaughter (6-27)

In these verses we see the folly of letting go of the word of God. Our hearts can really go astray as we can see with one young man in verses 6-27, “At the window of my houseI looked down through the lattice.I saw among the simple,I noticed among the young men,a youth who had no sense….” (For the rest of the text please refer to the end of the devotion.)

The writer gives a vivid description of how a seductive woman tempts a man and leads him into a situation that will cost him his life. She looks for a simple young man who lacks judgment, and she brazenly approaches him and invites him to her home. She even appears to be a religious person. She assures him that her husband is away and invites him to come in and enjoy! He follows her like an ox led to the slaughter. This same scenario is happening 1 million times over. People get obsessed. I thought I saw it all until I met someone who keeps his computer on dating websites 24/7 and reads profiles and comments on profiles 24/7. Our hearts can truly go astray without the word of God and the grace of God.

A person with no word of God in their heart is easy prey. Satan tempts us at our vulnerable spots. I am no different. On my own my mind cannot but drift. I can not but go astray. I am like a ship with no anchor. Anyone is like this, no matter how disciplined they are on the inside. We need Jesus. We need the written word of God. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to work through the Word of God for when God’s word is the apple of my eye, and it is stored in my heart, I can escape Satan’s whisperings to stray from the narrow way.

What help is there for our youth who are straying from the truth and getting caught up in all kinds of vices and sins? There is not enough money to pay for secular counselors. There are not enough counselors. There is not enough money to pay for med to keep young minds focused. There is not enough time to fool around and not get on track with the truth. We all need Jesus and the Gospel now! Jesus will keep young minds and hearts focused on what is truly important.

Prayer: Lord, help me to keep your word as the apple of my eye so that I may escape Satan’s seductive voice and be set free to live a life of truth and love and follow the fruitful path.

One Word: God’s word–the apple of my eye

Verses 6-27;

At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. 10 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. 11 (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.) 13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: 14 “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. 15 So I came out to meet you I looked for you and have found you! 16 I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! 19 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. 20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.” 21 With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. 22 All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose 23 till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. 24 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say. 25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. 27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death
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