Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
On a hot summer day, I don’t know if there’s anything more refreshing than plunging deep into the cool waters of the nearest Northern Minnesota lake. In the past when my family wanted to go on a little adventure, I would occasionally take them out to a primitive campground on Glove Lake. This location is fairly close to my home, and in a lot of respects is just as pretty as The Boundary Waters. Ever since I can remember, there has always been a rope or some type of used fire hose attached to the limb of a big tree over the lake. That tree sure has gotten plenty of use, as many people have swung over the water and splashed the other swimmers. But, precaution needs to be exercised before you even consider participating in this activity. The rope needs to be in good shape. The tree needs to be strong and support the weight. A branch could have fallen in the water since the last time you were there, or there might be a new log in the water that is hidden from view. Before you ever make the attempt to swing out and jump into that lake, you must look before you leap.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Before you pull out onto a highway, you look both ways. Before you get into a hot tub, you check the temperature with your hand. When we become a Christian, we must think before we act. This world is a sea of sin and there are obstructions all around us. There are temptations lurking in every corner. If you truly want to obtain eternal life, you will have to consider the consequences for your actions, and look before you leap.
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” Ephesians 5:15
When you are circumspect, it means that you are wary and unwilling to take any type of risk. It is to be extremely careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences for the things that you do. Those who are circumspect will be very cautious and will think about what’s going to happen as a result of the choices that they make. When you make poor decisions, people can get hurt or even killed. Sometimes children wonder why their dad doesn’t make a decision right away, or get impatient when he tells them that he is going to think about it for a while. This is because when you make wise decisions they must first be thought through, before you fully commit yourself to them.
I have dropped hundreds of trees up here in the woods, and before you put the saw to the trunk, it needs to be thought through first. You have to consider all possible things that might go wrong. You can’t just cut into a tree, planning that it’s going to land somewhere without preparing beforehand, yet there are many people who profess the Christian faith who do the exact same thing. Rather than considering the consequences for the lifestyles that they are living, they throw caution to the wind. To obtain eternal life, you must be circumspect, because without this quality you have no fear of God, or His punishments for rebellion and willful disobedience. God is not mocked and you will reap what you sow. When God is not first in your decision making, you are no longer a friend of His wisdom, but a friend of foolishness.
“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” Proverbs 26:12
“The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” Proverbs 3:35
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 12:15
“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” Proverbs 14:16
I used to build a lot of card houses when I was young, but every time another card was added, you needed to think very carefully before placing it, otherwise if you were too hasty and it was done improperly, everything would fall down. Whenever the will of God is not at the forefront of your decision-making, you are leaving Him completely out of the equation. The protections and the safety that He offers us is cast away by rejecting His counsel for your own. God’s way is the best way, even when we don’t understand what He is doing or where He is taking us. We must love Him enough to listen and obey, otherwise it’s like trying to sail a vessel through uncharted waters. Everything might be smooth sailing for a period of time but then all of a sudden and without warning, you will bust up your ship on the rocks. Dangerous consequences happen when you choose to reject the will of God. Those who are outside the teachings of Christ are ignorant, but those who have been instructed in scripture are not.
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34
The choice to rebel will only provoke God’s wrath, resulting in the sting of His righteous judgments upon all those who are too proud to obey.
Romans 2 ⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds: ⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: ⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; ¹⁰ But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: ¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God.
The first commandment is to love God above and beyond anything else, but when the heart is not fully placed on Him, it can result in all kinds of sinful activity. When we love God with perfect obedience it is like being safely anchored on the side of a mountain, but if that anchor were to be removed, you could tumble all the way down to the bottom. If people are going to reject God’s wisdom, then they are only choosing the path of the foolish. When people plant the seeds of foolishness, you will reap the reward of shame.
“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17
This world is filled with sin, and the only way to navigate through it is through faithfulness to the Word of God. It is a lamp unto our feet, when we use it. It is a shelter from danger, when we obey it. Tread cautiously and carefully with the knowledge that you have been given, never forgetting to think before you act, and to…..
….Look Before You Leap
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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