Good Consequences
Everything we choose to do has a consequence. The bad consequences are known as “costs” – the negative effects of our unwise and bad decisions. The good ones are known as blessings. These are positive and often provide what we need and/or protect us from harm.
“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,” (Proverb 2:10-11)
In verses 1-2 we are told that if we receive God’s words and treasure His commands we will be able to incline our ears to wisdom (this means we can HEAR God) and apply our hearts to understanding.
Whenever we open our hearts to God and His attributes there is an initial receiving and then opportunities as time goes on to allow those effects to go deeper and deeper into our souls….affecting us…changing us….and always to the better.
Many, many years later the Holy Spirit, writing through the apostle Paul will tell us this verse that so many modern Christians seem to unwisely ignore:
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Proverbs 2:10-11 tell us that “when wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.”
After this the Spirit tells us why, going into depth to explain the “spiritual mechanics” of how to avoid having bad company corrupt our good habits (Proverbs 2:12-17):
“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,” (Proverb 2:10-11) “delivering (rescuing) us from the way (habitual lifestyle) of evil, from people who speak perverse things (this includes perversion AND lying), from people who wander off godly ways of living to practice ungodly things (many people who become entrapped in addictions, affairs, etc. never intended that; they just wanted to dabble in a few things they knew to be sin), from people who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked, whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths; from immoral people who can seduce us (lure us to turn aside) with flattering words and who forsakes the good influences of their lives and, instead, forget the commitments they made with the Lord."
These people are out there, foolishly listening to the enemy and basically do his work in helping others follow them right into destruction.
Let us choose to remain aware but realize we cannot save ourselves.
Let’s resolve to turn to the Lord to deliver us from “the way of evil” and from such people and all the damage satan intends to sow into our lives through them.
Let’s receive God’s words, treasure His commands, incline our ears to wisdom, apply our hearts to understanding; let’s cry out for discernment, and lift up our voices for understanding, seek understanding as silver, and search for it like it was a hidden treasure so we will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God (Proverb 2:1-5).
Then “when wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,” (Proverb 2:10-11) from bad things.
That’s God’s job….not ours. Ours is to position ourselves to receive Him and His attributes like wisdom and knowledge.
May we experience the Lord in this way. Let’s choose THAT and experience the blessings that come with that choice.
Amen.
Pastor Mike McInerney
Decatur, TX
© January 2, 2019
For use with permission