Monday, June 24, 2013
TEXT: PROVERBS 4:14-27
Key Verse : “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:14,18).
Life, more often than not, offers alternatives, but sometimes provides a lot of opposites. No wonder, someone said, God created everything in twos: night and day, men and women, good and evil, light and darkness, weakness and strength, hot and cold, wet and dry seasons, war and peace, life and death, etc. and each is parallel to the other.
Similarly, our passage today presents us with two phenomena which, though a pair, are diametrically opposed to each other. God, through king Solomon, reveals to us the existence of wickedness and righteousness. He provided a comparative appraisal of the paths of both the wicked and the righteous: the wicked sleep not until they have done mischief, they are violent and prone to stumbling because they are in darkness. But the pathway of the just is simply described as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day. Solomon therefore recommends only one pathway: the way of the just. How wonderful will it be today if everyone can take heed to Solomon’s warning and accept his recommendation!
Jesus Christ himself talked about the broad and the narrow ways; the broad way leads to destruction while the narrow one leads to life eternal. It therefore means that God does not give anyone the luxury of walking in both ways at the same time, as no one can serve two masters at the same time.
As Solomon rightly indicates, anyone who wants to spend eternity with God in heaven has no alternative than to walk in the way of the just; he must incline his ear and heart to the word of God, guide his heart with all diligence, bridle his tongue; he must not look at immorality or walk in evil; he must be single-minded, focusing entirely on God.
Thought for the Day : What a better place the world would be, if all were righteous!
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