Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 6:6-11
Prov 6:6-11
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
2 Thess 3:10-12
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
People have been trying to deny accountability since the beginning when Adam told God it was his fault that he ate that forbidden fruit because he put the woman in his life, and she gave it to him. Blame God. Blame the woman. Just don’t blame me! Accountability for our actions can be a tough pill to swallow because we don’t always think about the consequences of what we are doing.
Science says that for every action there is a reaction. Everything we do or say has some consequence – some small and some big but there are consequences. We need to learn this lesson for ourselves and let it guide us and then we need to teach it to the young people in our lives. Far too many people today think they can do as they please and then others will “fix” the consequences of their actions.
The Bible is filled with this principle. We reap what we sow. The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those who practice such things will not inherit eternal life. Many of these are in the form of warnings to us and others are promises. What goes around, comes around.
The opposite of this truth is entitlement. Because I am who I am, others owe me whatever I think I want, and I will not have to bear any consequences. It may be a debt I incur, or it may be what I say, or it may even be a crime that I commit, but I will not face a day of reckoning. This is a lie of Satan that is too often believed.
O Lord God, help me remember that I do not live in a vacuum, but that all I do and all I say has an effect on others. Also, keep me aware that I must give an account to you for every deed and every word spoken. Help me grow in grace. Give me wisdom. Remind me to be quick to hear but slow to speak. Give me self-control so I will practice patience. In other words, make me like Jesus. Be with those who are awaiting surgery and give them peace. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
