For any person struggling with temptation, the phrase “guilty pleasure”
is a familiar one. That is something that a
person shouldn't like, but does anyway. In my mind, this could include a whole
host of addictions, which are not limited to items like food, shopping,
pornography, and the influence of wrong people.
Daily, we make hundreds of choices
(big and small) all from the kind of food we eat to what we do every day that gives
our life value. Our choices always have consequences, too. If we are sensible,
we’ll surround ourselves with those individuals that can help us face all that
life throws us (both good and bad). We become who we hang around. (I
Corinthians 15:33)
Many
people get their helpful advice from self-help books; Proverbs 1:1-6 (TLB) is different from these other
guides because it comes from a divine source. What implications does the
scripture passage below make about acquiring true intelligence?
These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, David’s son: He
wrote them to teach his people how to live—how to act in every
circumstance, for he wanted them to be understanding, just, and fair in
everything they did. “I want to make the
simpleminded wise!” he said. “I want to warn young men about some problems they
will face. I want those already wise to become wiser and become leaders by
exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.”
In any good relationship,
trust is a key component. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Faith in your Heavenly Father leads
to hope in mankind. We all need to accept each other as we are (with all our
frailties), and leave the character alterations to the Almighty. He ultimately
controls everything (we own).
In any good relationship,
gratitude is a key component. Positive relationships provide us with
encouragement to daily reach our life goals. God hand-outs everything we need
emotionally to have flourishing friendships.
James 1:17 (MSG) adds
this insight to the above: “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out
of Heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of
Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.”
In
any good relationship, each individual values smart, honest advise from the
other. If you have a true friend that tells you the truth (what you need to
hear) rather than how right you are (what you want to hear), they are a keeper
even if you don’t always see it this way. They are your rock of reality. Proverbs
27:17 (MSG) gives this suggestion about a best friend. “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.”
In
any good relationship, commitment is important. It’s important for others to
know that when you make a promise you follow through. This kind of
dependability (and loyalty) is valued in a marriage, work, and a church. (Proverb
27:10)
The
late Christopher Reeve said this of his friend, the late Robin Williams, after
he visited him in the hospital. (Quadriplegia* became the result of his horse
riding competition accident that he was in medical treatment for.)
“There was this guy wearing a blue scrub hat
and a yellow gown and with a Russian accent, being some insane… doctor [to administer a proctology examination]. I laughed for the first time, and I knew
that life was going to be okay.”
In the central core of our being, we all want
to know that when bad times hit that God won’t abandon us in our time of need.
There is nothing worse than to be left (flapping in the wind metaphorically) to
handle a treacherous life challenge all by yourself without the aid of a best
friend.
This short chorus of a song by Matt Redman
gives a forever promise from the Heavenly Father to guarantee His presence (to
you as His precious child).
Oh
no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
*This paralysis results from an illness (or
injury). The outcome is a partial (or total) loss in the use of all four limbs
and torso.
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