Is it really 'choice ground'?

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

Do you remember the story of Abraham and Lot - both with growing flocks, herds, and wealth? The time came when they needed to separate their flocks and herds because of what ranchers might have called 'overcrowding' of the animals. They were 'over-grazing' the lands, so they needed to find 'independent' grazing grounds. As you may recall from the story, Lot chose what looked best for himself, his family, herds, and flocks. He moved lock, stock, and barrel into a land way to close to the sinful people of Sodom, a mistake that would cost him dearly.

The company of fools soon rubs off on those who spend enough time with them. Before long, Lot was so accustomed to the 'culture' of the day that he didn't even confront sin any longer. His choice of grazing ground may have been a little self-centered as it was 'choice ground', but that 'choice ground' did not take into consideration the companions he would be surrounding his life with over the long run. Whenever we choose what we might think as 'best' or 'better' just based on the surface impression, we might find ourselves getting a little too chummy with sin's influence! 

He could have remained closer to Abraham, still providing enough space for their combined herds and flocks, but he chose to separate from those who could provide him moral support and a growing faith. The company of fools somehow doesn't do much to support our spiritual health, much less encourage its growth! In the long run, his children took spouses from among one of the most sinful people of the world at that time - ensuring the loss of their lives when judgment came down on Sodom. His own wife would suffer the fate of being turned into a pillar of salt. Probably one of the least taught 'sins' of Lot was the engagement of his unwed daughters in incest with their own father. 

Truly, the company of fools influences more than just our own lives - it affects those we might call 'family' and our close friends. Maybe this is why God calls us to guard our hearts and to choose our companions well. The closer we get to the influence of those who do not walk closely with God will ensure we are exposed to things, ways of thinking, and actions we may not have ever considered if we were to keep companions with those who walk closely with God. Just sayin!

Right Paths Require Right Directions

Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road. You can hide your hatred by telling lies, but you are a fool to spread lies. You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much—so be sensible and watch what you say. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an evil person are almost worthless. Many are helped by useful instruction, but fools are killed by their own stupidity. (Proverbs 10:17-21 CEV)

When we are correcting something, there is a substitution for what is wrong or inaccurate. We are making an adjustment in order to increase accuracy or reverse a trend in a particular action. We could also think of correction as the punishment we receive which is intended to put us back on the right course. The idea is that of "substituting" one behavior for another in order to get a different outcome is the most accurate definition. If we continue doing the same thing, we will always get what we have always gotten! So, correction is designed to help us do something "differently" in order to change the outcome.

We think we can fix ourselves, but we got into the mess because we had blinders on, causing us to only see what we wanted to see; or we were so "open minded" we forgot to really think through what we were doing in the first place. We need to have the blinders removed - so we sometimes need someone on the "outside" of the mess we are in to actually help us see where the blinders have limited our focus. We also need someone to clearly delineate the path for us to follow, because the one we have been choosing is just riddled with messiness!

Fools are tripped up by THEIR OWN stupidity - not the stupidity of others! We sometimes think we can put the blame for our missteps on others, but truth be told, we took those steps on our own! When "useful instruction" comes our way, it takes quite a brave man or woman to actually embrace it and turn away from the folly of our ways. Bravery is the willingness to challenge the norm - to dare to be different from what we have always been. Bravery stands up to the wrong we have created in our minds and dares to think differently. Most of our missteps in life are simply because we have embraced some type of "errant' belief. In turn, we act upon that errant thought pattern, and we find ourselves "missing the road" we should actually have traveled!

Sometimes we just choose the wrong way - either because of our own lack of investigation into the pathway we are traveling, or because we have given into some form of peer pressure and just idly go that way. When I am lost on the roadways on some journey I am on, I don't just drive round and round. I pull over, look again at the map, and then ask directions. What I am doing is referencing "truth" (the map) and getting counsel (asking for directions). We all need to stop on occasion to be sure our actions are in alignment with the Word of God and to check our steps with others who are in intimate relationship with Jesus. In turn, we often will save ourselves many a misstep!

So, learning to "tune in" a little more to our thoughts, allowing the Holy Spirit to "right" them when they are getting a little too "free form" will save us a whole lot of idle wandering down roads best left untraveled in the first place! Just sayin!

Do I really want that?

It’s better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind. (Ecclesiastes 6:9)

I enjoy a really good meal, quality time with a close friend, and hugs from my grandsons. I also enjoy rainy days, a good book, and a happy movie. You could probably make a list of things you enjoy, like a sporty car able to zip on down the road with wind blowing wistfully through your hair, or perhaps a long walk on the beach at sunset. Some of what we enjoy is because of where we are or what we possess - the car or beach make the occasion. For others, it is about who we are with that gives us the greatest enjoyment factor. The company I keep makes all the difference in how much I enjoy the moment! I am "single again" - meaning I was married but have been without a spouse since the divorce. These years have done more to "cement" my relationship with Jesus and brought me much enjoyment in the process! I am not advocating divorce, but if you find yourself in the situation of being "alone again" in this world, you can choose to bemoan the fact or you can allow God to turn your moaning into dancing!

Always wanting something else is a dangerous habit we sometimes fall into in this life. I know I run into this in my own life as it applies to food! I have fruit, veggies, and the like in the refrigerator, but when I get the munchies in the evening hours, I want "something else"! You know what I am talking about, don't you? We have hamburger in the freezer, but want steak. We drive a Ford, but want a Ferrari. We live in a comfortable house, but we want a mansion of sorts. What we don't recognize is what Solomon was trying to reveal to us in the Book of Ecclesiastes: Life is filled with choices - choose wisely and you will enjoy life much more than if you make the choices of a fool!

I Timothy 6:6 reminds us "Godliness with contentment is great gain". Nothing is farther from the truth than the idea that God wants us poor or "impoverished" in any manner. In fact, he wants us to know all he has is at our disposal - for we are his kids. What Paul was telling Timothy was that when you enter into this relationship with Jesus (what some call religion, but I call relationship), you find yourself learning true contentment. The things which once held such an appeal to you begin to take on lesser importance - the shiny sports car is fun to drive, but it isn't all we live for anymore.

Learning to enjoy what we have - not what we could have, should have had, might someday have - but enjoying what we have. Why is it we come into adulthood so conflicted with this lack of contentment? Maybe it is because we have this little thing called "eyes" - what the eyes see long enough, the heart somehow comes to want! In time, we learn that some things (like God's Word) can be taken in ad infinitum, while things like some of the reality shows on TV we are better off not to take in at all! Learning to control what comes in the "eye gate" goes a long way in determining how content we will be in this lifetime! Just sayin!

Taken in and taking up

"Now, vigilantly guard your souls: Love God, your God. Because if you wander off and start taking up with these remaining nations still among you (intermarry, say, and have other dealings with them), know for certain that God, your God, will not get rid of these nations for you. They'll be nothing but trouble to you—horsewhips on your backs and sand in your eyes—until you're the ones who will be driven out of this good land that God, your God, has given you." (Joshua 23:11-13)

Joshua is about to turn over the control of the nation at the point of his death. He gathers the leaders, priests, and elders together. In the moments which pass, he gives them sound advice on how God expects them to live in the land they have been given as an inheritance - a place of permanent settlement after years and years of wandering the deserts. His first piece of advice: Stay alert! Why? The work was not done - nations still had to be dealt with. Know this, my friends, OUR work is never done! We need to STAY ALERT. His second piece of advice: Stay strong and steady! Why? There would be so much influence around them to do what would get them into big trouble and it might not seem like it, but that influence would eventually pull them into a downward spiral of self-centered living if allowed to get root. In warning them to stay strong and steady, he is advising them on living by the principles God set out in his word - more than fluffy words to be established in the new life, but to be rooted solidly in God so that new life would be rewarding.

This probably sums it up very well for not only Israel, but for us! We need to vigilantly guard our souls - because we have a tendency to wander when we are not paying attention! Look at the consequences of being a little lax in dealing with the nations around them - God would not get rid of them for them! If they dabbled with them, God wanted them to know how much trouble they would bring into their lives - like horsewhips on their backs and sand in your eyes. Dabble with anything God warned you to not 'dabble in' at all? I have and I know how much trouble even a little dabbling in those things God told me to avoid brought into my life. Do you know the meaning of 'dabbling'? It carries the idea of working at anything in an irregular manner - taking a superficial approach to it. What might not seem like it will amount to much if we just 'dabble' can eventually become a rather 'regular' and 'deeply ingrained' pattern in our lives. Don't dabble even a little bit - that is God's instruction, not mine!

Now, I have never been horsewhipped, but I have had sand in my eyes. I know how painful this is - but not only is it painful, it is downright impossible to see right! We have to spend so much time trying to rid myself of the irritating stuff in our eyes that we cannot see what is right in front of us - the tears that form obliterating a clear view for us. What Joshua may be saying to us is to be aware of just how much even one compromise (one grain of sand) can impact our clear focus! When one is vigilant, they are so keenly aware of their surroundings that not even one seemingly 'harmless' influence escapes them. Why? They are "on alert" - sensing danger - knowing when something is 'just not right'. God has our back, but he doesn't want us to be fooled or duped by the influences around us. We only get duped when we are not paying close attention. The purpose of a horsewhip is to control the actions of the horse. A horseman doesn't take one in hand if be doesn't think he'll have to use it. We are being reminded of the influences of belief systems, traditions, and the prevailing fads of the day. They have a tendency to become things which can "control" us much like a horsewhip can can control the horse. "If you wander off and start taking up with them..." In essence, God is describing the kind of lackadaisical action on our part which gets us into the deepest kinds of trouble - all while we are seemingly unaware!

The horse will wander the fields, leisurely taking in what is in front of it. The danger is in not being discriminating in what is taken in! Some things a horse may take in may not be the best for its digestive system - the old cowboy shows used to call it "wacky weed". It would make the horses downright miserable. Guess what? When we "take in" stuff without really thinking it through, we may be downright miserable, too! Two "actions" on our part result in two "outcomes". One action really comes as a matter of "inactivity" - we wander right into the things God has plainly said to stay away from. The outcome is feeling like a whip has been taken to our backs - we feel controlled! The second action is really one of getting stuff "into" us which really doesn't have a place in us. The outcome is evident in the effect it has on our ability to see clearly (sand in the eye). Either way, neither of these outcomes is desirable. So, we'd do well to listen to the warning given here. Be alert. Stay strong and steady - not veering from the Word of God. Be vigilant - your enemy is waiting to lure you in. Just sayin!

Seek the 'advantageous additions'

I have to admit to being a totally insecure individual when I was growing up. I thought nobody could every like me, that my life was always 'less than' someone else's, and that I needed to do or give things to get somebody to really like me. What a crock of lies that was! God made me complete with all kinds of wonderful character traits and yet I totally sold myself short. I just didn't think of myself as much of a 'bargain' when it came to relationships. In fact, I thought I'd have to really 'market' myself to get 'liked'. Truth be told, bargains are kind a neat thing! I have come across individuals in my lifetime that proclaim to be pretty awesome individuals, only to find out they lack a lot in the 'awesomeness' realm! What I found out is that what they proclaimed would be an 'advantageous addition' to my life by simply being in relationship with them was no real 'advantage' at all - the bargain was flawed! Sometimes we sell ourselves short - other times we promote ourselves at a little bit of an inaccurate descriptor! Remember this...made up 'bargains' are not really bargains at all!

Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God — that's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing. (Proverbs 23:17-18)

In relationships with each other, we need to remember a "bargain" is really not a "bargain" whenever it is like loading ourselves up with "armloads of nothing". We find we have been "sucked into" the frenzy of believing the "false claims" of the things portrayed outwardly, but there is something definitely quite different we come to see inwardly in that individual. We load ourselves up with all kinds of supposedly "good things" and "good relationships" in our lives - but we do it without truly thinking (in a frenzy - in a hurry - without attentive thought). We have a natural "bent" of comparing ourselves to others. We see another walk past us and in an instant, our minds go into the "processing mode" of analyzing how they are dressed, how their hair style fits their "look", and maybe even evaluating their other physical attributes (such as fat/skinny, tall/short, blemishes/perfect skin). In one quick glance, we form all kinds of opinions. It is like we have one of those infrared scanner devices in our mind's eye, passing each "subject" over it, registering the "coded" information we store in our brains, and then coming to a conclusion just as quickly.

The danger lies in the immediacy of how quickly we jump from our own place of contentment to envying others who "pass our scanners" with the "appearance" of having it all together! You know, if you have ever seen me on a 'perfectly put together' morning, you might even have come to this very conclusion about me! The conclusion that says, "There goes someone who has it all together." I hate to burst your impression of me, but I do NOT have it all together - rarely do I even reach the point of 'looking like' I have it all put together! I struggle with judging others, involving myself in conversations which would be better off not said, and being careless in so many choices, just to name a few of my not so 'bargain-like' behaviors and attitudes! None of us is above envying the carelessness of those who seem to have life by the horns - living by their own might. We just naturally jump to the conclusion they must "have it all together". The cold reality is those very individuals we envy are probably struggling terribly just beneath the surface! One who is without Christ is without hope. Although they may possess every physical attribute man considers worth having, they lack the one which assures them lasting peace, unending joy, and constantly renewed faith in hard times.

Soak yourself in God - wise words indeed. Why? Simply stated - one without Christ has no real hope for the future. Theirs is a life of "today" without any real sense of what tomorrow will bring - they seem to have all the 'advantages' of life today, but they lack the real advantage of what eternity could hold for them in Christ. One who rightly pursues Christ as the center of their life will not always know what circumstances tomorrow will bring, but they will know who holds them close as they venture into each new day. I wonder how many times we senselessly pursue armloads of nothing. If our arms are so packed with "nothing", when Jesus offers us "something", we have little room to accept his greater gift. It is only as we lay down the armloads of nothing that we are able to embrace the things of greatest worth that Christ desires to bestow upon us. It is not in how "full" one's arms are that we "judge" the greatness of an individual - it is the "load" those arms carry! Christ told us his "load" was light, unlike the armloads we amass in our frenzy of envy! One more thought - the armloads the careless rebels amass are acquired in haste. The armloads of blessing God gives are acquired in moments of stillness. Sometimes the greatest "load" we carry is the peace of having "offloaded" a burden we were never meant to carry in the first place! Just sayin!