But There Might Be a Lion Outside!

-


Scripture

Prov. 2:13     The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!
        I shall be killed in the streets!”

Observation

This Proverb sounds something like a plot from a Dr. Seuss book. Instead of tending to the work to be done, the lazy person is full of excuses. Every possible negative consequence is imagined and this one is so ridiculous that it practically makes one laugh,“I really can’t go to work today because there just might be a lion outside!”

Application

True, there might be a lion outside, but the chances of you running into a lion today are pretty slim! However, this is the way in which we cope with things we don’t want to do. We come up with excuses to satisfy our conscience.

We do this in regard to our spiritual lives and responsibilities as well. What if God is calling us to go into a place of mission and ministry that is not comfortable for us? We may come up with our own similarly ridiculous excuses.

When God calls, we are to respond. Imagining every single negative possibility that will impede our progress will do nothing but stymie our activity. Focusing on the imaginary lion in the streets means we will stay home, close the shutters and try to “feel safe” while doing nothing.

We serve a God who challenges us to go out into the streets, even if there is a lion present. He’s been known to shut the mouths of the lions, both figuratively and physically. Do we believe in our God? Wisdom challenges us to trust in the Lord. Leave all the negative possibilities at home and go out into the streets, leaning on the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for closing the mouths of lions.  Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a time when we try to carry
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her
Read more

The Advantage of Sanctification

-
Scripture: Rom. 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Observation: Two sides of life are presented here in great contrast.  One is a life of sin and enslavement to evil.  The other side of life is freedom which provides the advantage of sanctification (or holiness as some translate the word) that leads to eternal life.  The options here are a life of sin, slavery and death; or freedom, holiness and eternal life.  The advantage of holiness or sanctification is the benefit of the life of freedom.  Jesus died so that we might be made holy like him and this is something that is offered as a “fruit” or “advantage” right now.  The end is eternal life — but the living of life is that it can be lived out in holiness.  The next verse is really just an affirmation of the verse 22.  Sin will lead
Read more