But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16
9 If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10 Strangers will consume your wealth,
and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11 In the end you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.
We left off in Proverbs 5:1-9 with: – (see previous post, http://wp.me/p5nZpi-dA)
7 Never stray from what I am about to say:
8 Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!
Continuing to v.9 above, Solomon warns about losing your honor and what you’ve achieved.
I’ll use the example of engaging in sexual relations outside of marriage. Purity is one gift that can never be re-gifted. If we choose to give our “gift” of purity, intended as a special ”gift” to our spouse on our wedding night, to someone who is likely a passing infatuation, we lose the opportunity to give that “gift” again.
Or, in the case of a marriage covenant that has been violated by an adulteress affair. The trust, respect, and the relationship as a whole, has been forever changed. And if a divorce is the result of the adulteress affair, this leads to distribution of wealth – child support, ex-spousal maintenance, and verse 10, someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. Sadly, the fruits of your labor, are not solely enjoyed as one family, but rather must be divided up between your present “family” and your ex-family.
Verse 11 goes on to say that, disease consumes your body.
This could come in many forms, but the one that I think of immediately is stress. Stress takes a devastating toll on a person physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Life, in general, can be stressful. But when WE MAKE choices contrary to God’s guidance, it only compounds our stress.
What got us into this mess?
- v. 12 – I hated discipline. I ignored all the warnings!
- v. 13 – I didn’t listen to my teachers or instructors
The result?
- v. 14 – now I must face public disgrace (face the consequences of my choices – my add)
We see in the verses 1-11, not to mention the 4 previous chapters in Proverbs, warning after warning. (See posts under Categories – Proverbs 1-4 – sidebar on computer view and bottom of page on mobile view). Each one given to us for our protection.
However, when our pride says, “____ can’t happen to me, it’s no big deal, everyone else is doing it, it’s all under control, I’m fine,…” yet I find myself in a “BIG mess”, if I dare… I can look back and see that with every step I took, I HAD a choice, and I MADE a choice. A choice to follow my way or God’s way.
Unfortunately, that same “I” who made those choices, trusting in myself vs my Creator, is now stuck with the consequences.
In the above verses, the consequences are negative. But had “I” listened to, and accepted God’s loving discipline, the results would been positive and fulfilling.
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Thanks for the thoughtful post. A thought I had, there are two types of choices: 1.) the type where you set something in motion 2.) how you choose to react in any given situation. It is really important that we look inside ourselves in how we choose to react to others choices. Thanks for the good reminder of choice and consequence and its effects.
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Thanks for your comment 🙂 Your second point, is right “on point” 🙂
Wow, how many times can we look back – again, if we dare, and see how we’ve chosen to respond in a situation, or towards a person. Did our response result in a “healthy” discussion and resolution, or distance and division?
How often have we felt hurt because of what someone did or said to us? But in an attempt to avoid confrontation, we “try” to ignore the offense, under the guise of being a “godly” person. Yet, inside we’re raging, holding bitterness and resentment towards that situation or person, further damaging the relationship.
Here’s a great take away = the next time we find our insides begin to tighten up, and we’re ready to blow our stack, let’s take a deep breath…, and remember –
OUR CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES 🙂
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I think of my ex-wife who was a notorious flirt and was involved in multiple affairs. She thrived on male attention and it didn’t matter if the man was single or the husband of another woman. In the end, she got involved with her boss, a man whose wife was dying of cancer – both friends of the family. I can still vividly remember this man embracing my wife as she passed through the reception line at his wife’s funeral, kissing her full on the lips in front of me and all the other guests. Neither of them were the least bit embarrassed by this public display of affection. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time they had kissed.
Although they were unashamed, their reputation was tarnished. They became pariahs among their co-workers. The divorce cost me not only my family but my entire life savings. My ex-wife’s life was consumed with stress as she continued to pursue a double life-style with lies and deceit. Not to mention the damage done to the children by the break up of their family and estrangement of their father. Though I tried to reason with my wife over the years, she refused to change her behavior. Just as Proverbs says, the results were disastrous.
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Thank you for sharing the devastating effects of your ex-wife’s betrayal. I am so sorry you had to experience those “deep” hurts 😦
Thank you also for sharing the results of the betrayal. You have further reinforced the high costs of choosing “our way” vs “God’s way” – tarnished reputations, shame, financial ruin, lies, deceit, emotional pain, breakdown of family, trust, pain, etc. all left in the wake of one’s selfish choices.
As the previous person commented, how “we choose” to react in any given situation can be the difference between sinking into despair or pushing through and rising above.
I applaud your courage and perseverance.
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles… – Isaiah 40:31
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I omitted one important fact. The Lord afflicted my ex-wife with a condition that made it impossible for her to enjoy physical intimacy without severe pain.
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The Lord works in mysterious ways…
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