Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 196 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Proverbs 6:1-5 Lessons for Daily Life #1
Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 196 of our Trek, and yesterday we finished our hike to the summit of Rationalize Mountain as we learned to make better and more logical decisions ourselves and to assist others in making better decisions. Today and for this next week, we will remain in camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs, starting with Chapter 6. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Friday evening Paula and I had the privilege of watching a live performance of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” put on by the Intune School of Arts. The acting and singing were excellent. They also had a short gospel message at the end, which tied in well with the storyline of the play.
Today and throughout this next week, we will remain in camp and dig through Proverbs Chapter 6 for nuggets of wisdom. As if we were digging for real gold, the lessons learned may be difficult, and we will soon find out that all of us have dirty hands and mud caked under our fingernails. We will also learn, though, how we can wash that dirt away and be completely clean. Proverbs Chapter 6 is referred to as…
Lessons for Daily Life
Today we will dig through Verses 1-5, but let’s first look at Verses 1-2.
1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—
In this poem, Solomon compares our mistakes to a hunter’s trap. When a hunter works, he may build traps. He hides his traps so that animals will not see them. He hopes that the animals will fall into his traps. Then he can kill and eat the animals.
In our lives, our mistakes can be like traps. Perhaps we want to do the right thing. Perhaps our plans are good. But our best plans could fail. Then, like a trap, our plans can destroy us.
This passage specifically refers to co-signing on the debt for another person. In verse 1, Solomon’s son had good intentions. He wanted to help his friend because his friend did not have good credit to borrow money on his own. The son trusted the friend. The son tried to do the right thing, but in the end, the friend was unable to pay. In the agreement, Solomon’s son promised to pay if his friend could not. The lender now expects Solomon’s son to pay. The son’s plan failed, and now he is in danger.
Sometimes we place ourselves in danger. Our own choices can become like traps, even when they seem harmless at first. In today’s society, many people suffer from all sorts of addictions. This could be alcohol, dangerous drugs, pornography, sex outside of marriage, or even food. Originally, you just want to enjoy yourself, even if you realize that it is outside of God’s precepts. Once addicted to the substance or behavior, though, when you try to stop, you will fail. Now you must turn back to God and ask Him to help you. God is greater than all addictions, of course, and he can free you from those addictions. But we still may suffer some of the physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. As you ask God to free you from the traps that you may find yourself in, keep in mind that He may work through the assistance of a doctor or counselor to help you.
We all do wrong things against God. This behavior is like a trap. We cannot free ourselves. Paul wrote in Romans 7:21-24, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” But there is an answer to this problem. God can free us. If we ask God, then he will forgive us. And he will help us to control our behavior. He will teach discipline to us. Paul continued in verse 25, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
Now that we know that the answer is Jesus Christ, Paul continues to explain how we will be freed from these traps and addictions in Romans 8:1-2, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Let’s move on to Verse 3 as Solomon continues to teach his son with a possible solution for co-signing his friend’s debt.
3 follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.
Be humble! The Bible warns us not to be proud. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.'”
Also in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”
If Solomon’s son was too proud to acknowledge his mistake, he could not escape. He is like an animal in a trap. He cannot free himself. He must ask for freedom. He must ask for help.
We have all done wrong things against God. We must be humble. We must ask God to forgive us. Only God can do this.
Now on to verse 4.
4 Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.
If we desire to be free from the sins we commit and if we want freedom, then we must not hesitate, procrastinate, or be lazy. We must not delay until tomorrow. If we delay, then we might never take action.
God calls us to trust him now. Do not be like King Agrippa. Paul spoke to the king in Acts 26:28 about Jesus. Agrippa answered,“Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” He was not ready to trust God. Perhaps he was never ready to trust God.
Earlier, Paul spoke to a ruler called Felix in Acts 24:25, “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix became frightened. ‘Go away for now,’ he replied. ‘When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’” Felix never trusted God. He waited. Although he spoke again to Paul, Felix never found the “convenient time” to trust in God.
Now on to Verse 5.
5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.
When we need to be freed from our actions that do not please God, we should act quickly, like an animal that runs to escape from a hunter.
Today the wisdom nuggets that we discovered showed us how easy it is to get trapped by behavior and habits that go against God’s precepts that are found in His Word. We must be vigilant to stay away from the traps of life, but if we do find ourselves in a trap, then we are to seek God to free us. As we consider these wisdom nuggets, please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family. Encourage them to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs Chapter 6:6-11.
That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!