Reflecting God –
Embrace Holy Living - “No Hiding from God” – Friday, 21 March 2014 - Scripture:
Proverbs 5: 12 and say, “How I
have hated instruction,
and my heart despised reproof;
13 neither have I
obeyed the voice of my teachers,
nor turned my ear to those who instructed
me!
14 I have come to the
brink of utter ruin,
among the gathered assembly.”
15 Drink water out of
your own cistern,
running water out of your own well.
16 Should your springs
overflow in the streets,
streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be for
yourself alone,
not for strangers with you.
18 Let your spring be
blessed.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe and a
graceful deer—
let her breasts satisfy you at all times.
Be captivated always with her love.
20 For why should you,
my son, be captivated with an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another?
21 For the ways of man
are before Yahweh’s eyes.
He examines all his paths.
22 The evil deeds of
the wicked ensnare him.
The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
23 He will die for
lack of instruction.
In the greatness of his folly, he will go
astray.
“No Hiding from God”
by Judith A. Schwanz
“I’m ‘it’!
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Ready or not, here I come.” When they heard those words,
our grandchildren scrambled to find hiding places. Doors slammed and drapes
swayed as they sought cover. Three-year-old Josephine sat down under the
kitchen table and pulled the chairs in around the table to hide herself. As
soon as the person who was “it” entered the kitchen, Josephine poked her head
out between the chairs and said, “Here I am!”
Our lives are as
visible to God as a little girl sitting under a table in plain sight. God pays
attention to the paths we choose, not to stalk us, or to instill fear or
punishment, but as a sign of God’s love for us. This Proverb’s reminder of
God’s attentiveness and comes right in the middle of cautions against adultery.
Too often, people
harbor what they believe to be secret thoughts and desires which give way to
outward sin. Yet, God does know the thoughts of our hearts and also knows how
sin can ensnare and destroy. So He watches over his children desiring to help
them turn from temptation and avoid sin.
Today, let’s thank God
who watches over us in love!
Hymn for Today:
“He Leadeth Me” by Joseph
Gilmore
1. He leadeth me: O
blessed thought!
O words with heavenly
comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do,
where'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand
that leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he
leadeth me;
by his own hand he
leadeth me:
his faithful follower
I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth
me.
2. Sometimes mid
scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden's
flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o'er
troubled sea,
still 'tis God's hand
that leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he
leadeth me;
by his own hand he
leadeth me:
his faithful follower
I would be,
for by his hand he
leadeth me.
3. Lord, I would clasp
thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor
repine;
content, whatever lot
I see,
since 'tis my God that
leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he
leadeth me;
by his own hand he
leadeth me:
his faithful follower
I would be,
for by his hand he
leadeth me.
4. And when my task on
earth is done,
when, by thy grace,
the victory's won,
e'en death's cold wave
I will not flee,
since God through
Jordan leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, he
leadeth me;
by his own hand he
leadeth me:
his faithful follower
I would be,
for by his hand he
leadeth me.
Thought for Today:
“The awesome presence
of God that brings wholeness to all those who, ‘Take hold of my words with all
of your heart. . .’ is the essence of wisdom” (Michael G. VanZant).
Prayer Needs:
For faculty and
students as they prepare for full-time Christian ministry in Korea!
WordAction Publishing
Company
Beacon Hill Press
Nazarene Publishing
Company
2500 Troost Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108
United States
Embrace holy
living…visit reflectinggod.com.
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