Bible Reading:
Proverbs 13
Key
Verse: Verse 6 – “Righteousness keepeth him
that is upright in the way: but wickedness
overthroweth the sinner.”
Key
Words: Righteousness keepeth him that is upright
in the wayChapter thirteen of Proverbs deals with the subject of
truth. There is a truth about listening (verse 1), a truth about living (verse
2), a truth about laziness (verse 4), a truth about lying (verse 5), a truth
about limits (verse 6), and so it goes throughout the chapter.
It’s the truth about limits I would like for us to look
at in today’s devotion.
If you would look again at the
word righteousness in our text verse, it is a judicial word meaning to make
Godly decisions. Then notice the word upright, it carries the idea of being
whole, not divided. I believe the principle is clear – Godly decisions keep you
whole.
Every one of us needs to set some limits for our life:
things we will not do, places we will not go, words we will not use, clothing
we will not wear. Without limits we find ourselves in a constant quandary.
As a boy growing up in south Alabama, I lived in an area that allowed me
the space to run in open fields, but I also was able to hide in the woods. It
was certainly a good life for a young boy. One of the things I would do was to
catch the field larks that would fly into the fields for their early morning
breakfast. I would put a cardboard box out, put a stick under it to hold it up,
tie a string around the stick, and then I would take the string and hide. In
order to lure the field larks into the box, I would put one of Mother’s
homemade biscuits under it. Sure enough,
when they flew in, they couldn’t resist Mom’s biscuit. I would occasionally tag
the birds I caught with a little band around their leg. You know, I was
continually catching some of the same birds over and over again. You know, the
same thing happens to us. Satan constantly puts out his lures and because we
have no limits, we continually find ourselves trapped and in distress.
Today I challenge you to
live your life with limits. The only other option is to live a life of
spiritual defeat.
What to do: ✞Write down your limits and stick
to them. ✞Pray for God’s power daily to
stay within those limits.
