It's up to you…Choose wisely.

“God hates cheating in the marketplace; He loves it when business is aboveboard. The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm. The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
but a principled life can stand up to the worst.” Proverbs 11:1-4
God’s Likes:                 God’s Dislikes:
*Honesty                       *Cheating
*Humility                       *Arrogance
*Integrity                       *Deceit
*Morality
His likes leads to a life time of joy.  His dislikes lead us to misery.
Last year I taught second grade. In reading we often discussed the concept of cause and effect. One of the illustrations I would dramatize is tripping over something and falling down. Cause = tripping over something.  Effect = fell on the ground, and possibly got hurt.  When I read Proverbs 11:1-4 I can see many cause and effects. Such as life…We make choices every day, actually every second of every day, and there are ramifications to those selections. It could be a look, a word, a sigh, an action, whatever the cause may be, there will be an effect. We may not see it right away, but the result will eventually appear.
For example, this morning I slept in 30 minutes later because I knew that I was only going in to work for a brief meeting, then home to visit with my brothers who came from out-of-state for our aunt’s funeral. But, before they are scheduled to arrive I had planned on completing my devotion time (that I had started prior to leaving, but didn’t journal anything) and get a little studying in for an online class that I am taking for recertification. Now I am sitting here attempting to put thoughts together and I am getting completely distracted.
I’m used to having “alone with God” time before anyone else wakes their precious heads, and that is just not the case right now. Ugh!
One child barges in and proceeds to inform me that I have ruined an article of clothing of hers because it was put in the dryer. From my many years of experience, one time in the dryer for this particular type of clothing is not going to be ruined by one dry-time. We had sighs and words that probably don’t (truly do not) reflect what a Christian attitude should be.
Then, another child is completing a math game on the computer in the study where I am and is tap-tap-tapping and whistling. (Yes, you can see that I had two out of three of my kids stay home today from school for the funeral and relative time.) Good for him for being happy! But…I can’t focus!
If I would have just gotten up at my normal time, just thirty minutes earlier, I could have completed my alone time with God and my attitude and patience would not have been so short or disturb by my kids. My causes had definite effects.
What does this have to do with the bible verses from Proverbs?  I have no idea; I got off on cause and effect. LOL. But when I read back over them I can clearly see that the choices we make have consequences.
There are a plethora of bible verses on consequences. Just use your search engine to find scriptures on consequences and, Bam!, there are tons of bible verses. When I glance back over the “Walking in the Word” scriptures from this morning each section has illustration of consequences for the decisions we make in our life.
The ultimate and most significant decision you need to make is your decision to follow Christ or to live your life as the world would have you live it.  Have you decided to follow Jesus? I hope so. Why wait? Ask Him now into your heart. (That illustration so goes with the verses in Luke today, Luke 9:57-62.  The choice is yours.
PS: I would have you know that this “typing time” has been therapeutic for me. I have already apologized to my daughter for being quick-tempered with her.   Smiles are abounding. Peace is in the house.
Guess what? God is a forgiving God. Apologize to Him now for any wrongs you’ve done and get busy living for Him.
Have a blessed day!
 

April 12