Daily Devotion April 18

April 19: Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

KJV Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 10:1
1 Deadflies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour : so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

Devotion:
It does not take a lot for things to go rotten quickly in hot weather. No matter how pure we think we have made things or how clean we think we are, there is always something that will make stuff we keep spoil in one way or another. Just as our bodies themselves do not last forever, all physical things around us will not last forever. But we know some things have lasted a very long time because we have the history of those things to remind us how they have lasted.

In this case the perfumer’s ointments were at risk because of the flies in the early winter season which would look for anything to try and eat. During the summer the flies would go for plentiful harvests such as fruit, but during the lean time they turned to anything left open. In our lives we have many things left open because we think they will be safe. It is those things we least expect that Satan will aim for to try and make a mess; and none of us like to have to clean up a mess!

It is not just the physical things around us that are at risk here either. Satan is going to find anything in our lives that is left unguarded; that could be any loose end we have not taken care of, any chink in our protection. If he can find a way to reach through and make a rotten mess in our lives he will aim for it. Asking God to be the protection that surrounds us and encourages us to keep that protection going at all times is what we need to be doing.

We can try to walk with God every step of the way and we can try to make sure we have His protection at all times; but when we take our eyes off of God’s ways for a short spell, Satan will find a way in. The only wise way forward is to make sure we walk with God as much as possible and keep Him close at all times. God wants to protect us, but when we walk away it becomes more difficult for us to hear Him calling us back!

Points to Ponder:
Do you think your life sticks at times?

Are you walking close to God?