Reading your Bible for today April 17

April 17: Proverbs 6:20-24

KJV Key Verse: Proverbs 6:23
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Devotion:
This section of passage may be ultimately talking about adultery but stop and look at it from a general instruction point of view. Our parents probably try to give us instructions which will lead us to learning good from bad and following good examples rather than bad. As a parent myself I like to think I have given wise instructions to my children and hope they have grasped the importance of most of those instructions.

When God gave us the scriptures it was to ensure we did have wise instructions we could bury in our hearts to follow for the rest of our lives. I am sure God would like us to be able to keep those instructions and live by them; but we fail daily just as I did as a child and just as my own children probably have too. Those instructions are now called the Holy Bible for us because they have been gathered together with other scriptures to form as single book for us.

If we are not going to keep those instructions in the forefront of our minds we may well not remember them when the time comes and we need them. If we do keep them fresh in our minds we will find we can recall those good instructions when we do need them; and when we sleep we will be able to know in our hearts we have tried to follow those good instructions.

Just as Psalm 119 describes how the bible is a lamp we can use to find our way, this chapter goes one stage further by reminding us reproofs are a way of life we need to get used to. If we do not listen to instruction when it shows us we are doing wrong then we will not learn from our mistakes. Just as a person can give you a bunch of lies to throw you off course or convince you into sinful ways, so too can the evil one throw you a bunch of lies which will send you off in the wrong direction. Use God’s Word to compare instruction with God’s instruction and know what is right and what is wrong!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like instruction manuals?

Are you listening and learning from God’s instruction manual?