Reading your Bible for today August 13

August 13: Proverbs 27:20

KJV Key Verse: Proverbs 27:20
20 Hell and destruction* are neverfull; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Devotion:
No matter what walk of life we are from we always seem to want more of something. Depending on where we are from, how we are brought up and what we allow into our lives we all will want after different things. This seems to be most obvious in people in very public positions or people who are in charge of others… Man’s lust and pride will always make him want more than he is given! We need not wait for too many hours before we see some leader going after more than they should in the news. Man takes his lust and pride and ignores others just to get that little bit more!

We can all relate to this simpler level by thinking of our favourite food – when we are given some, we always want a little bit more! We know that too much is not good for us, but we will always accept or take more than we actually need. Whilst it is not a bad thing to enjoy the pleasures of life God does give to us, taking more than we need is not what God wants us to do!

It did not take Adam and Eve too long before they gave in to their greed in the Garden of Eden; and it will not take us too long before we give in to something in our lives. God continues to allow us to have access to so many things in our lives – whether we use or abuse that access is our choice because He has given us that choice. He wants us to be aware of our choices and how we can control them. Put a “chocoholic” in a room with lots of bars of free chocolate and it will not be long before they give in, no matter how reformed they think they are.

But God does not put us into those sorts of positions! He will post a warning on the door saying we should not enter for fear of the temptation which will overtake us. We are the ones who think we are strong and enter in to prove a point… breaking down and giving in and showing ourselves up as the weak humans we are! The temptations are there but God does not put them there! If we fix our eyes upon Him rather than our world we will be able to see those traps for what they are!

Points to Ponder:
What is one of your weaknesses?

Do you concentrate on the weakness or on God?