Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.
Proverbs 7:1 & 2 (NLT)
There are two stories mingled together in today’s Seed Basket devotional.
While I was at the window of my house,
looking through the curtain,
I saw some naive young men,
Proverbs 7:6 (NLT)
A man our family knows went to a restaurant one evening to pick up supper. He was greeted by a young hostess dressed seductively, and being a believer who honors God, he felt immediately uncomfortable.
Thankfully, our friend is an upright and moral man. He knows the dangers that promiscuity presents to men and boys who love God.
Women are certainly not immune to such temptation, but that is not the focus of the devotion today.
and one in particular who lacked common sense.
He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman,
strolling down the path by her house.
Proverbs 7:7&8
Our friend intentionally held the gaze of the young woman, and refused to be led by what the world would claim are his natural instincts.
God calls giving in to temptation sin. The darkness of it cost Jesus His life.
Without hesitation, our friend chose to honor God; this young woman displayed two responses in a split second.
It was at twilight, in the evening,
as deep darkness fell.
The woman approached him,
seductively dressed and sly of heart.
Proverbs 7:9 & 10
At first, she feigned offense, thinking he would be lured, as many men would be, to look at her. He said it was obvious that she expected him to ogle her, but she instantly became incredulous when he refused to take the bait and look at more than her face.
Unfortunately, many true believers fall into the pit that people like this woman offer.
Now don’t forget, the expectation of morality is for people who truly love and honor God. This devotional study today is not to suggest that we should demand that the world behave the way we do.
The world will never understand God’s moral law. That is why they fight so hard to push back at Christians as being haters and rigid weirdos who deserve to be taken down a notch.
The woman approached him,
seductively dressed and sly of heart.
She was the brash, rebellious type,
never content to stay at home.
Proverbs 10 & 11
That cannot be our concern. We are never to judge them or give up on them. We should love and pray for them; never preach at them or assume we can fix them.
You can prepare your heart before temptation comes, like our friend did by always living to uphold God’s moral law. As believers, we do this by walking closely with Him and planting His Word deeply in our hearts.
Parents and grandparents, you have an absolute responsibility to prepare your sons and daughters for the darkness that is just waiting to entice them into a world of misery like this young woman was offering our friend.
It is important to realize that temptation does not end at the Church’s doors. Many women wear clothes inappropriate for them, both in church and in the world. This is not acceptable for those who want to honor God. The way we present ourselves as the body of Christ extends everywhere we go.
She is often in the streets and markets,
soliciting at every corner.
Proverbs 7:12
The problem is not just females who dress seductively. Pornography among Christian men is a staggering issue that has ruined men’s lives and their families.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him,
and with a brazen look she said, …
You’re the one I was looking for!
Proverbs 7:13 & 16 (NLT)
Click the link to find out how this story ends.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 