Friday, August 7, 2009

Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister"

Over the last month I have been following Pastor Tim's (Grace Church, SLO)challenge to read a Proverb everyday (one for every day of the month, 31). It has been great to get wisdom for each morning and really try to think through, process, and pray for God's wisdom in my life everyday and a challenge to make wise decisions.

This morning as I read through Proverbs 7 entitled, "Warning Against the Adulteress" I could not help but notice the contrast between following after the adulteress that leads to destruction (7:6-23) and the relationship to wisdom, "Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words." We are called to make INSIGHT our INTIMATE friend not the deceiving, manipulating, intoxicating adulteress that waits to bring us down.

This chapter struck me afresh as I reflected on what is going on in our culture today. Pornography runs rampant on the internet, TV, movies, billboards, and in stores and is so much more accessible and simultaneously strangling of young men and men of all ages. In Proverbs 7 the craftiness of the adulteress and her smooth sayings easily trip up "a young man lacking sense" and today the presence and popularity of pornography wraps up so many that do not know how to say no to the temptations that arise and rely upon the grace resources that God provides for us out of it.

Even if we think that looking at indecent images are not nearly as bad as sleeping with an adulteress God challenges us with his words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), that if you have looked at a woman lustfully you have already committed adultery with her in your heart. That catches every man and shows all of us our desperate need for a savior and the wisdom made flesh in Jesus Christ. Even Solomon who wrote his wisdom of avoiding the adulteress had hundreds of wives and concubines that led to his destruction when he encouraged young men to follow his words of wisdom.

Jesus Christ is the only one that can free us individually from our pattern and proneness to fall into sexual sin as an idol of our culture and He is the only one that can rescue us when we fall.

God, I need Your grace to "train me to deny ungodliness and worldly passions (pornography, lust, and so much more), and to live (a) self-controlled, upright, and godly li(fe) in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12) Lord, set me free from my propensity to run headlong into sin and free me to run wholeheartedly to you at the cross even as I continue to fall to temptations. Make me more and more like you every day. To your name be all the glory!