Proverbs Daily Devotional: Day 6
“For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.”
Proverbs 6:23-24
When I was in college, my friends and I used to go caving, or spelunking as we used to say. Sometimes in the depths of the cave, we’d turn out our headlamps and stand in awe of the darkness surrounding us. Nighttime darkness on a moonless night is one thing, as there is still ambient light from stars, streetlights, or somewhere. The darkness of a cave is another thing entirely, as there is absolutely no light whatsoever. It is truly pitch dark. Without our headlamps to illuminate our surroundings, we would be completely lost, stumbling around with no clear path to safety.
When the writer of Proverbs compares his teachings to light, he is offering a way out of the darkness. My parents disciplined me as a child, taught me right from wrong, and did their best to instill virtues and morals in me. I was and still am far from perfect, but I am grateful for the teachings of my parents, and the example they showed. I have friends who did not have guidance from their parents, who were simply left to figure out life on their own. When I was younger, I was envious of them, thinking they had so much more freedom than I did. As I have gotten older, I realize how much more freedom I have now, as I am not constrained by the consequences of as many poor choices as some of my friends. We all carry baggage with us, but I carry less than others and I attribute that to my parents’ efforts to teach and model a godly way of life. My wife and I try to instill virtue and morals in our own children, and in the people of the church we serve, believing that these commands are a lamp, and these teachings are a light, and that corrections of discipline are the way to life.
If given a choice between the way of light and life, or darkness and death, what do you choose? The step you take today is leading you somewhere. Choose wisely which direction you go.
— Pastor Jeff
