Proverbs 25:16-20 says...

Today's verses are Proverbs 25:16-20, which read,

v.16, 17 - Have you found honey?  Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit it.  Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, or he will become weary of you and hate you.

Ah ha!  God is the one who made up the phrase "all things in moderation."  Honey is great and putting honey on things brings a sweetness to them but we can also overdue on a good and sweet thing.  To much takes you into the glutton stage which is a sin because it becomes like an idol or god to you.  This concept is tied to the idea of being an overbearing neighbor that is soon resented because he is not in moderation about his appearances in the neighbor's home.  It is a good thing to know your neighbor but when you become a pest then it is going against what is desired.  

This is a general principle of self-control that is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.  Self-control allows us to experience good things that God has provided us without them becoming more than what God has provided.  Food is great and very useful but it can also become something that is craved and can become the "go to" solution rather than God and His Word.  Friends are great and being around them offers fellowship but they also can become more than creations of God to us.  Exercised self-control keeps what God has provided for us in proper perspective.

I love honey and actually it was part of my healing process from surgery 6 years ago.  It actually helped my wound heal faster.  Raw and in the comb honey was part of my diet because of its antimicrobial qualities that help the gut heal from trauma.  God provided it but I had to use it in a way to be beneficial to me rather than detrimental to me.  May we pray,  "Lord help us to use what You have created in the right way that glorifies You and doesn't make the creation become some type of creator to us."

v.18-20 - Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.  Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.  Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.

All three of these "likes" give us the picture of someone doing something that is opposite of what should be done.  The person is acting inappropriately for the situation.  Let's look at each one.

The first "like" is someone who is taking up weapons against his neighbor in the form of being a false witness.  When you lie about your neighbor, it is like taking a club, sword, or sharp arrow to him.  We are not to bear false witness.  This is one of the ten commandments.  Our neighbor we are to love as one of the greatest commandments instructed by Jesus.  This one seems so obvious and so well documented but why do we see it happening so often that we pick up a sword of false witness to the one who lives next door?

The second "like" is someone who is unsteady in their faith in a time of trouble.  They ache like a bad tooth and they are unsure of what step to take next so they wobble.  The Christian may ache and be unsure at times but the wise one knows where to go to soothe the ache and steady that next step in a godly direction.  The confidence of the faithless and foolish is shaken and he has no place to turn and you see it visibly in their pain and their wavering to know what to do.

The third "like" is the one who does openly inappropriate things.  He takes off his coat on a cold day.  The appropriate response is to keep the coat on for warmth.  He puts vinegar in his soda which causes it to fizz and erupt therefore loosing some refreshment that was intended for replenishment.  The appropriate response is to protect what is for replenishment rather than make it spill on the ground.  He sings songs of joy to the person who is dealing with a troubled heart.  He makes light of what the other is going through at the moment.  The appropriate response is to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.

All three of these of the third "like" display a foolish person who is not in touch with his or her surroundings.  The person is probably thinking of themselves only.  They think about their fashion and how they look more than the climate they are in to function properly.  They think about what reaction this will get if they put vinegar in the soda and that people's attention will be drawn to themselves rather than sharing the liquid with others.  They sing songs they want to sing rather than sing songs that would soothe the other person who is in distress.

The opposite of self-control is to be selfish.  A selfish person is someone who is not displaying self-control.  The two do not mix.  The one who is wise uses self control.  The one who is foolish displays selfishness.  Let us pray.

"Lord, many word pictures that are very relatable to us.  We sometimes overeat and make food out to be more than it is.  We sometimes make your human creations out to be more than they are.  We sometimes go directly against Your commands and do the opposite that pleases You.  We sometimes don't avail ourselves to You and Your instruction and direction but ache and wobble on our own.  We sometimes let our selfishness replace our self-control and act very inappropriately.  Lord, may we correct our ways in accordance to Your ways today.  Amen."

Pastor Adam