Be Disciplined

Proverbs 5:19-23

19A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. 20Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

21For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. 22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. 23For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.

Speed Limit

Have you heard of a driver who had two car accidents in the same corner of the road? Increase of road accidents is one reason they proposed a slower speed limits. Have you heard of the proposed 30km/h residential speed limits? How can you appreciate slow driving? Many drivers cannot totally appreciate the idea, but disciplined drivers may welcome the proposed slower speed limit without qualm.

To follow speed limits, be aware of disrespectful drivers, expect possible traffic disturbances and avoid being distracted while driving are good practices, but can’t guarantee total safety. Well at least, you try to avoid accidents. And, the Lord may even bless you that you care for safety of other motorists while driving. It is far beneficial to be disciplined driver than to be intentionally reckless.

Our practices in several aspects of life have similarity to driving behavior. We want to reach our destination safely when we drive. Similarly, if we want to reach our eternal destination safely, we must be spiritually disciplined also. We need to prioritize our relationship with Christ and take it more seriously.

Biblically, our relationship with Christ is compared to husband and wife relationship. The church, a congregation of believers, is the bride of Christ.

It says in Ephesians 5:25-29, 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.

If husband and wife relationship is compared to relationship with Christ, husbands must take it as top priority. When even at old age husbands love their wives just as Christ loves the church, it shows the work of the grace of God. Would not God shower his grace on us when we embrace his word seriously?

1.  Embrace

19A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. 20Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

Sexual relationship is a very sensitive issue that is not readily touched as top priority within church settings. Yet, problems about sexual relationship had been a struggle of believers in the past until now. Scholars suggest that King Solomon may have personal problems regarding sexual relationship that may have sparked his decision to marry 700 wives and took 300 concubines.

The Book of Proverbs has numerous advices about sexual relationship. Why does the Lord want believers to learn more seriously about the significance of sexual relationship? Sexual relationship is instinctive between opposite genders. And, one of the main reasons that the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was the impropriety, distortion, inappropriateness, and perversion of sexual relationship.

Two Angels

It narrated that the Lord sent two angels to destroy Sodom. The nephew of Abraham, Lot invited them into his house. It stated in Genesis 19:4-5, 4Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

The story says that the angels struck those men with blindness so that they could not find the door of the house of Lot. After that, the angels told Lot to hurry and get his family out of Sodom because the Lord was about to destroy the city.

The Lord had designed sexual relationship as sacred for husband and wife.  Just as the Lord requires us to be faithful to him, husbands must be faithful to their wives. Just as the Lord wants us to be satisfied in him, husband must be satisfied with their wife and not embrace the bosom of a wayward woman.

We may not explain all details why sexual relationship of husband and wife is sacred to the Lord; it is by faith that we trust all plans of God are designed for our own betterment and not detriment. Godly instructions are meant for our own good, not harm. If we obey the Lord’s instructions, we avoid being ensnared.

2.  Ensnare

21For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. 22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. 23For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.

Disobedience to the Lord is foolish decision that would ensnare the wicked.

The word of God disciplines and makes us wiser and not foolish. Discipline is not one-time-obedience to the Lord. It requires consistency to be disciplined even when we obey the Lord. Disciplined consistency is faithfulness; it’s the work of the Holy Spirit of Christ. He also produces in us joyful peace to be disciplined consistently. Meaning, we can never be consistent on our own human effort.

Similarly, faithful relationship between husband and wife is possible when Christ is in control of their lives. When inspired by the Holy Spirit, husband and wife can be patient and love each other despite the differences and shortcomings. Several preachers are divorced, why? Does it mean they were not inspired?

Divorce

I don’t know much about the reasons why they resort to divorce. But it only shows that all human beings are vulnerable – preachers, leaders and ordinary believers, we all have our own weakness. Everyone has inconsistency. This is why it is very helpful for us to be reminded regularly. The more we listen to the word of God, the more we are warned of possible falling out from the grace of God.

Every believer is warned. All believers should remember Hebrews 10:23-25: 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Signs of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ are undeniable. Earthquakes, war, famine, sodomic lifestyle and many other signs. The Lord may come in our generation. If not, the Lord is giving us more time to store up treasures in heaven.

It’s favorable to us; we seek the Lord to help us be disciplined in obedience to him so that we may continue to be faithful in doing our mission purposes.

Physical exercise requires consistent discipline, and the more we exercise, the more we see better results and the more we are encouraged to exercise. Similarly, the more we obey the Lord, the more we are blessed and the more we want to obey him.

We need inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be disciplined.

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