Proverbs 27:13 Following the directions

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

Sometimes you have to wonder about ol' Solomon! He is telling his son some very good advice here, about being careful with finances and with strangers, but I wonder if he took his own advice? At least about the strangers . . .

In the Bible we read that Solomon had an incredible number of wives and concubines, and that -- get this -- many of them were foreigners, not daughters of Israel. God had specifically cautioned the Hebrew children about taking "strange" or foreign wives, and there was a very good reason for that.

In Exodus 34, we read these instructions:

¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. ¹⁶ And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.

And again in Deuteronomy:

³ Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, ⁴ for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods...

In spite of that, we read in I Kings chapter 11, that Solomon had hundreds of wives, and that many of them were from religions that worshiped false gods and idols. In verses 7 and 8 of that chapter, it tells the story of his building altars to false gods . . . his wives influenced him and he incurred God's anger.
In His mercy, He tells Solomon that the kingdom will be torn away -- but from Solomon's son, not in Solomon's own lifetime.

Why in the world did Solomon not heed the instructions that he was given? For that matter, why don't we? Whether it is on the subject of this verse (using caution when giving monies or co-signing with someone on a debt) or whether it is on the subject of our daily lives and conduct, why do we find it difficult to pay attention to the warnings and follow the instructions?

In the fourth chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul expresses his disappointment with their straying from the gospel and the faith that they had so recently accepted.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

^{And then he gives them (in chapter 5) a course of action to follow:}

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

We must give our best efforts to following the directions we are given --- and we can't fully follow them unless we read the "instruction book" --- our Bible!

God used a quilt block

I hesitated before using that title --- I suppose I might hear from some of you that think I'm being a little bit sacrilegious....thinking that I'm using a trivial illustration for a mighty God.

I hope not.

I truly believe that God can use the mundane things of life to speak to us; He is all-powerful and all-knowing, and He can choose to use anything He wishes to use, to nudge us when we need it!

Let me tell you what I mean . . .

Some of you may know that I have another blog, and that my "pen name" on that blog is Snoodles, just as it is here.  The story of that name is for another day.  Recently I was preparing a post tailored for rookie quilters; I was hoping to help them avoid some of the pitfalls that I experienced when I got started. I got out several of the blocks that were first on my list -- from when I was a rookie.

It was very obvious that I had a real problem when I first began --- the very first block not only had issues with wrinkles and non-matching corners, but it was also a good bit larger than the next three blocks.  As I looked it over, I remembered what had caused the problem . . . in my excitement to be quilting, I had not read the instructions completely! I had missed a very important note on measuring the little blocks that made up the whole star block. "I scooted ahead without paying attention to the directions," I told myself.

And then it hit me.  Or rather, then God nudged me. "Aren't you about to make the same mistake?" he gently said.  In a rush to make a recent decision, I had not consulted Him. I hadn't even glanced at the instruction book (my Bible) to make sure of His directions.  I assumed that I knew enough to forge ahead.
I took care of that right away.  I remembered two verses that I should have thought of before:

 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:6)
 “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel; that  will stand” (Prov. 19:21).

The Lord promises to give direction and guidance in our lives. He can use something as simple as a quilt block to remind us.  Is there something that you need to consult him about today? If you have time, leave a comment about something that God used to get your attention.