Haven’t read yesterday’s Proverbs, yet? Be sure to scroll down below this one and read it first!!!

¹⁸ Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
    let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

If we wait until we FEEL like reading the Bible and setting time aside to pray, then we will NEVER get around to it. Satan will ALWAYS have something else for us to do that we will feel like doing. The “love” mentioned in this chapter is not bad in and of itself, but the fact that the guy is not her husband makes it wrong. They are arrogant in believing that just because her husband is gone that they can get away with adultery. In their arrogance, they are rebel against what they know to be right, and commit sin–against themselves, each other, and especially God. Actually, all sin is against God because He is the One who established what is right and wrong, but our sin affects others in the process(no person is an island). Ultimately, their sin will lead to their destruction: possibly her marriage and his life, and definitely their souls being cast into hell if they don’t repent and come to the LORD.

If we have trusted Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, and if He has, indeed, washed us in His precious blood, cleansed us from our sin, and come to live in our hearts, then we should be the most grateful people on the planet!

If His Spirit is working inside of us to make us to be like Jesus (see Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, and 1 John 4:17), then He is creating in us first the desire and then the power (Philippians 2:13) to get His Word out and study it–not just read it, but study it, memorize it, ponder it, and parse it (to analyze something, as a speech or behavior, to discover its implications or uncover a deeper meaning). Finding out more about Jesus and His nature (so that we can act just like Him), God and His Plan for our future, and the Holy Spirit and how He works in our lives (prompting us, warning us, leading us, and protecting us) will become ALL-IMPORTANT to us.

IF we DON’T have any desire to know Him more and deeper, then we have:

1. A deep sin problem that has pushed out any ability to sense His Spirit or hear His voice;
2. A selfish nature that needs to die so that Christ can live through us;
3. A dead spirit that needs the life of Christ (basically a lost person).

In 1 Samuel 21-23, David was on the run from King Saul, yet he had time to seek the counsel of the LORD. In fact, he had just gotten away from King Achish by acting insane! He gives the LORD the credit for saving him:

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34: 4, 8, 10

At this point in his life, David had no home; he was separated from his wife; he was a wanted man. What is the “good thing” that he had? Relationship! He was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). If you would like to read David’s idea of a quiet time, read Psalm 119.

Let us seek the LORD while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6). Let us draw near to Him BEFORE something bad or disastrous happens. Peace before the storm means security and confidence during the storm.

Abba, may I take to heart my own words. Keep drawing me closer to You and into Your Word. Prepare me, LORD, for that next task, that next person to which to talk, that next class to teach, that next worship time to lead. Right now, it’s helping cook breakfast for the men in our church! Come eat with us, O LORD, and us with You. Amen.