My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood… —Proverbs 1:10-16
One of the things we are given in life is the power of consent, which is to say you agree, decide, settle, or approve and will be involved with what is going on. The wise man in Scripture gives insight on invoking our freedom to choose.
When enticement comes, don’t consent. Isn’t it amazing how many people will seek unfair advantage in various facets of life? In everything, from unfair business advantages to trying to take false possession of what is not theirs, from business dealings to leadership positions—in everything from work to church.
No matter the advantage, is the end result really worth it, putting everything one has worked for in jeopardy, and the risk of losing one’s family all for false identity and gain?
The wise man of Proverbs gives advice that—thousands of years later—is still relevant and will be to the end of time:
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood
Our prayer for you this week: May you come to realize the only gain worth having is that which you come into with honesty through God.
