Cutting into my hand has happened to me many a times, but I have a love affair with knives, sharp ones, and I don’t know why. The problem is that my knife fascination often leaves me sliced or punctured and in lots of pain.
I was helping my good friend Johnny at church replace an exit sign. Some of the plastic needed to be trimmed off with a sharp blade and I jumped to it. Johnny handed me his sharp pocket knife and said, “Be careful with it…” I interrupted him by saying, “I know what I’m doing ‘brah’; I’m a professional.” The moment those words came out of my mouth that pocket knife tore deep into my hand. There was lots of blood, screaming, and jumping and running in place. Sadly that scene has been repeated in my life waaayyy too often.
The real question is, how long am I going to keep getting hurt before I figure out the knife thing?
This all brought one Bible verse to mind that has absolutely nothing to do with knifes but everything to do with a bad outcome from a not-so-smart idea. Check it out, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 NIV (1985 Edition)
Two words from that verse jump off this blog and get right in our face, ‘seems right.’ In the Hebrew language ‘seems right’ have to do with the appearance of something good, smooth, and pleasant.
Picture this horror movie scene: The poor victim is lost in some scary forest when she comes to a fork in the dirt road. The path to the left looks dark and scary while the path to the right is sunny with colorful flowers and chirping birdies. So she goes right thinking it’s the best way to go not knowing that there’s some psycho at the end of her path.
Ok…so that’s kind of grim but the wise man of Proverbs wasn’t trying to paint a pretty picture either. People in our culture are making life decisions devoid of spirituality because they seem logical, but their lives won’t have a happy ending.
My problem with knives may be carelessness and then I have to pay a short term price because healing usually happens.
A casual or indifferent approach to God, on the other hand, has bad, lasting, eternal consequences.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life [in heaven] through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NLT (parenthesis mine)
When I first heard about this it took me a while to believe, but God helped me figure it out and I put my faith in Christ. Now I know I’m not going to tank in the end but live in eternal bliss in heaven. The Bible tells me so!
Death without the love of God forever is too high a risk to take. Why gamble heaven when Jesus made a clear way for us?
I still have not figured out my weird attraction to sharp knives and I’m sure there are more painful memories yet to be made (hopefully few). But when it comes to our end and the afterlife, the matter was figured out and settled for me (and you) by Jesus Christ when He died at the cross some 2,000 years ago.
What’s your thought? Please leave me a comment.
Why do we always seem to blindly “forge ahead”, thinking “we got this!”, when in reality, we most likely end up falling flat on our faces? Jesus Christ loves us, leads us, guides us……..if we just let Him. His word promises us that He has come to give us life, and life abundant! The key to enjoying this abundant life is to follow His ways, not the ways of the world. Yes, we live IN this world, but we are no longer OF this world. As children of God we are new creatures in Christ and citizens of heaven!
Abundant life and heavenly citizenship, that’s a MOMBO-COMBO!