Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Partners

DEVOTION
PROVERBS
PARTNERS

Prov 28:10
10 He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
NIV

The first question that should be asked is how an upright person could be led along an evil path. In the original language it reads more like as if someone causes an upright person to go astray to do something which is bad or evil which would imply sinful. It would seem the only way this could happen is if the upright person falls into league with a non-upright person. Maybe the term falls into league implies a formation of some type of partnership, rather than simply falling, as stumbling. We are told not to become unequally yoked.

2 Cor 6:14-18
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."   17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."  18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."  
NIV

It would seem this yoking with an unbeliever would be the only way we who are upright could be led down the wrong path. What believer would lead his fellow believer into unrighteousness? What believer would lead another believer into thinking or doing something wrong? We certainly have false prophets spewing lies about the gospel or twisting it to conform to their false teaching in order to trap, so to speak, people into believing them and following them, giving great sums of money so these false prophets, these false preachers and teachers can live high off the hog. They will get their fair due when the last day comes. But what about those who allowed themselves to be trapped by their evil ways? What about those weak-minded believers who followed after those false teachers and preachers? Even though they were deceived are they still considered blameless? Although the trap of the false prophets is deceptive, the trap of the non-believers is even more so. Although it may be true that all traps are based on self-pleasure of some form or another. We only have to look at the temptations of Jesus to see the methods of traps used. Hunger, safety or security in trusting God and materialism. If we are lead to believe we are to be self-reliant in providing our needs, it is a trap. If we are lead to believe we need to prove God exists, it is a trap. If we are lead to believe money or materialism is our goal or success, it is a trap. We should not have any common ground with an unbeliever. We cannot form any type of alliance with them. No partnership which would cause us to hope for their success which would bring success or monetary gain for us. This is not to say that we should withdraw from society for we are indeed to go out into the world and spread the good news. But we are no longer citizens of this world, our citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We are foreigners, aliens, but also ambassadors of our sovereign and his kingdom. Yet we should also remain, as we already are in his sight, holy and blameless. We should not allow any of this worlds temptations lead us astray. Those who live in the “astray” the non-believer even though they might try to trap us, they will fall into their own trap, and their just reward will follow, however sad that reward is. We, on the other hand, must remain blameless, that means we remain in Christ, in his truth. No alliances can be made with the world or with false prophets. No partnerships can be formed whether they be of moral, legal, financial or spiritual issues with anyone who is not a follower of Christ. Because we live in Christ, and keep our faith in him and him alone we are seen by God as holy and blameless and as such we will receive a good inheritance. Our only partner is Jesus.


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