Prov 6:33 He will get wounds and dishonour, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

 

He came knocking loudly on my door late at night, disturbed looking, a sense of distress written on his usually confident features. “Oh Al'” he stated, when I had opened the door a way,  then he took a breath, and still not looking in my eyes he continued to complete his interrupted sentence, “oh, I have really done it now”. 

I brought him gently into the house and into the living room, helping him sit in the nearest armchair.

“Whatever it is” I spoke softly, “we can face it together”. I waited. This was not a time for interrogation, or even questions. This was a time when silence would do the heavy lifting.

Tears followed, and we sat in silence as he wept.

 

 

 

KNOWLEDGE

There are consequences to our actions here in this life. While we can experience forgiveness, and healing, that’s does not mean that the consequences do not stay with us. Those consequences  can have far reaching effects and go for many years, in some cases for the rest of our lives or other’s lives. It’s good to have this awareness in our hearts and minds consistently as part of the way we guard our heart. (Prov 4:243). 

Let’s be proactive in ensuring we give ourselves and others around us the best chance possible of making consistently good choices as we face temptations and challenges each day. 

One rash decision can have long lasting effects – in William Congreve’s 1693 play “The Old Batchelour” there is a line that reads “Thus grief still treads upon the heels of pleasure; Married in haste, we may repent at leisure”. 

It does not necessarily have to be restricted to marriage – as this saying has transitioned to a more general “act in haste, repent at leisure”.

 

 

UNDERSTANDING

Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?

The word used for ‘dishonour” is pronounced as “qalon” in Hebrew, meaning shame, disgrace, dishonour.

In the LXX the word used is “ατιμίας” [atimias] which appears in the New Testament seven times, meaning degrading, dishounor, shame, and reproach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WISDOM 

What actions am I taking today that may be leading me away from my best future?

 

STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Consistency as a Gallup strength makes sure everyone knows where it stands, And it stands for everyone being treated with a fair shake if they meet the expectations of healthy living standards. Guard against self-righteousness.

 

 

Allan’s Unauthorised Version – And he will suffer personal disaster to his health along with shame and dishonour, and the scorn and contempt on his life will not be blotted out.

 

He will get wounds – and he will suffer personal disaster to his health

and dishonour – along with shame and dishonour

and his disgrace – and scorn and contempt on his life

will not be wiped away – will not be blotted out.

 

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to understand the consequences of unfaithfulness and to allow those understandings to remind me of the value of faithfulness.

 

 

I so love feedback – please do scroll down and use a few moments to bless me?

 

 

To chat to me as a coach – allan@theallankey.com