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. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. (Proverbs 1:10-23)
Today's Morsel: Having an opportunity to counsel and minister in the prisons has enlightened me to the age of many of those who are incarcerated. Many of them are only 18 to 19 years old. I often ask myself, how did such young men get themselves into trouble that they are now having to spend many years in prison for their bad behavior. Where did they go wrong? What was the turning point in their lives that landed them in such a place. I have asked some of those I counsel with this very question. And they say to me, "I just wanted to fit in;" "I just wanted to hang with the boys;" "I made wrong decisions and wrong choices;" "I chose the wrong friends;" "The love for money caused me to go the wrong way;" "I thought if we got caught I would only have to do a few weeks or month in the local jail and then I'd be let go;" "I should have listened to my pastors and stayed in church." These are just a few of the things they say to me. But more shocking is that most of them will say, "I should have stayed in church and went to church more than running the streets." What a price to pay for wrong friends and poor choices. The Bible says "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment" (1 Chronicles 12:32). They understood the times and knew what they ought to do. Do you understand the times? Paul said, "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2) Now is the time for salvation. Now is not the time to try to fit in and be one of the boys or girls. Now is the time to come out from among them and be separated unto the Lord ( 2Corinthians 6:17-18). Now is the time to be holy and set apart for the Master's use. Don't sell yourself short, eternity in hell is a long time.
Sing: I'll say yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way. I'll say yes, Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey. When Your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I'll agree, and my answer will be yes, Lord, yes!
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