Thought for the Day

Verse 9 - In ancient Israel, houses were built with flat roofs surrounded by a low protective wall to prevent falls. The roof was considered the best part of the house because it was spacious and cool. It was used as a special room. It was on the roofs of their houses that the people of ancient Israel transacted business, met with friends, housed special guests, prayed, kept watch, made announcements, erected booths, slept in summer, and laid their dead before burial. This proverb says that dwelling in a corner of the housetop exposed to bad winter weather would be preferable to sharing a house with a nagging and quarrelsome person! Choosing a spouse is one of the biggest decisions we will make in life and one that can result in much joy or much grief. As a man or woman of God, we need to carefully seek God when choosing a marriage partner, as we saw in Day 122 and Day 166. This is why it is so important to seek God diligently in regard to this decision. We should never enter into it without much prayer. To rush into a marriage can be disastrous. This happens sometimes when people allow just their emotions to rule them. "Feeling in love" is not the gauge for entering into a lifelong relationship. If our emotions and mind (our soul) have not been cleansed, we can be led astray by them. Our feelings of love can really be lust. The definition of love is, "God is love."

What this world calls love is really lust, since it is built on what the other person does for me, and not what I can do for him or her. If one person fails to keep up their end of the bargain, a divorce occurs because the offended mate is no longer pleased. This is the attitude of the world's so-called "love." God, however, loves without receiving back. His love is forgiving and patient. His love is gentle and kind. His love waits, and makes sacrifices for the other. This is the character needed in both mates to make a marriage work. None of us really know how to love until we experience and practice God's love. 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a good definition for real, Christ-like love. The word "charity" is the King James Version's term for love. If we put our name in the place of "charity" in this chapter we can see if we pass the test of possessing true love.

Verse 10 - Wicked people seek the opposite of God's will. They actually enjoy doing what is evil. They are completely selfish and without regard for anyone but themselves. If you have ever lived next door to a covetous or greedy person, or next to a haughty or prejudiced person, you know that wicked people are difficult neighbors. You can never please them. While there simply is no fellowship between darkness and light, good and evil; we are, however, called to pray for those around us who are evil so that they might come to know Jesus as their Savior.