For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint… PROVERBS 29:18
There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “…I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.
Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?
“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]….” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?

[Wayne Smith]

To the degree my attention is on me and my needs and desires it is not on God. This is when I fail. To the degree my attention is on God it is not on me and my needs and desires, and I have a much greater tendency to succeed at whatever I do.

[USMC87]

Amen for a great lesson, Keep your mind on things above.

[Boaz]

I enjoyed the reading for today . Vision and understanding ...YES !

[Blackwater]

What a wonderful lesson. And thanks, Wayne, for your elucidation of the matter. Whenever OUR will overrides our actions, God's will must of necessity be secondary. When we put ourselves first, given our tendency to err, especially when we're tempted or simply WANT something, we tend to "justify" our actions, even sometimes using Bible verses, taken out of context and willfully misinterpreted to explain our actions. But we and God always know our REAL motivations! We can fool a world full of people, but we can't truly fool ourselves! If we could, why would we ever WANT to????

Our wills are VERY strong, and these days, I think moreso than ever before, all the advertising you see and hear seems to be all about "ME." And when all we hear about is "ME," then we seem inevitably to think about "ME" a whole lot more. We're so easily led! We have to stop and THINK to really come to seek the important answers and principles and insights. And today, everything is so fast paced in most places, that there's very little to remind us to "stop and smell the roses." A very laid back friend of mine is fond of telling folks who seem to always be in a hurry, "You're gonna' die in a hurry, aren't you?" Many don't appreciate that comment, but it's not meant to be appreciated. It's meant to at least try to help folks stop and THINK! A few actually smile, but those are generally the ones who are not in a hurry ALL the time. And all the rest know it's true, anyway, so they can't usually get too angry with him or offended.

Truly, we live in "interesting times," as the old Chinese curse used to say. But it's STILL OUR CHOICE! And we CAN slow down and think, and avoid evils, and enjoy our lives a LOT more. If we'll just do it.