Making My Rounds

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.” Proverbs 24:30-31 (NLT)

 

Sometimes it’s a mundane thing to do but, never the less, I gotta do this five days outta week. I’ve written about my morning drives but I haven’t written about what happens after I clock in and get the workday started. For the past six years, I’ve been doing the same thing at work and it’s one of those things that, if neglected, can serve to bite me in the tail, I call this “making my rounds’. I work in a place that needs all kinds of equipment running at one time so that a production worker can do their job without interruption. If I’m not informed enough on the condition of the equipment that is running, and something goes wrong, I may find myself in hot water with the boss.

I also have found that if I’m not making my rounds with my spiritual condition, and something goes wrong, I’ll find myself in hot water with almost everyone around me. I think this why what we read in Proverbs 24:30-34 can be a useful tool to prevent a sorta progressive destruction in our lives.

One of the most underestimated statements made in a man’s life is “That’ll never happen to me.” Hmm…Now, many a versed Christian will say, “No one is righteous— not even one” (Romans 3:10b) because “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23) and they ain’t off the mark with that. However, what’s your reaction when you hear of someone close to you yielding to temptation and finding themselves crash landing into life-dominating sin? Are you the one who goes, “Well, it’s obvious that they didn’t do A, B or C” or are you the one who goes, “But for the grace of God, there go I”?

As much as I wanna believe the protective walls around my heart are in good condition should be at the same level as where I find myself to be a teachable vessel.

Proverbs 24:32-34 says,

“Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

This kinda conclusion can only come from a desire to learn and have understanding. When we’re looking upon others in their calamity, we automatically seek to reason but we should be open enough to seek Biblical reasoning because without it we can find ourselves being on the wrong side of judgment. Does that make sense?

So, as I am making my rounds at work, I am also looking to see if there is any slow deterioration to the machinery that production constantly uses. If I can catch it in time and make necessary repairs, I could possibly prevent someone from getting hurt. This works well to our spiritual condition as well. When looking at my opening verses today from Proverbs 24 we see that a lazy man let the weeds take control. Many will just conclude by saying, “All that guy had to do was spend a little time tending to things and this wouldn’t have happened.” True, but what if you heard a sermon that convicted you and you did nothing to follow up on it? AND you did that again and again and again?

BUT GOD…

Not that we should ever take this for granted “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9) We don’t need to become like the slothful guy in Proverbs 24 who probably looked at the mess that the weeds and nettles have become and figured it was too far gone for him to deal with. On the contrary, we need to be like the prodigal in Luke 15 who finally came to the end of himself and said, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” (Luke 15:18b-19)

Some things can slip by me when I do my rounds, they can be corrected but sometimes there’s a consequence to it. It’s the same thing when we come back to God after we’ve strayed but this should not prohibit us from returning back into the fold. The consequence that Jesus chose to deal with far outweighs any consequence that any man could ever do to us. If you are truly His, then the thorn in your side and the grace of God to bear it should be sufficient enough. If it isn’t, then maybe you need to go make your rounds. Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a husband, a father, has an education in Biblical doctrine, and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

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Think About This: “Behind every tragedy in human character, there’s a long, drawn our process of wicked thinking” — Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 5-8| You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: ¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ -1 Peter 1:13

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.