Skip to main content

Snare


It's not starting well, but ending well that matters.
Gideon had his own doubts, his own struggles, but at one point of time, he decides to believe and do amazing things for God. But all did not end well for Gideon. Not that he sinned. But what he did left a negative impact on future generations.
When offered to be the ruler of the nation, the alluring post of first king of Israel, he rightly says- "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you." Yet he asks to bring a gold earring each and makes an ephod and establishes it in his home town.
The word says, it became a snare for Gideon and his family. It becomes a place of idol worship and prostituition for Israelites.

What legacy do you leave behind?
The habits my children emulate?
The qualities my juniors want to follow.
The character I want others to see.
Is it love for money and savings.
Is it craving for fame and recognition and acceptance.
Or is it desire to fly high the banner of the Lord.
It might be a subtle ephod, which is not harmful or hazardous. May be a small addiction or love for movies or games. But it might become a snare for others who look upto you. Beware to purge out the evil from your midst. Deutr:17:7
It might not be overtly sinful. But if it becomes a snare for others, if it becomes a root for sin for others, purge it out. Paul was willing to be a veggie for the sake of new believer's (at that time it was eaten after offering to idols)
When the Holy Spirit convicts you to renounce something which apparantly looks harmless, you might think it's irrational and too radical and strict, hard to follow.
When we started our family, Facebook was the in thing.  But we realized it was eating up most of our time. When God convinced us, we both felt it necessary to uninstall both of our accounts. For people who ask how can you survive without these connections, all we have to say is that we have survived for more than 10years now. And we don't regret an iota. We have not lost anything.
What would have been a waste of time, we were able to gouge it out, by His grace.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Mathews Philip20 April 2021 at 06:39

    🙏

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown20 April 2021 at 09:02

    🙏🙏

    ReplyDelete
  3. Smita Itty 20 April 2021 at 12:04

    A snare for others who look upto you 😱
    Help.me Lord to be an encouragement to others and may I never be a snare to those around

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ren21 April 2021 at 05:55

    What a wonderful insight! I wish this was spoken out loud and clear, shouted out from the rooftops. That we all would purge the little things that hinder our time and relationship with our Saviour. May we never create such ephods and May God help us to delight in Him and His Word above eveything else. Amen🙏🏻

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the halfbaked bard21 April 2021 at 08:13

      🙏Very often we fail to realise we are creating a snare. Let God convince us

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Short of words - a prose

To Him who loves us and has fixed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a Kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father. Rev:1:5-6 What a privilege. Blessed privilege. Given. Gifted. Not earned. Not deserving. Not as wages.  But because of grace. Because of love. With my sin, I cannot even stand there And therefore because He loved, He freed. He paid the penalty. He faced the consequence. The very thing He abhored, He took up. For me. To make me Kingdom and priest. I deserved eternal hell. But He made me sit  In heaven. On a throne. Next to Him. With Him. With the Father. And the Holy Spirit. Just imagine. With the Almighty Supreme Ruler. For eternity. When I deserved only punishment  And eternal rejection. It is His doing  To Him be the honour and glory. Because He alone is worthy. What love is this? I cannot fathom. Who made His enemy His friend. Who made a wretch His treasure, His signet ring. Who made a worm, a king. What for? I do no...
3 comments
Read more

The Alpha and The Omega

I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, Rev 1:8.  Said by Jesus Christ, written in red letter in my Bible. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega the last. The beginning and the end. He means he is all the letters in between. Everything that we see or cannot see starts and ends with him, runs through him, created in him, through him, for him, by him. You and I are for him.  To explain further, he says, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Echoing what we read in v:4 about the Father. Reiterates the deityhood of Jesus. In fact, Jesus claims, I and the Father are one.  Why should we know all these? Jesus is the center of what we believe. The son is God and equal with the Father and the key to all creation. He reemphasizes his right to judge and his right to restore, the author and owner of everything. His rule stands, his standard reigns. There is no other law. There is no other possibilities happening. He is.  So...
1 comment
Read more

Enthroned

Rev:1:4 Grace and peace to you from Him, who is, who was and who is to come. The Father. The Almighty. The Sovereign. No better description. Looks grammatically incorrect. But not time bound. Who exists from eternity to eternity. Not created. Exists beyond the creation of time. Exists beyond Gen:1:1. Describes further John:1:1. Beyond creation. Self existent. Even presently He is on the throne. He has not given it off to someone else to rule. He is Sovereign. He is the one who said, " I am who I am". Does not cease to exist. Has not aged or retired. Still in control. Still ruling with His same standards. Not only in the future His rule reigns. But He is to come, with His scepter of justice. Seated on the judgement throne. To bring an end to all so called injustice. For He is the righteous judge. He cannot and will not compromise on His standards. His reign still will go on. No matter, however He seems to be out of control in this revoltous and raucous world. He is...
Post a Comment
Read more

To the church in Pergamum

You are in the place where Satan's throne is. But you remain true to my name. And you did not renounce your faith in me. Even in the middle of persecutions. Yet, this I hold against you, Jesus says, you tolerate sexual immortality and eat food sacrificed to idols. A small thing which others wouldn't know. A secret enjoyment. It is about your attitude to sin. Do you hate what He hates? Does it look disgusting to you, what He abhors? Or do you compromise? To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. Rev:2:17 Revelation from above which has been hidden to others of great wisdom and understanding. Repent and you will be blessed with things beyond your understanding. I will also give them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Rev:2:17 Jesus calling your pet name. Such would be the intimacy between you and Him. That would be the reward He would give, if you obey. Image credit: gemini
1 comment
Read more

Our's

Rev:1:9.  I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus .  If you follow a political party or a person, what does it offer? Prosperity and fulfilling of ideologies, authority and power.  Here is a God who promises kingdom as one among the few inheritances that we will get. Kingdom of heaven as promised by him, not just something you will get after you die. That is one aspect of it. Jesus prayed, Your kingdom come as it is in heaven. It is here. It is now. It is his way in our lives. Abundant life, life to the fullest, life as he intends it to be. He in us. He is eternal life.  But along with that eternal kingdom, with all its richness active in our life, he also promises suffering. Why would somebody promise you such an inheritance? One, because we are in a fallen world and now we are aliens to the system, in fact, enemies. Anything which is foreign to the system will be pushed out, will be o...
Post a Comment
Read more

The seals

Rev 6.  The first seal- white horse- conqueror- antichrist.  The second seal- red horse- war.  The third seal- black horse- famine.  The fourth seal- pale horse- death- a fourth of the earth will be killed by sword, famine, plague, and by wild beasts.  The fifth seal- martyrs are seen under the altar asking for judgment and avenging their blood. The sixth seal- cosmic catastrophe.  The stage is all set, and if we look around, the dress rehearsal is happening. This world is headed to its doom. The one who comes in the name of peace will turn his coins upside down. Then war and famine and death will follow.  Where are you headed to?  Rev 6:17, for the great day of wrath has come, and who can stand?   These people are trying to hide in caves from the sovereign God. How ridiculous? They prefer to be crushed by the mountains and rocks, hoping they would escape the wrath of the Almighty. But all they need to do is to give themselve...
Post a Comment
Read more

Done

I am the Living One. Rev:1:18 The Living One. Capital L and Capital O. The Only. I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever. He was killed. But now is alive forever. He has defeated the greatest weapon of the enemy. Not only has He crushed that weapon for Himself, because He is Sovereign, but He has also done it for His children. That is why He says, I hold the keys to death and Hades. So now why worry! Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin and power of sin is law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor:15:54-57 So now, why worry about death, because you are victorious over it.  Because you are going to the other shore. Your King, your Brother, your Husband is waiting. With arms open wide to receive you into His bosom. He has overcome it. The Living One. The Eternal King. With Him. Happily ever after. Image courtesy: gemini
Post a Comment
Read more