Proverbs 5
Warning Against Adultery
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. [a]
6 She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house.
11 At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly."
15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?
21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.
22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
23 He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew Sheol
Saturday, December 5, 2009
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Some may think that a personal matter like marital fidelity has nothing to do with business, but I disagree. If I find out that a business colleague has deceived his or her spouse, I become more guarded and watch their actions closely. If they will break their sacred marriage vows, then they may think nothing of breaking agreements that we have made in business.
ReplyDeleteIt is not my place to judge them---God will do that. However, it is my place to protect the business God has entrusted to me from any harm that this person may cause by their lack of judgment and discipline.
Just as a person can die from lack of discipline, so a business can die from it's owners', managers', and employees' lack of discipline. It starts the minute it becomes acceptable to arrive late, or to miss deadlines, or to ignore customer requests. From there, it is easy to move to practices that cause greater harm: dumping waste instead of managing it responsibly; borrowing from the pension fund instead of establishing financial disciplines to provide for future needs; etc.
ReplyDeleteI pray that today God will reveal to me areas in my business where I lack discipline. I pray for the wisdom to find solutions that are prudent and not simply expedient.