Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
May 23, 2012

“A Message inside of a Message inside of a Message…”
“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger…” – Proverbs 6:1
There was a movie out a couple of years ago called, “Inception.” The premise of the movie was about dreams—and in one scene you had a dream inside of a dream inside of a dream. I would like to say that I could explain it but I seriously doubt that I could because I must admit I was hopelessly lost! What I did come away with was an understanding that not everything is what it appears. You’ve got to do some digging if you are going to find treasure…and there are some riches here in this verse.
First message…show caution in who you partner with! There will be more on this later as we get to the next couple of verses, but that is what Solomon is leading us to.
Second message…and one that has been debated for centuries and will continue to be debated until Jesus comes, and it is found in the one little word…”if.”

I have said in a number of sermons and have probably stated it at one time or another within the text of one of these messages that the word, “if” is probably the largest two-letter word in our vocabulary. It lays upon us conditions of either action or non-action. For example, “if only I had said something…” or, “if only I had not said what I did.” Then there are the “ifs” that haunt us, that makes us think less about ourselves: “If I were younger…” “If I were older…” “If I were thinner…” “prettier…” “smarter…” “wealthier…” all based on the condition of…if.
Those who live their lives constantly leaning on “ifs” live without faith, hope, or purpose. Everything is based upon conditions and if those conditions are not met they are easily defeated.
Nicolas Barson, from Queens, New York, was identified as "the world's greatest real estate salesman" in 1997 by Success Magazine. The year before he had earned more than $1,000,000 by selling more than $27 million worth of real estate. The amazing part of Barsan's story is that he was a Romanian immigrant and had been selling houses for only four years. He said, “I had a number of people tell me that selling real estate was impossible. At first I believed them and began thinking, ‘if only I could speak English better,’ and ‘if only I were smarter.’ Then I read a passage of Scripture that told me, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ From there my attitude changed and I realized I could do this. No more ifs for me! Attitude is number one with me." Third Message. Take the word “if” and reduce it down to one letter, “I.”
I have a friend from my college days that I can only describe as a person who is, the center of his universe. Every conversation was about himself—he was (to hear him tell it) the best player on his teams—the top of his class and so on and so forth. He treated people with respect and he had a deep-seated faith in Christ, but his constant use of “I” turned people off and in many ways led to a mis-trust in whatever he had to say. As we get deeper into the book of Proverbs we will discover how much emphasis Solomon places upon relationships—how vital they are to not only our physical health but our emotional and spiritual well-being as well. Being an “I” person makes having strong relationships difficult. A message inside of a message inside of a message. Solomon’s unique insights just keep getting better and better and! The closer the look the more you discover and the better it gets.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.