Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Aug. 15, 2011

“Spiritual Training Camp”
"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse." – Proverbs 2:12

If you have been following this “devotional” for any length of time, you might be saying to yourself, “this sure seems repetitive.” I might not be too quick to disagree. There is an obvious answer to this! We need constant reminders and training to keep our “spirits” sharpened and ready for what may come our way. By now you should have figured out that I am a big sports fan and I am quick to make a number of analogies using my love of sports with how we can view God’s Words of life. With that said I believe the following analogy fits well with today’s verse. Currently all 30 professional football teams have began their yearly training camps. If you were to ask most of the veteran players they would tell you that if they could bypass training camp they would do it in heartbeat! There are a lot of repetitions…exercises…basic and routine plays that some have been performing for a number of years. Someone might ask, “If a player has been playing the sport professionally for several years, why do they need to keep attending training camp?” There are actually two answers to that and both make perfectly good sense. First, even though a professional player (regardless of the sport) may be at the top of their sport, they still need to sharpen their skills and prepare for the season ahead! Regardless of how good they are no one has their “skill” perfected. Secondly, there will be “rookies” at training camp who do not know the plays. Having skilled personal there to help them only serves to make the whole team better and that is the key to success—regardless of the sport. The Apostle Paul (a seasoned veteran) told his young protégé, Timothy; “Keep your sense of urgency (stand by, be at hand and ready, whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable, whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it be welcome or unwelcome…)” – 2nd Timothy 4:2 (The New Amplified Bible) Paul was telling Timothy always be ready for whatever comes your way! God's wisdom says, "Watch Out!" "Be Alert!" Wickedness can leap upon us in a moment’s notice. It is then that (God’s) wisdom will keep you protected against those individuals who act and think that way. It will protect your heart and mind against their negative (perverse) talk! The kind that hurts and destroys. The kind that can easily lead to anger and hatred. The kind that could destroy relationships. It is against such things we truly need wisdom’s protection!
Pastor J. T. Carnell