GOD Morning! October 16 / Shoe Lust

1 Thessalonians 4 (Amplified Bible)

4 Furthermore, brethren, we beg and admonish you in [virtue of our union with] the Lord Jesus, that [you follow the instructions which] you learned from us about how you ought to walk so as to please and gratify God, as indeed you are doing, [and] that you do so even more and more abundantly [attaining yet greater perfection in living this life].

² For you know what charges and precepts we gave you [on the authority and by the inspiration of] the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice,

⁴ That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage) his own body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,

⁵ Not [to be used] in the passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will,

⁶ That no man transgress and overreach his brother and defraud him in this matter or defraud his brother in business. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we have already warned you solemnly and told you plainly.

⁷ For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity].

⁸ Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure).

⁹ But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another.

¹⁰ And indeed you already are [extending and displaying your love] to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we beseech and earnestly exhort you, brethren, that you excel [in this matter] more and more,

¹¹ To make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you,

¹² So that you may bear yourselves becomingly and be correct and honorable and command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] and having need of nothing.

¹³ Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those who fall asleep [in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave].

¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [in death].

¹⁵ For this we declare to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] or have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him in death].

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.

¹⁷ Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!

¹⁸ Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.

Years ago, I used credit cards to shop around so I could shop again at home to decide what clothing items worked. So I would charge a few hundred dollars on my card, knowing I would be taking most of it back. Instead of running back and forth to the various stores, I would simply make two trips. It worked out very well for me!

To be honest, I haven’t done a lot of clothes shopping over the last few years. I have discovered thrift shopping and therefore I haven’t been hitting the mall much. (I visit resale shops only rarely.)

Last month, a few days before I was to leave for the UPCI General Conference in St. Louis, I needed a few items in a hurry. I hadn’t done any serious shopping in many years. I felt like my wardrobe needed a little spiffing up. So I reverted back to my old, very effective method of two trip shopping. Overlooking one small, but important detail. This time I was using our DEBIT card! Not a credit card! What was I thinking???

I had so much fun!!! I hadn’t shopped like this in many years!!! Wow! I even went shoe shopping. I made a list, chose several pair of shoes from different stores, found a couple dresses, purses, and more!

After arriving home, I shopped again. I tried everything on a second time and blended my resale shop items in with my retail stuff and it worked!

I threw everything else in my closet, planning to return it when I got home.

As I was unpacking in the hotel room that evening, I received a text from Scott.

“$520???? Are you kidding me???”

Whaaaaa????? I was as shocked as he was. I had NO IDEA I had spent that astronomical amount of money right from our checking account.

(This is a true story. Just ask my husband. I am not making this up.)

Big ooops. I felt horrible. Shame, embarrassment, regret, remorse, self hatred, along with many other emotions washed over me. How could I have done such a thing?

I was instantly reminded of this scripture.

²⁵  …to enjoy the pleasures of sin (mindless shopping) for a season; Hebrews 11:25

When I returned home from St. Louis, I handed my husband $200 (money I had been saving for my trip that I hadn’t spent), then proceeded to return around $250 worth of items I had thrown in the closet.

Sin is fun! But the rewards of sin can kill you. Sin destroys marriages, families, relationships, and most of all, one’s relationship with God.

Whew! Confessing my sin was hard! Glad that’s behind me…

I really like the last part of today’s scripture reading. If we remain steadfast, living pure lives, serving God and our fellow man, we will be rewarded beyond our wildest dreams. And that’s a promise!!!

“Dear Jesus, wow. Thanks for Your word. Thanks for guiding us in Your perfect path of righteousness. Even though we fall sometimes. But we simply pick ourselves back up and keep walking. You are amazing. And so forgiving! I am incredibly excited to see You in Heaven. I will bow in humble adoration before the One who died for me. How I love You. AMEN.”