Say No to the Vomit

Proverbs 26:11-12 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Imagine for a moment that you are going to sit down to have a meal. How appetizing would it be to have, and how would you respond to having, a nice steaming bowl of your own vomit put before you? Yes, I know...that is totally gross. However, that is the picture we are given in today's verse in respect to the person, or fool, who returns to their own foolishness. Like the dog who not only returns to its vomit, but seems to joyfully consume what it threw up just moments before, so is the fool who returns to the life of foolish sinful living. How often we are tempted to dabble in the things we forsook when we chose to follow Jesus. These are the very things that we, in our own wisdom, decide we can still dabble in without getting re-entangled in our former way of living. God's Word tells us that even a fool has more hope than the one who goes back to their former ways. Romans 6:16 warns, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" Why then would we take the chance of becoming slaves to a master we have been set free from? Let us instead draw near to God, and lay down before Him as living sacrifices on His altar, and be free to serve Him who is the greatest Master we can serve; the One who bought us with His own Blood. The next time we are tempted to pick up that sinful habit the Lord has helped us to put aside, we need to stop, imagine that steaming bowl of vomit, and prayerfully ask the Lord to help us walk away. There is greater blessing and satisfaction in enjoying a meal consisting of the Bread of Life, washed down with some refreshing, Living Water. Say no to the vomit.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).