All about harlots and wives: The number one problem with our churches and culture!  Let me ask you a question.  When did we abandon the excellent and embrace the exciting?

Solomon, in Proverbs 7 and other places, warns us about the wily seduction of the harlot.  He tells of watching the youth fall prey to her charms and deception and warns us not to fall into destruction in the same manner.  His description of the harlot gives us a glimpse into her character and the excitement she offers to her unsuspecting victim.

Solomon also talks about the excellent woman in chapter 31 of the same book.  He likewise describes her character and her deeds.  He tells us she is worthy of praise and her family calls her blessed. She is the model of every mother’s day message and personifies godly womanhood.

The same theme is related elsewhere in Scripture in both testaments.  Some women are carnal and lean on their appearance, jewelry, etc., to attract and please a man.  Others, who wish to serve God, focus on their hearts and having a godly attitude.  The obvious moral is that men who are seduced by the shallow and exciting temptress will soon regret their involvement while those who choose the excellent woman will continue to be blessed by her character, productivity and godliness.

The point is not about harlots, but what causes us to seek them.  We (humanity) are rarely satisfied without some constant titillation.  We crave excitement to our own detriment. We read Scripture to find something new and exciting to bolster our flagging faith and pass over principles and truths that are as solid as a boulder, and just as boring.  Instead of choosing the excellent, we lust for spiritual get-rich-quick schemes and one-night stands that leave us spent, broke and broken.

Much of western Christianity has silently accepted the concept of excitement over excellence.  Our bookstores and television programs are filled with the results of it. Even some of our churches have dolled themselves up to appeal to the carnal man and his appetite for inner titillation.  The excellent is seen as too boring and commonplace and doesn’t satisfy “felt needs”.  We (Christians) have turned God’s priorities on their heads.  We have set a standard for our culture that leads to destruction.

Choose the excellent this week.  Guard your heart, lest you too find yourself on the street that takes you by her house.

Proverbs 7, 31:10-31, 1 Peter 3:1-6, 1Timothy 2:9-10, 2Timothy 4:3-4