Quid Pro Quo

(Proverbs 7:2 KJV)  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

A word about attitude is in order.  As I read this it occurred to me that there is a principle here that is often thought of as a promise.  If we order our life the way God wants us to order it, then we will avoid many of the pitfalls that lie in wait.  So far so good.  The problem is when we look at this as some universal law which leads to arrogance and legalism.  What brings this to mind is a conversation yesterday with another man who has diabetes.  He was diagnosed about the same time as I was, lost the weight he needed to lose and has kept it off.  In spite of that he was taking a handful of pills and I was taking none.  It would be easy for me to simply say the results are because I am a Christian and he is not.  The problem is that I could very quickly fall into an attitude that says I am healthier because I am such a fine fellow.

The promise is there.  The principle is solid.  God reserves the right to apply it as He wants to.  It is very possible that some people are sick because of sin in their lives.  It is also possible it is the result of sin in someone else’s life.  It is possible that their struggle is setting an example for someone else.  It is possible that the reason is none of our business.

So?  We are to live in obedience.  We are to do so because we love Jesus and want to please Him.  It is not a quid pro quo arrangement.  I can’t help but think it makes life better though.