Profiling Doeg

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.” -Billy Graham

The very first time I went on a police ride-along I was informed about the term "profiling." It is policy for law enforcement officials not to profile people (basically decide what kind of person they are based on their color, age, clothes, etc.). Spending any time in public places though, you and I can't help but "profile" people by the way they appear. On the news this morning, a senator was even talking about passing a bill to have a school dress code so that students wouldn't be allowed to wear their pants hanging down showing their undergarments. When the senator was asked about his support for the bill, he said that as adults it is our responsibility to teach young people how to appear intelligent so they can get good paying jobs. Sounds like a bit of profiling.
In Psalm 52, David gives us the profile of Doeg the Edomite. Doeg was a rotten man who informed King Saul that Ahimelech had helped David flee from Saul. Eventually Doeg shows himself to be the debased person he is by killing Ahimilech and the other priests. David though doesn't talk about what he looks like on the exterior, but rather gives us the profile of a person without God on the inside. The most telling description about Doeg is found in Psalm 52:7. "Here is the man who did not make god his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."
There are too many of us who are concerned about leaving a legacy of wealth, or a green environment for the future. These are good things, but when compared to the importance of a legacy of a godly heritage, how do they even compare? Every minute is an investment in God's kingdom. What will your legacy be?

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Stumbling Over the Truth

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