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Day 210 Proverbs 20:16 Proverbs 20:16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. 17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Collateral, the world functions on it. Whenever you want to do something involving money, you need collateral, putting up something to guarantee the person loaning you the money will be repaid. Dishonest people will try to get around collateral, doing and saying anything they can, even offering something that doesn’t belong to them as collateral. Solomon saw those people probably daily as king and even as businessman. As a businessman, he would demand collateral from those he did business with. Because God gave him wisdom, he could discern when someone was acting deceitfully. God knows the hearts and minds of every person who ever lived, is living now, and those who will be born. He knew that to bring the world back to him, he would need to provide collateral to redeem us back to himself. That collateral was in the form of his only Son, Jesus, and the payment was his blood, shed on the cross for our sin. What do we get in exchange for the collateral God provided to Satan? Eternal life. Satan loses us to Jesus Christ when we accept what God did for us. The shed blood of Jesus Christ redeemed us, and Satan can only stand back, grinding his teeth, and plotting how he will deceive us into rejecting Jesus as Savior and Lord. John 10:10 The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV) Jesus’ response to Satan’s deceit is abundant life. Jesus is the guarantee for our lives between God and Satan. Satan wants to destroy, God wants to repair, and the only way to do that is through Jesus Christ. When you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, Satan loses, the collateral has been paid and we are the byproduct of the agreement between God and Satan for the souls of all men. Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Yours and my redemption is assured because Jesus is our collateral. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be my collateral, so I could be redeemed from Satan’s clutches and be assured of new life with you. Help me to be aware of Satan’s cunning and deceit to win me back to himself, as I stand on the solid Word of God, trusting you for my salvation. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 6 April 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay