"Slippery Places"

"Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction." (Psalms 73:18) Now, I don't know what you might think of the New Living Translation, but I am enjoying reading it from cover to cover for the very first time. During the mid 90's I received a New Testament version that was from Davidson Press, which I enjoyed also; but I waited at least ten years for the rest, and finally gave up waiting. I still have it somewhere, but the NLT is the only thing I will read besides the original King James. I have read the King James from start to finish maybe 16-20 times; it's the only version I will use to study in, and it is still my favorite for meditating on, by far. Last year I bought the NLT to read through; but as of yet, I have only made it to the middle of 1 Kings. There really needs to be some care taken when we read God's Holy Word. His word is for instruction, that's no doubt; but more than that, His word in and of itself is a gift from Him to us. There really is no other way to describe it, other than it being a gift, all packaged up and full of surprises; it is like the gift that keeps on giving! Now about these "slippery places." I can't remember what it was like to not feel God's grace, but if there was a moment or two when I took it for granted, then these slippery places were no doubt playing a part. In a single word, 'flattery,' is pretty much the way to describe what is being said; in other words, vanity with feet, arms, and a mouth. It's all about me, myself and I, and nobody else matters, no one! I know I can get a little carried away; but can we just for a moment try and discover something about ourselves? The slippery places are not just for the wicked; and they are not always bad places either; not when we are holding onto the hand that is holding onto us, they keep us in check. I know I have shared this before, but a few years before my wife was injured, I had a "slippery places" experience with our marriage. I remember thinking about how perfect our marriage was, and how I had everything under control; I may have even bragged a little, thinking about some people I knew that were going through some marital problems. Until that night! Oh my goodness, was my world flipped upside down! I will never forget it; laying down to sleep, like any other normal night; and then laying beside me, was my wife in tears, and suggesting that I did not love her. We must never take the Lord's grace for granted, ever! He is the glue that holds our lives together, and we must never forget that, not even for a moment...
"' King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to proper.' But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said, 'Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.' While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.' That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws." (Daniel 4:27-33) NLT