May 6, 2008

Today's Reading - Proverbs 6
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Following Scripture Verses

1. My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2. Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7. Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8. Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14. Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17. A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19. A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20. My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21. Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24. To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
27. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28. Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29. So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31. But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Today's Pathway:
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"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look..." - Proverbs 6: 16-17

Last month we saw that there are some things that the Lord God hates. He hates them because they are abominable before him. If we were to go out today and interview the average man on the street and ask him to list some of the most abominable sins that a man could commit, what kind of answers do you think we would receive? Murderer? Rapist? Child Abuser? All of these acts are indeed heinous, and God has condemned all of them. Yet these are not the trespasses that the Lord lists in Proverbs 6. In fact, the very first one that He does give is one that most people would never even consider, probably because it is so prevalent in our lives: a proud look.

The Bible does not spell out for us in this passage why pride is considered to be so vile. However, a little spiritual sense will give us the answer. Pride is the root of all the other sins that a man commits. Why do men commit murder? Because the victim has hurt them, or done something to them that they don't like. Their pride leads them to the killing. Men abuse women and children because of their pride. Men steal because they see something that they want. Men lie because they either want to protect themselves or receive greater glory. Every sin a man does ultimately comes back to his love for himself. In James 1:14 the Bible states,

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."

If I could control my pride, my relationship with the Lord would be much better. That's why God hates it so much. Today, let's determine that we will not let our own selfishness get in the way of our service to our Lord.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery