"There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end is death."
Proverbs 14:12
If you've been following along in our journey through Proverbs these past 14 days then you've heard me quote this numerous times. I use this little pearl of wisdom to help me through so many difficult discussions and decisions. It reminds me of the slippery slope we walk on when we don't walk with God. In the previous chapters of Proverbs (and I encourage all of you to reread them) we've discussed the importance of wisdom, seeking God's will and how asking God for help will help you draw nearer to God. We learned about staying in God's word and how that will help you make better decisions. We also discussed the impacts of a prideful heart - which really means a person feels they don't need any help or any guidance from any one including God.
Now, let's bring these ideas all together so we can apply them to real world situations. God provided us with an instruction manual to our lives so we can know best how to respond to the life experiences that we all face. But sometimes we have a prideful heart. We say things like "No one is going to tell me how to live my life." So we push aside the instruction manual and make decision without the wisdom of Solomon or the guidance from God - the creator. We feel as though most of our choices are easy choices anyway, we don't want to bother God with them. We think to ourselves, "How hard can it be to decide these things anyway. I'll choose the way that has the most options, or has the least impact on the majority of people, or the way that doesn't put constraints on me. I'll choose the way that's the easiest and doesn't require hard work or sacrifices."
So what happens when we live our lives in this way? At first, nothing really happens. We actually convince ourselves that we are doing a good job at making decisions without God's guidance. In order to get this point across in a psuedo-visual way, I'd like you to picture yourself with a task to complete. I have a room with a painted wooden floor that needs to be repainted. I've given you the task to repaint it. You have a choice to make right up front. Do you plan out the approach to take with a vision toward the future or do you just jump in and do it? Do I ask God for guidance or do I rely on my own knowledge? If we don't even recognize that there's a decision to be made then we really have already made it. We just jump in and start. And since I'm right here in the doorway of the only entrance/exit to the room, I might as well start here. Everything appears to be going well until I get almost done. Once I've painted the majority of the floor and I'm coming to the other end, I realize that I haven't left myself a way to get out of the room. I've painted myself into the corner and I either have to make a messy choice of walking across the freshly painted floor or staying there until it dries.
So it is with life. At first, my decisions seem to have little or no impact, but overtime my decisions are actually plotting a course for my life. I didn't realize it at first but now that I've journeyed down the path some distance I realize that I don't see some of things that I used to see. I look at things differently because of my choices and I don't necessarily see anything wrong with my choices but it's just different. It feels different.
For example, why do I care if they pray in school or not? I'm not a student anymore. If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if the city doesn't put up the nativity scene? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if the Pledge of Allegiance contains the phrase "under God" or not? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if our money says "In God We Trust" on it? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore.
The "way" that seems right to man will always be the path of least resistance. It may require little or no changes to my lifestyle, or it may not impact me at all. I don't even have to decide. I can just keep doing what I've always done. The world or society takes the easy path - the path that leads to death and destruction. We need to remind people that God has a plan for ALL of us. If we remove God from our schools, our cities, our government, and our society aren't we saying we don't need you God? Sounds like a prideful heart to me and in this case a prideful nation. This prideful nation is pushing God away at an alarming rate.
If, as a nation, we murder God's children before they are born (54.3 million killed in the USA since 1973), how can we expect God to Bless America?
If, as a nation, we say to God we're not going to follow your instruction manual for marriage. We know that you say it's best if marriage is between one man and one woman but as a nation we know better. "Love is Love". If we are not listening to God then why would we think He would listen to us?
There is a way that seems right to the uninformed, uneducated, prideful sinner (aka man) but in the end it leads to death.
We need to remember this. Man is flawed! Without God's guidance, man cannot make choices that are godly. It is important for ALL of us to get this squarely planted in our brains so the next time someone offers up a choice or a solution or a direction we don't just accept it without seeking God's will first. Bring it to God in prayer first. Get His guidance before making a decision. Listen to what He places on your heart and do what He requests of you. You will not be disappointed for He knows the desires of your heart and how best to satisfy those desires.
The Shepherd
Return to The Proverbs Challenge
Proverbs 14:12
If you've been following along in our journey through Proverbs these past 14 days then you've heard me quote this numerous times. I use this little pearl of wisdom to help me through so many difficult discussions and decisions. It reminds me of the slippery slope we walk on when we don't walk with God. In the previous chapters of Proverbs (and I encourage all of you to reread them) we've discussed the importance of wisdom, seeking God's will and how asking God for help will help you draw nearer to God. We learned about staying in God's word and how that will help you make better decisions. We also discussed the impacts of a prideful heart - which really means a person feels they don't need any help or any guidance from any one including God.
Now, let's bring these ideas all together so we can apply them to real world situations. God provided us with an instruction manual to our lives so we can know best how to respond to the life experiences that we all face. But sometimes we have a prideful heart. We say things like "No one is going to tell me how to live my life." So we push aside the instruction manual and make decision without the wisdom of Solomon or the guidance from God - the creator. We feel as though most of our choices are easy choices anyway, we don't want to bother God with them. We think to ourselves, "How hard can it be to decide these things anyway. I'll choose the way that has the most options, or has the least impact on the majority of people, or the way that doesn't put constraints on me. I'll choose the way that's the easiest and doesn't require hard work or sacrifices."
So what happens when we live our lives in this way? At first, nothing really happens. We actually convince ourselves that we are doing a good job at making decisions without God's guidance. In order to get this point across in a psuedo-visual way, I'd like you to picture yourself with a task to complete. I have a room with a painted wooden floor that needs to be repainted. I've given you the task to repaint it. You have a choice to make right up front. Do you plan out the approach to take with a vision toward the future or do you just jump in and do it? Do I ask God for guidance or do I rely on my own knowledge? If we don't even recognize that there's a decision to be made then we really have already made it. We just jump in and start. And since I'm right here in the doorway of the only entrance/exit to the room, I might as well start here. Everything appears to be going well until I get almost done. Once I've painted the majority of the floor and I'm coming to the other end, I realize that I haven't left myself a way to get out of the room. I've painted myself into the corner and I either have to make a messy choice of walking across the freshly painted floor or staying there until it dries.
So it is with life. At first, my decisions seem to have little or no impact, but overtime my decisions are actually plotting a course for my life. I didn't realize it at first but now that I've journeyed down the path some distance I realize that I don't see some of things that I used to see. I look at things differently because of my choices and I don't necessarily see anything wrong with my choices but it's just different. It feels different.
For example, why do I care if they pray in school or not? I'm not a student anymore. If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if the city doesn't put up the nativity scene? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if the Pledge of Allegiance contains the phrase "under God" or not? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore. Why do I care if our money says "In God We Trust" on it? If it offends people then let's not do it anymore.
The "way" that seems right to man will always be the path of least resistance. It may require little or no changes to my lifestyle, or it may not impact me at all. I don't even have to decide. I can just keep doing what I've always done. The world or society takes the easy path - the path that leads to death and destruction. We need to remind people that God has a plan for ALL of us. If we remove God from our schools, our cities, our government, and our society aren't we saying we don't need you God? Sounds like a prideful heart to me and in this case a prideful nation. This prideful nation is pushing God away at an alarming rate.
If, as a nation, we murder God's children before they are born (54.3 million killed in the USA since 1973), how can we expect God to Bless America?
If, as a nation, we say to God we're not going to follow your instruction manual for marriage. We know that you say it's best if marriage is between one man and one woman but as a nation we know better. "Love is Love". If we are not listening to God then why would we think He would listen to us?
There is a way that seems right to the uninformed, uneducated, prideful sinner (aka man) but in the end it leads to death.
We need to remember this. Man is flawed! Without God's guidance, man cannot make choices that are godly. It is important for ALL of us to get this squarely planted in our brains so the next time someone offers up a choice or a solution or a direction we don't just accept it without seeking God's will first. Bring it to God in prayer first. Get His guidance before making a decision. Listen to what He places on your heart and do what He requests of you. You will not be disappointed for He knows the desires of your heart and how best to satisfy those desires.
The Shepherd
Return to The Proverbs Challenge
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