Verse of the Day - Proverbs 16:25

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
~ Proverbs 16:25 (NIV)

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This is one of my favorite proverbs. It reminds me that, on my own, in my own thinking, I'm destined for disaster, destruction and death. What I think, apart from the Author of truth and wisdom, is as deceptive as a big puff of cotton candy that melts into a small wad of sugar. A charade.

And my life experiences, and those of so many others, teach me that God's word is true. We talk ourselves into believing so many things are good and right and okay -- but later, we realize that our thinking was flawed, and our pride and arrogance have left us in shambles. Does any of this resonate?

What about humanity's departure from submission to their Creator? In their sin condition, pride and arrogance said they could live on their own, without the aid of the Great Provider. Along that line, they even invented alternate stories of the creation of the world and our lives, and our purpose for existence (or lack thereof). But the slippery slope of this flawed thinking has caused so many to treat life as relatively meaningless and disposable. Death again. Death of hope. Death of lives, both the young and the old.

And what about the cultural bigotry and hatred that was lauded and applauded in our country not so very long ago? Fathers and mothers taught their children to believe and act on the idea that they were superior to those with a difficult color skin, that it was okay and, heaven forbid, their "God-given right" to suppress and oppress other human beings. They believed they were in the right, but in the end it led to death. Literally, much death.

If we puff ourselves up, thinking that we have arrived at some pinnacle of highest knowledge and understanding, we run serious risk of falling to our death. If we are wise, we will acknowledge that what our minds think must be scrutinized against the wisdom and knowledge of God. That apart from Him, we have flawed thinking, flawed ideas, a flawed mindset.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

I pray that we will scrutinize what we think, and bring our thoughts and ideas and attitudes under the authority of Jesus Christ, because He truly is the way, the truth, and the life -- and all of our prideful mistakes, based on prideful thinking, make that painfully obvious. Take Jesus' yoke of teaching upon your shoulders and learn from Him. It is for our survival that God warns us of ourselves . . . it is for our survival that God offers us Himself.

Love,
Joelene