The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well The Sin of Pride

 

The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well

The Sin of Pride

The Lord detests all the proud of heart.

Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5

There is a remedy

First lift God high in praise, submit your spirit to humility

 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed

than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:19

Replace your love for self

Fill your heart with love for God

Walk in faithfulness and the sin of pride will be covered 

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;

through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. Proverbs 16:6

A life that ends well walks in the fear of the Lord

Proverbs 16 is a reminder to be humble

We do not always recognize the pride in our hearts, but God does

Because God loves us

He is with us even as close as the internal motives of our hearts

He is faithful to weigh the motives of our heart and warn us from the fall of pride

God wants your path to end well

 

The Sin of Pride

 

Pride is one of those words

that contains good and evil.

 

Excellence, achievement, beauty

and glory are all good things.

 

We all like to be or be a part of something

we can be proud of.

 

To do good is…

 

 A foundational command of life.

 

Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Psalms 37:3

 

Command them to do good,

to be rich in good deeds,

and to be generous and willing to share.

1Timothy 6:18

 

Proverbs 16:18 tells us that…

 

 The path of pride does not end well.

 

Pride goes before destruction,

a haughty spirit before a fall.

 Proverbs 16:18

 

The Hebrew word for pride

in Proverbs 16:18

is made up of two words.

 

The one meaning to mount up;

 hence, in general, to rise, (figuratively) be majestic

 

The other word arrogance or majesty;

by implication, (concretely) ornament

 

Proverbs 16 reminds us that…

 

 God is the Majestic One.

 

God sees the motives of our heart.

 

He knows when we are promoting

ourselves over others and God.

 

All a man's ways seem innocent to him,

but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Proverbs 16:2

 

The first case of sin was the sin of pride.

 

Lucifer, son of the morning.

 Isaiah 14:12-15

 

The pride of Satan to exalt himself

and be like the Most High.

 

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High."

15 But you are brought down to the grave,

to the depths of the pit.

Isaiah 14:14-15

 

So often you and I determine in our hearts our creed,

 or code of ethics based on our desires…

 

 And when we do this,

it does not end well.

 

The Lord detests all the proud of heart.

Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 16:5

 

There is a remedy.

 

First lift God high in praise,

submit your spirit to humility.

 

 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed

than to share plunder with the proud.

Proverbs 16:19

 

Replace your love for self.

 

Fill your heart with love for God.

 

Walk in faithfulness

and the sin of pride will be covered.

 

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;

through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.

Proverbs 16:6

 

A life that ends well walks

in the fear of the Lord.

 

Proverbs 16 is a reminder to be humble.

 

We do not always recognize

the pride in our hearts…

 

 But God does.

 

Because God loves us…

 

He is with us even as close

as the internal motives of our hearts.

 

He is faithful to weigh the motives of our heart…

 

And warn us from the fall of pride.

 

God wants your path to end well.

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Proverbs 16:18-19

 

18 Pride goes before destruction,

a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed

than to share plunder with the proud.

 

 

Proverbs 16:2

2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him,

but motives are weighed by the Lord.

 

 

Proverbs 16:5-6

5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.

Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;

through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.

The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well The Outcome is Up to God Part II

 

The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well

The Outcome is Up to God Part II

Seek God

Look to His Word, and look for His direction

Through the things He is doing around you

It may not be by chance you are in the circumstance you are in

 It may be your opportunity to serve

Or, for Him to serve you, but in every moment remember this

DO GOOD!!!

What good can you do in this moment and let God do the rest

Even if doing good cost you, your Father knows how to meet your need 

There are many paths, choices in life that will not end well

But for those who seek God to “Do Good” life will end well

OOPS!!!

Eternity with our Father in heaven never ends

That is better than ending well

 

The Outcome is Up to God Part II

 

With all the factors in life it is amazing

anything turns out the way we choose…

 

Health, actions of others, weather, accidents,

pandemics, earthquakes, life and death, etc.

 

We are a speck on the earth

and less than that in the universe.

 

God created us with the ability

to make choices, to think, and plan.

 

I find my life to be full of blessings

and disappointments.

 

The results of my casting lots

and voting leave me at times depressed.

 

Life does not always go the way we want

and as much as money can make life better…

 

 There are some things money can’t buy or can’t do.

 

 Friends and family are great until they are not.

 

Having a healthy body

is at the top of the list of great things…

 

But a small unseen virus can take your life

or leave you with permit health issues.

 

So is life left up to chance?

 

 Is the tree in the woods destined to fall

in one direction at a particular time?

 

Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

Ecclesiastes 11:3

 

You and I cannot understand the direction of life…

 

 Yet, we are to plan and work for the future.

 

Who can understand the wind

that refreshes on a hot day

and destroys when it is angry.

 

The biggest factor to our plans is God.

  

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;

whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.

Ecclesiastes 11:4-5

 

James 4:13-17 tells us of

all the things we may not know

or have control over…

 

 There is one thing

we should always choose….

 

 It is to Do Good.

 

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

 

Proverbs 16:33 says in the Message Bible…

 

Make your motions and cast your votes,

but God has the final say.

 

God has the final say.

 

But let me add God’s knowledge

is from beginning to end.

 

He sees and knows you in the midst of it all

because you are valuable to Him.

 

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

 

His Spirit is like the wind.

 

The wind blows wherever it pleases.

You hear its sound,

but you cannot tell where it comes from

or where it is going.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 3:8

 

You and I are invited to be God’s children…

 

Born again.

 

So we can pray “OUR FATHER in Heaven…

 

God cares for you.

 

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones.

For I tell you that their angels in heaven

always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:10

 

The Amplified Bible says it this way…

 

The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord

[even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

Proverbs 16:33

 

So, we are not as powerful to control our lives

as we might think or like.

 

Those who are born again are God’s children

and watched over by His angels.

 

You are very important to your Father in Heaven.

 

You are born and empowered by the Spirit…

 

 Like a wind, one cannot fully understand.

 

Every day you will have opportunities.

 

Make the most of them by…

 

 Being filled with the Spirit.

 

 Grow in your understanding of God’s will

 

 Worship in song.

 

Give thanks to God.

 

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-20

 

So, like making your vote

and casting lots or dice

to find direction…

 

 Seek God.

 

Look to His Word…

 

 And look for His direction through

the things He is doing around you.

 

It may not be by chance you are in

the circumstance you are in.

 

 It may be your opportunity to serve…

 

Or, for Him to serve you…

 

But in every moment remember this.

 

DO GOOD!!!

 

What good can you do in this moment

and let God do the rest.

 

Even if doing good cost you

 your Father knows how to meet your need.  

There are many paths…

 

 Choices in life that will not end well

 

But for those who seek God

to “Do Good” life will end well.

 

OOPS!!!

 

Eternity with our Father in heaven never ends.

 

That is better than ending well.

 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Proverbs 16:33 NIV

 

33 The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

 

 

Proverbs 16:33 MSG

 

33 Make your motions and cast your votes,

but God has the final say.

(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

 

 

Proverbs 16:33 AMP

 

33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

 

The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well The Outcome is Up to God Part I

 

The Path You Are On is Not Going to End Well

 The Outcome is Up to God Part I

How do you make decisions?

 

Sometimes we make decisions by circumstances.

 

Like flipping a coin…

 

 Heads you do it your way,

tails you go the other way.

 

Like a dice game…

 

 We cast the dice and the numbers

determine your steps.

 

How do you change the world?

 

Remember

 

Make your motions and cast your votes,

but God has the final say. Proverbs 16:33 MSG

 

The Outcome is Up to God Part I

 

How do you make decisions?

 

Sometimes we make decisions by circumstances.

 

Like flipping a coin…

 

 Heads you do it your way,

tails you go the other way.

 

Like a dice game…

 

 We cast the dice and the numbers

determine your steps.

 

How do you change the world?

 

Sometimes we don’t leave our decisions to chance…

 

 We vote.

 

We cast our ballet on what we want.

 

It could be telling the car dealer

you want the blue car

or voting in an election.

 

Whatever way we choose to make a decision

and move forward…

 

 It lacks power.

 

It is easy to see flipping a coin at best

gives you a 50/50 chance…

 

And for some things in life

 it doesn’t matter much.

 

On the other hand…

 

 There are things that matter to us.

 

Some of those things matter a little.

 

Like…

 

 Casting your vote with friends on where to eat.

 

Then there are things that matter a lot,

 things you want your voice heard.

 

Like…

 

 Where you will live, work, travel,

even voting on elected officials.

 

If you have reached adulthood

you probably discovered flipping the coin

and voting does not always go your way.

 

There are a lot of other dynamics

you do not have control over.

 

In 2014, Sandy and I had airline tickets to Florida

and on February 4^th of 2014…

 

 I was hit by a pick-up truck

and spent February and March
in the hospital and a nursing home.

 

One winter Sandy and I booked an Air B&B

in Key Largo but…

 

 Had to cancel to be with my Dad, who was dying.

 

I have cast my vote

and my candidate did not win.  

 

I made plans for retirement but…

 

 Issues with businesses took valuable resources.

 

With all the factors in life it is amazing

anything turns out the way we choose…

 

Health, actions of others, weather, accidents,

pandemics, earthquakes, life and death, etc.

 

We are a speck on the earth

and less than that in the universe.

 

God created us with the ability

to make choices, to think, and plan.

 

But God has the final say Proverbs 16:33 MSG 

 

Proverbs 16:33

 

The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him]. AMP

 

So, like making your vote

and casting lots or dice

to find direction…

 

 Seek God.

 

Look to His Word…

 

 And look for His direction through

the things He is doing around you.

 

It may not be by chance you are in

the circumstance you are in.

 

 It may be your opportunity to serve…

 

Or, for Him to serve you…

 

But in every moment remember this.

 

DO GOOD!!!

 

What good can you do in this moment

and let God do the rest.

 

Even if doing good cost you

 your Father knows how to meet your need. 

There are many paths…

 

 Choices in life that will not end well

 

But for those who seek God

to “Do Good” life will end well.

 

OOPS!!!

 

Eternity with our Father in heaven never ends.

 

That is better than ending well.

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Proverbs 16:33 NIV

 

33 The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

 

 

Proverbs 16:33 MSG

 

33 Make your motions and cast your votes,

but God has the final say.

(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

 

 

Proverbs 16:33 AMP

 

33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].