A couple of months ago I sat down in the living room of my friend Jeff. Jeff has been mentoring me over our friendship this past year or so. He is about 78 years of age and has gained much of his godly wisdom just in the past 5 years of his life. That may seem a bit odd to some but for many men, including myself, it is easy to get caught up in life chasing the mighty dollar from a very young age.
Jeff and I have several things in common and one of those is providing for our family. I am 68 and still thinking I need to be out there providing for my family, making more money so I can accumulate more stuff. Our kids are grown and rapidly approaching their 50’s. They are way past being dependent on old dad. They have kids of their own that are dependent on them. I need to enjoy my retirement with my wife and spending some of this free time getting closer to God through reading His Word and building a closer relationship with Him.
Anyway, before I got way off track, Jeff shared this passage of scripture with me that night. Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV… There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
As he sat in his chair he leaned forward and emphasized each one immensely looking into my eyes as he shared the Word of God. By doing so, each word pieced my heart and shattered it. It was as though God was using Jeff in that very moment to communicate to me in an intimate way, who I had become. Let’s face it, none of us like to be called out for the things in life we are guilty of, especially from God. Jeff had only known me for a year and felt I needed to hear this verse. That speaks volumes about my witness, ouch. No, God through His Holy Spirit, communicated to Jeff that night, “Jim needs to hear this passage.” Jeff was only the conduit from God being used to share the verses, the Holy Spirit, did the convicting.
God is not just concerned with our actions but more so, the condition of our heart and soul. When we focus on our sins we have committed in this life, we focus on our visible actions to God and others. God is revealing the deeper root in our hearts causing these outward actions. Just like the chemical Roundup, when sprayed on a weed it is focused on getting to the root and killing it permanently. God knows where the root is, in our hearts. Pride and arrogance, thinking we are better than others and know more about God than anyone else. Telling lies and that includes stretching the truth. Guilty! Hands that shed innocent blood. I am sure I have never done that one, yet God can probably remind me of a case. A heart that devises wicked plans. Guilty! Feet that run quickly toward evil, still battling that one. A false witness who pours out lies. Oh man. A person who stirs up conflict among brothers, guilty!
I have never felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit like I did that night. Those verses were very hard to hear, and my heart was bleeding from the piercing. I could have got up and walked out. I stayed and absorbed what God wanted me to hear and understand. Jeff felt the conviction in his heart too as he read because I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Some of you reading this may feel that same conviction from God, and maybe He is using this devotion to pierce your heart too. If so, I am honored to be His vessel to share this passage.
Listen closely, God does not just dislike these things, He hates them. They destroy relationships, dishonor His name, and separate us from Him. He does not want to be separated from us! Pride is that root he wants to kill out. The fruit of that pride in our hearts is broken relationships, inclusive of our relationship with Him.
We need to pause and examine our hearts. Men and women alike. We must seek forgiveness from God and let God continue with His plans making us into the man or woman He intended us to become all along. Attitude, that is a great place to start. Admitting our sins to God speaks volumes to God. Fessing us when we fall short, often way short. God is not after perfection, He knows us all to well, we all sin, most likely, daily. But He does not cast us aside and walk away, discarding us like trash. No! We are His creation and He loves us and values us so much, He will never stop helping us overcome our sinful nature. Thank you, Jesus, for the Holy Spirit dwelling, inside us. Conviction is hard but I sure needed to have it that night and still feel it right now.
Jim Everett
