“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8).
Today’s passage contains a three part admonition which links our spiritual humility to our physical health. A physical health which is provided by God. We must all be careful to not take credit for the wisdom God has given us. To be wise in our own eyes is to be overly confident and dependent on ourselves.
When we are wise in our own eyes, we tend to believe we don’t need God. We believe we don’t need God because we have life all figured out. We tend to think we can live life on our own, independent of God. Thinking we know our way around in life is a sure sign of arrogance.
Life is complicated and difficult. We all need the wisdom and direction of the Lord. We are designed to follow His lead, but if we do not fear God, in the sense of respect and submission, we will suffer.
There is a very practical reason we are to turn from evil. Evil always leads to suffering. Suffering comes in both the physical and spiritual realm. By mentioning our flesh and bones, today's proverb brings up the topic of our physical health, or the lack thereof. There are physical consequences involved in not living wisely. There are sexually transmitted diseases that come from infected partners, liver damage due to alcohol abuse, heart disease due to eating unhealthy food, and lung disease from smoking… just to name a few dramatic examples.
To live a life of wise moderation and morality leads to physical health and refreshment. The proper heart attitude is one of humility before God. Admitting we don’t have life figured out is the beginning of a God centered and directed life. A life that leads to both physical and spiritual health.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment