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THIS WEEK’S BIBLE INSIGHTS ARE BY:
David Spriggs and are based on Proverbs 6 (NIV)
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE ON THIS WEEK’S MAJOR THEME:
James 1:13-25 and Matthew 5:1-16
12 A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, 13 who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, 14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart – he always stirs up conflict. 15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy.
16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
20 My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. 23 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.
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Sunday March 30 - Mother knows best?
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes... Proverbs 6:16-17
We have seven days, and seven things we are told the Lord detests! So, during this week we will consider each of these in turn. But at the end of this list we are told something else which is especially appropriate for today, which is Mothering Sunday: ‘Do not forsake your mother’s teaching’ (v 20).
This reminds us that often the things which God detests are also things that the best people around us would also detest. God’s evaluations are not arbitrary or inappropriate. They are things which wise people would also affirm. If we have the privilege of a caring and loving mother, we will find that in many of her concerns she will agree with God.
The first thing mentioned is ‘haughty eyes’. It is bad enough having an inflated view of ourselves; the Bible is always encouraging us to be humble and to have a just estimate of ourselves. It is damaging to us if we constantly think we are better than we are, whether in doing or in thinking! Jesus is the prime example of being humble.
But having ‘haughty eyes’ is even worse than having an inflated view of ourselves. This means we look down on other people, because we think we are so amazing and they are not. Our heart attitude is projected through our eyes, and others can feel uncomfortable and undermined.
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you looked on tax collectors and lepers not with disdain, but with compassion. Thank you for your love for me. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY