January 10, 2004

“Six things the Lord hates; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19

In this interesting passage we read of 7 things that God hates. At the very top of the list is “arrogant eyes” or in other words “pride.” God hates it when we turn our attention to ourselves leaning on our own human understanding of life and its purpose.

One commentator wrote, concerning this passage that “the position of the eyes reveals the attitude of the heart.” We cannot and will not fulfill the plans God has for our lives when our “eyes” are not focused on Him alone.

We also read from Scripture, however, that God loves humility. In Matthew 5:5 Jesus says, “Blessed are the gentle (humble or meek), because they will inherit the earth.” Humility is the opposite of pride, and we see throughout Scripture that we are taught to be humble. Listen to Paul’s words,

“I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love…” Ephesians 4:1-3

“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy an loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” Colossians 3:12

As we humble ourselves before the Lord our “eyes” turn away from ourselves and our own fleshly desires and refocus on Him and His perfect will and plan for our lives.

All too often the world wants to paint “humility” as weakness or inferiority. This couldn’t be further from the truth. John MacArthur in his commentary on Matthew writes that humility literally means “power under control.” To be humble does not mean to be weak. On the contrary, to be humble is to gain access to the power of the Almighty God in such a way that it enables us to accomplish His will and bring glory back to Him.

Our challenge is to not allow pride to seep into our lives. Our challenge is to constantly humble ourselves before the Lord, and constantly seek to turn our eyes to Christ.

Would you be willing to ask Christ to reveal to you today any area of your life that is prideful? Would you be willing to ask God to show you areas where your eyes are not focused on Him?

Lord, we love You and it is our desire to be selfless and humble before You…