Proverbs 6:16-19
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that
shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
feet that be swift in running to mischief,
(19) A false witness that
speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
King
Solomon wasn’t pampering his listeners.
He was laying out God’s concerns for His people. In my days of Pastoring (and since then) I have
seen too much of these abominations within our Churches.
To a
large percentage of Church people (and the secular world,) these seven
abominations are no longer God’s concern.
(All we have to do is “forgive” others, spread the “love” of Jesus, and all
these abominations will vanish.)
As a
youth growing up in the world, I was taught to be proud and do things that
would have made my Father proud of me. (My
Father died when I was very young.) I
lived with that well into my adult life.
At
some point, I finally realized I should concern myself with my Mother. She was the one who worked with me. She was the one who prodded me into being
something other than a High School drop-out.
As a
child, all of these “Seven Deadly Sins” were taught against with two exceptions.
The first was the “proud
look.”
I don’t believe this sin was ever
addressed. I remember we were instructed
to be proud. (I am not including the
“pride” of the accomplishments of our children, but the “pride” of “Me, Myself,
and I.)
I
stop and consider all the resumes I have written, and applying “a
lying tongue” to those documents.
(When I was asked to write a resume for my last Pastorate, it was very
difficult to NOT slip back into the “old mold” and “embellish” the facts more than
I should.) (That last resume was an
honest and truthful document.)
The second
of the “Seven Deadly Sins” was “wicked imaginations.” (As a
child, I was never taught to imagine wicked things, yet I was taught that I
should always broaden my imagination.)
If we
looked at our “imaginations” as God does, “how ashamed would we be?” What does our “imaginations” tell God (and
“the world?”) Most “imaginations” are
private. However, I know some broadcast
their attempts at casting dispersions on God.
Living
in the world, and as Christians, we must examine our hearts. All seven sins listed above have the same
value. (God hates them all. One is no
greater than the other.) Consequently,
if we are guilty of one, (it doesn’t matter which one,) we are guilty and will
be punished for that sin. Our walk and
our talk as a Christian must not include any of these sins.
“Reader,
what is our task that has been set before us?
If you have never accepted Jesus The Christ as your Personal Saviour, begin
here. Call on His name and He will
receive you.”
Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved.
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name
of the LORD shall be delivered: ...
“It is your decision. Once you have called on His name, beg for
forgiveness and seek God’s help in opening your heart to those sins you have
committed. Then repent (change) and walk
away from your sins.”
“Christian,
you must go before God in prayer. Ask
for forgiveness, and repent of your sins.”
(Repenting may be a daily task.)
Change,
Repent, and Walk with God.
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure
water.
The decision is YOURS.
Bro John R. E Chastain
Retired Pastor
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