Reflections on Proverbs 16:1-9

We set our hearts on things, we make plans, and it's right to do so, but we must be willing to listen to the desires of the Lord in order for those plans to succeed. Sometimes we won't be able to understand why His will runs counter to our own, after all, all our plans seem innocent enough to us, but God works all things for his own ends - even the actions of the wicked.

Don't be proud - and lets be clear about pride: Pride, in this the "bad" sense of the word, is thinking ourselves worthy of undue glory. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in the things that we do or seeking to be praised for our good deeds. We just need to keep in mind that true glory comes from the praise of God and even the strength needed to do something of real worth comes as a gift from God. If we boast, we must boast only in Him.

Love and faithfulness atone for sin, and just to clarify, the word atone does not mean "earns forgiveness for", it simply means to make amends. Fearing the Lord is good and it will help us avoid evil, but we've got to understand what "fearing the Lord" means: it's not the "don't piss off the big scary god" concept of fear, but the way a child fears disappointing his mother or father.

Remember - love, faithfulness, humbleness, fear of the Lord, and seeking His will in all our plans with lead us to a life of righteousness, a full life, but not necessarily a worldly prosperous life. It's far better to have little and live beautifully before the Lord than to have much which we've gained through injustice.

Verse of note:

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart man plots his course,
but the Lord determines his steps.