"Have You Met Mr. Right""

Have you met Mr. and Mrs. Right?  Chances are you have, but just in case you haven't  Proverbs 21:2 introduces them to us. 

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…”

Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen them around, (The Rights)  but now you have been formally introduced.  It is that person looking back at you when you stare into the mirror every morning.   I’m Mr Right, or at least I think I am.   We all think we are right, right?  I do what I do because I think it is right.   The problem is that what I am using as my standard of right is one I have conveniently drawn up myself.  The standard is basically this - if I’m doing it, then it’s right.  If I am accused of doing something that is not right I have a set of excuses to explain why what I did, though it may appear wrong, was in fact right after all.  We may do wrong but we do it for the right reason so it all works out for the best.  “Yes I lied but it was to protect their feelings.”   We are masters of the spin cycle, everything always comes out “right”. 

We all masters of self-justification.  If our only standard of right and wrong is one we have established it’s not all that hard to do.  Judges says “that in those days every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”  Judges 17:6  Judges 21:25.  If you read that book you’ll see it was not a great time to be alive.  

Think about it,  if every man’s way is right in his own eyes, if there is no standard of right and wrong other than our own opinions, if there is no absolute truth, who’s safe?  “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…”  sounds like the anthem of absolute freedom, but in reality it is a journey to bondage, fear and anarchy.   Maybe you’re married to Mr. Iam Right or Mrs. Neva Wong, how do you like them so far?   

No matter where they are fought, wars are ultimatley a fight over who’s right and who's wrong. 

 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…”      

However Proverbs 21:2 doesn’t end there , it goes on 

“but the Lord weighs the heart.”  

 The Lord is not all that interested in our opinion of right and wrong.  The Lord goes beyond the actions of a person to the heart, the seat of our will and motives. The heart is the “real” you.   God knows what is in our heart. God knows who you  really are.  Romans 3:10-19.   God has a standard, It is a standard we have all fallen short of.  The things we do that seem right to us fall short of God’s standard. The sinner’s motivation or reason for doing  even “right things”, is for the wrong reasons.  He does them not to glorify God but to satisfy self.  So his motivation is wrong, but that is not all that is wrong. Mankind does not have a heart that longs to keep the law of God. He mocks God’s law, he thinks it is irrelevant, they have no intention, desire or ability to keep God’s law.  So man can be right in his own eyes yet wrong in God’s eyes.    

The man who is right tin his own eyes is a hard man to reach with a gospel that says  “there is none righteous no not one.”  It doesn’t say sometimes you’re not right , it says you’re NEVER right.  Everything man does falls short of God’s law.  This is why the gospel is attacked, Mr. Right does’t’ like what it says, it contradicts how he thinks about himself.   But to those who will humble themselves and confess they are sinners, broken God’s law and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23, there is real forgiveness and freedom like they have never know before.  

The gospel is a glorious exchange.  Jesus Christ taking all my sin and bearing the wrath of God for my sin in his body on the cross, and giving to me His righteousness, so that in God’s eyes I am perfectly righteous but it is not my righteousness but Christ’s.  That is why we can sing “Blessed Assurance” because my acceptance with God is based not on my life’s work but upon Christ’s life work.  It becomes mine by grace through faith, not of works lest any man (Mr. Right) should boast.   Ephesians 2:8-10   Romans 3:20-26   Romans 10:1-5  

Is your home a constant battle ground over who is right?  Who is the man or woman looking back at you in the mirror?  Mr. or Mrs Right are not very good listeners.  Do you listen.? Do you want to listen?  Are the conversations in your home, your marriage all one sided?  We all need to listen to what James tells us.   James 1:22-25  Remember “The LORD weighs the heart.”   

Just Turn Around???!!!

Many a wonderful trip has been ruined by these four words, “I know a shortcut”. I’ve used them many times myself. Yes, sometimes it did work out to be shorter and then other times, well it didn't’.

Can you relate to this? Everyone is in the car, we're heading for “Sunset beach”. Everyone is excited. Dad decides to surprise everyone with a shortcut he knows will up the excitement level even higher by getting them there sooner than they expected. So you take the shortcut and begin to look for any signs you may be getting close to water. You should be seeing the ocean by now, it doesn’t look promising but all roads lead somewhere, right? That is true you assure yourself, forgetting, that not all roads lead to “Sunset beach”.

Gradually the trip to “Sunset beach” becomes the trip to any beach, then deteriorates into a trip to somewhere. However, you know in your heart you passed somewhere about 30 miles ago but you don’t dare tell anyone, and now you are looking for anywhere with water and a plastic slide. Eventually you find yourself nowhere and no one is happy. And to top it all off they say it's your fault. The nerve of some people.

Usually during this fateful journey, someone in the back seat will unwisely make the suggestion that we should just turn around and go back to where we made the decision to take the shortcut. It is amazing how annoying common sense can be sometimes.

The cardinal rule I (and most men) follow when driving is “never turn around”. That is to admit defeat. Keep driving at all costs. I remember those times when I did have to TURN AROUND and travel that 30 or 40 miles back to where we got lost. Seemed like it took 10 hours to drive those 30 miles. Knuckles are white as they grip the steering wheel in anger.
I hate turning around and going back where I started. I am convinced I can make this work.

That is how the human heart works. I can get out of this, I can find my way back without having to turn around (repent) and admit I was wrong. And so I rage against wisdom and I stay lost, and the family stays dry and head home never having found anything even close to a beach. Everyone’s joy is turned to despair all because dad won’t turn around. Proverbs talks about people like this.

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
(Proverbs 1:22-23 ESV)

If you are on the wrong road, lost, caught in the chains of your sin Proverbs says turn around. As hard as it seems God will give you the strength through His Spirit to do it. He will give you wisdom. He will show you the way to go as you read His Word.
The warning for those who refuse are very sobering. Proverbs 1:24-32
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and he will lift you up. James 4:6-9
Listen to those around you, it may not be what you want to hear but it is what you need to hear.
Humble hearts lead to joy and the pathway to God’s blessing in our lives and in our families.

Sometimes we all just need to stop and turn around.

I'll Do it This Way.

It is amazing how many principles in the book of Proverbs are stated more than once. If God takes the time to say something twice we really need to snap to attention and take heed because there is something here God does not want us to miss. One such example is Proverbs 14:12 and 16:24 where we read these words


“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.”

God has a warning here for us. For me. It is a warning about the kind of person I am by nature.
You see there is a way that seems right and I know what that way is he’s talking about. It is the best way, it is the logical way, it is the way everyone else does it, it’s the popular way, but to boil it down to two words - the way that seems right is “MY WAY”. I love my way, I think my way is best. The way I drive the car is the right way to drive it, the way I choose to raise my children is the right way to raise children, the way I choose to do church is the right way, how I choose to educate my children is the right way, how I choose to live morally is the right way. How I choose to “do religion” is the right way. But here is the key point - It’s the right way because it is “MY WAY”. And I’ll get very upset if someone tries to convince me otherwise. But maybe that’s just me!

That’s how we think is it not? No one deliberately tries to raise their children the wrong way. No one deliberately chooses to believe a false gospel, etc. We make choices because we believe they are right, and often our reasoning is as simple as this - we deem our action right because if it wasn’t I wouldn’t have done it that way.

That's the reasoning of a deluded heart and mind blinded to truth, a person wandering around in the dark making choices about things not truly understood. Yet man, blinded by his pride, chooses to stake his life, his children, his eternity on the fact that if it seems right to me then it’s right.

We don’t like to be wrong. We don’t like to stand corrected. There is a way that seems right to a man and we take it every time. “MY WAY”.

That ‘s how fallen man reasons in his heart. That’s how the children of Israel lived in Judges where it says “that every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

If you had a world filled with people who all thought like this imagine the horror, the violence, the wars and lawlessness, the immorality, the false religion, it would be like living, well it would be like living in our world today. Imagine how the newspapers would read in such a world. If your wondering pick up today's paper and read it. The end of such thinking leads to destruction, heartache, despair, loneliness, death, and ultimately hell.

The writer of Proverbs says and all of scripture affirms, that those who sing “I did it my way” will face death, not just the grave but eternal condemnation if they die without saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said I am the way, the truth and the Life no one comes to the father but by me. John 14;6
Jesus says follow me, follow my way and you will find life. It is not something earned it is a gift of grace purchased for us on the cross of Jesus Christ where he died for our sins, our “MY WAY” anti God, life style and all the baggage (sins) that goes with that.
The way that seems right ’MY WAY” is wrong, the way that seems wrong “GOD’S WAY” is right. Which way will you choose?

"I don't like to brag, But . . . "

Tooting your own horn, bragging, call it what you will, no one likes to be around someone who is doing it. We've all heard them, they are the ones at parties that spend 30 minutes talking about themselves and all they have done and then in a moment of embarrassment stop and say I can't believe i've been talking about myself all this time, I need to stop and let you talk about me for a while. Proverbs 27:2 can’t be more direct. “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Not much hard to understand about that verse. We all give ourselves far to much credit sometimes for what we think we have accomplished. Proverbs simply says if you want to hear praise regarding yourself listen for it on the lips of others. It means what ever you have done has impacted their life in some way. They have seen in you something worthy of praise. The things we accomplish and work at do not always bring immediate results or recognition because the impact may not be seen right away. I guess the bottom line is that when it gets right down to it we should not be doing things for the praise of men. The reason we sing our own praises is so that we can get others to jump in and join us on the chorus. But we are called to humility, we are called to serve with our eyes on God and not the praises of men. It is so easy to love the praise of men that it can enslave us if we are not careful. We can become addicted to it. It becomes like a drug. We preach a sermon and stand at the door and everyone compliments us on the nice music, like the new tie, but say nothing about the sermon. Maybe they were in the nursery, no I saw them, they were in the front pew the whole service. Priming the pump sounds like this - “did you enjoy the sermon”, “did you get the card I sent, the mail can be so slow” not very subtle but trust me it works. They will probably say yes to be polite but it is a hollow victory. We need to be careful we do not get to the point where we “NEED” the praise of men and when we don’t get it we go fishing for it or get discouraged and want to quit. Proverbs is not saying the praise of men is wrong, it is saying don’t go priming the pump to get the praise of men by leading the cheer. The praise of men is nice and appreciated when it is given, but only when it is not sought after. There is really only one person you need to be working to hear say “well done” and that is our Savior Jesus Christ. Have your eyes on him, what ever we do we need to do for the glory of God not the praise of men. Bragging, seeking the praise of men is not the mark of a wise person, it is not found on the path of wisdom. If we are going to boast we need to boast in the cross alone. To God be the glory for what he has done in and and through us. Charles Spurgeon put if very well “Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all.”
 

"You're Going to do What? Pro. 27:1

Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
Most of us like to brag about our accomplishments, especially the ones we haven’t actually accomplished yet. The reality is what we think we can do (tomorrow) and what we are able or willing to do (when tomorrow gets here) are usually a long way apart. We are amazing people in our tomorrows. There are no interruptions, everything goes like we planned, people co-operate, the traffic lights always turn green when we get there. Tomorrow, it’s a wonderful place.
While we all like to boast about our tomorrows, the truth is, none of us have ever lived there. We all live in that place called today, and the problem with today is there are to many interruptions, people aren’t co-operating, nothing is going like I planned, and I’ve never seen so many red lights.
Listen to James 4:13 - 17 ”Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. … Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Let’s think about tomorrow...
Tomorrow is a procrastinators paradise
For the procrastinator tomorrow’s schedule fills up in a hurry. We have heard the saying “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” well the procrastinators slogan is “never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” The problem is that when we put things off they tend to pile up. If you take five “todays” worth of work and try to cram it into one tomorrow, it doesn’t fit; at least that’s what my teachers in college kept telling me. I said “it was multi-tasking”, they said “it was a mess”. I said “it was to much work”, they said “it was to little effort”. And so on. They did not seem to care about that place I longingly and lovingly referred to as tomorrow. Imagine that!
It is interesting if you listen to most motivational speakers all they are trying to do is to get people who are spinning their wheels in yesterday or tomorrow to face the responsibilities and opportunities of today. Stop procrastinating, get out of your chair, make a decision and do something, NOW!
Tomorrow is the lazy mans refuge
Whenever the lazy man is confronted with his laziness, he always runs to his favorite hiding place - tomorrow. For the lazy person, tomorrow is a very present help in time of trouble.
Tomorrow is where we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.
If people would only judge me based on my projected performance in my tomorrows, I wouldn’t look like such a - well, whatever.. I would love for you to see the real me. Yes, I realize I just yelled at you a few minutes ago, but today has not been a good day. What are you doing tomorrow?
Tomorrow will haunt the condemned forever
Hell is going to be full of people who were going to come to Christ tomorrow. That is why the bible always speaks of salvation with one day in mind. TODAY is the day of salvation Hebrews 4.
Tomorrow is where the heart shows it’s true colors.
The heart knows the right thing to do. How do we know that? Because of what it is promising to do tomorrow. It knows what needs to be done. That’s why James says if we “know to do good and do not do it, it is sin.” The heart knows what it should do and promises to do it tomorrow instead of today. God says that is unacceptable. Promising to do what is right tomorrow condemns us. We are giving testimony that we are are not ignorant but rather unwilling to obey God today. We deceive ourselves into believing tomorrow will be different. However, the reality is, if I am not willing to do something today, that same unwillingness, those same habit patterns follow me into tomorrow.
“Do not boast about tomorrow…” If you know what to do, do it today.
Listen to Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
Reality is, I don’t do all that well in my todays. Today is hard, I need an escape. I want to give my wife hope, my children something to look forward to, I want to convince my boss not to fire me, so I boast about tomorrow……! I promise tomorrow..., I’ll do better tomorrow..., “we’ll start the day tomorrow with a song or two…” It will be great! Lets face it - there are a couple reasons the Bible says “Do not boast about tomorrow…”
1. No one knows what a day will bring forth
2. No one believes you anyway.
The wonderful truth is that God gives us grace and and strength for today not tomorrow. God has promised those who know Him a glorious future and a bright hope with Him for eternity, but He has not promised us tomorrow. So do not boast about tomorrow, but rather trust in God’s wisdom and power to accomplish what he wants us to accomplish today for His glory. It’s not what we are going to do that matters, it’s what we are doing that matters for eternity. Our tomorrows are in God’s hand, leave them there and trust Him and serve Him today.
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, …”
Phil. 4:13 “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” TODAY.