October 30, 2016 (Proverbs 16:2)

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD” (Prov 16:2). One of the greatest snares for those who come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is the folly of believing that our own faults are automatically corrected such that a person thereafter walks in righteousness before God. If we come to God in humility, conscious of our spiritual poverty and with a repentant heart, the indwelling Holy Spirit over time will reveal that our seemingly innocent ways are less than innocent. As one’s mind is being renewed, the truth of Jeremiah 17:9 will become abundantly clear: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” There is recognition that the only remedy is to experience God’s grace, receive a new heart that hates evil and delights in God’s will for our lives. As Paul describes in both Romans and Galatians, inner conflict exists between a carnal (sinful) nature inherited from Adam and the now indwelling Spirit of Christ which is ever-ongoing, making it necessary to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) for the born again believer to walk in holiness and righteousness. It is part of Holy Spirit’s office to weigh our thoughts and motives, guiding us into all truth such that our lives bring honor and glory to our Redeemer. Simply doing what seems right in our own eyes without reverent fear of the LORD is a sure formula for falling into error which profanes the Name of Him whose name we profess.