Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Daemin Kim, Gracepoint Berkeley.
The way seems right to man but leads to death in the end is any way that does not lead to God. There are ways that appear to be right at first. The way of living self-preserving life, or life of maximizing gain could seem right. Or the way of living a life that says spend youth seeking worldly success and fortune, and THEN seek God: this is a popular idea that we can always turn to God later, but it is folly – we have no idea what tomorrow brings and we have no idea whether we’ll be alive to seek God or not. These ways may appear to the wise course, but because they don’t lead to God, they actually lead to death. There is no other choice: the end is either life in God, or death. Then any way that puts emphasis on money or comfort or acclaim or pleasure over God is a way that leads to death.
What matters at the end is the end itself. It doesn’t matter if the road is paved with gold and lined with beautiful flower beds if it leads to a death trap. It doesn’t matter if the way of life is filled with comfort and filled with sense of security if it doesn’t lead to God in the end. The question to ask is whether the way I am going is taking me closer to God, or away from God: is the way leading to God, or leading to death? One source of temptation for me was academic success: this was one arena where I thought I could shine and outcompete others. It could be a means of getting recognition, a prestigious degree to go with my name, even financial security. But this way, even though it seemed to fit my natural abilities and temperament, would have been the wrong way for me, since it would have meant giving my time and energy to an idol of academic success. It would have led me away from God, and no amount of “right fit” makes up for being away from God. That was the wrong way.
In order to live with the end in mind, I need to know what end I’m seeking. I need to be clear where I want to go. Once that’s clear, I need to check constantly to see that I’m going in the right direction. Rather than assume I’m on the right way, I need to be disciplined enough to check, make constant corrections to get back on track, to seek help from others to make sure I’m going the right away. By doing these things, I’m keeping the end in focus and I’m not going to forget where I’m trying to get to. If the end is life in God, and to be with God once I’m done on earth, then I need to check that I am going towards God. The “roadmap” is the Bible – I need the Bible in my life to keep me with God. I can ask my peers and leaders to help me assess how I’m living and see where I need to grow, what I need to work on, what sins to fight, what areas to grow in.
Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Tony Sun, Gracepoint Berkeley.
What is the way that seems right to man that leads to death in the end? Following what “seems right” shows a self-sufficiency on man’s part. In his depravity, man has always denied his need for truth. But as I am reminded in the recent bible study, Truth is unyielding. Truth isn’t going to yield to my agenda. Truth doesn’t yield to anyone or any situation. Truth is just there. It is just a brute force and my self-seeking agendas might run into the truth, and the truth might curb my agenda, so I start to not like the truth and rationalize my way to tell myself that my way is better. I convince myself that I am intellectually sound and I understand the arguments and am able to follow the logics and am able to come to the right conclusions. We believe in the ability of our reason to reach conclusions, to follow reasoning, and to affirm truth but that is not always the case. I have to stop and reflect back on different times that I found myself deep in my sins and I had to repent to be restored back to my relationship with God. In each case, I can point to that moment when I came to a juncture, where I had to decide which way I need to take and it was because I’d chosen to follow what I thought was right after much rationalization in my mind telling me what my itching ears wanted to hear and aligning to my own liking and I’d ignored the truth which led me in the downward spiral to a place where I found myself far away from God. I need to humble myself and face the reality about myself daily. I must remember that man does not think as God thinks and so I must unquestioningly submit to God’s Truth in order to do what is right.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:7-8)
How can I live with the end in mind? To live with the end in mind means that I am to live by following the Word of God as the true compass for life. The Word of God is the truth that always points me to the right way just as a compass always points to which direction is north. I need to live each day admitting that I need to submit to the Word of God and to those God uses daily to bring me His truth so that I am not wasting my life wondering which is the right way. To live with the end in mind means that we are to live with a sense of urgency. We are all given a finite time to live on this earth. What will I do with the time I have now, who will I love with the time that I have now? To live with the end in mind for me means that there is no time for me to feel sullen and angry about myself and about what I don’t have. I don’t have time to feel insecure as I compare myself to those around me. It is to know that God has given me resources, blessings and authority to do his work. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Apostle Paul says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” I need to live my life daily giving my all in working, growing, serving, while continuing to deal with sins and struggles in my life. But most importantly live with the hope, “run in such a way as to get the prize”, hope of seeing God in heaven and be able to fellowship with Him eternally. This is what gives me strength today to push through difficulties, set backs, disappointments,and discouragements in my life today.
Devotion Questions:
Proverbs 16:25
- What is the way that seems right to man that leads to death in the end?
- How can I live with the end in mind?
Proverbs 16:29, 32
- What are the effects of temper and violence?
- How has my temper affected those around me? In what areas do I need to exercise greater patience and control over my temper?
Commentary:
v.30 Often people who are planning wicked things betray themselves with malicious expressions. Two expressions are depicted here: winking the eye and pursing the lips. Facial expressions often reveal whether someone is plotting something evil (see 6:13-14). Mannerisms and character are closely linked.
v.32 Patience is preferable to physical power. […
] “Controls his spirit” means that he has his emotions under control. This saying would have significant meaning in the times when military prowess was held in high regard.
[1] All citations were taken from Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositors Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Proverbs