July 30, 2008

Today's Reading - Proverbs 30
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Following Scripture Verses

1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
5. Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7. Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8. Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
10. Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
14. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
15. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16. The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
18. There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19. The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
20. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
21. For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
22. For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
23. For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24. There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
25. The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
26. The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27. The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28. The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
29. There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
30. A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
31. A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33. Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

Today's Pathway:
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"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." - Proverbs 30:12

While I am certain that there have always been people who fall into the condition mentioned in today's verse, I believe that our current generation truly exemplifies it. We live in a time when people see themselves as being pure. The New Age movement coupled with post-modernism has produced a society whose members either believe that they themselves are gods or that there is no standard by which they must be judged.

As we attempt to talk to people about the Lord we continually encounter this type of thinking. You try to speak to some people about their need of a Savior and their response is "I consider myself to be a very spiritual person". Of course, much of this is being taught through meditation, yoga, and other Eastern and Hindu based practices. They believe that all the universe in connected together by some cosmic religious force that indwells everything and everyone, and that ultimately everyone is a part of this "divinity", and thus every man is a "god". Others have been swept up in the philosophy that there is no right and wrong. They believe that every man gets to decide truth and error for himself, and that what is true for one person may not be true for another. Thus, when you witness to them, they respond that "The Bible may be satisfactory for you, but it doesn't work for me", or some other similar comment. Since there is no standard, they have no guilt.

The bottom line is that both of these groups see themselves as pure, yet neither has been washed from their filthiness. Despite their protests, they are sinners and their iniquities have separated them from God (Isaiah 59:2). They require a Savior, Jesus Christ Who shed His blood for them on the cross. If they receive Him, then their sins will be washed away, but if they reject Him they will be condemned (John 3:18).

Are you washed from your filthiness? Are you proclaiming that message to those who need to hear it?

Pastor Mark J Montgomery