Arrogance leads to disobedience, which leads to sin, which leads to destruction. What? Me, arrogant?

² A person may think their own ways are right,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.

Satan doesn’t know what we are thinking, but God does. He knows what we are thinking, our motivation behind our thoughts, and our intentions. Yet, He judges us on our actions. Why? Because He knows that we struggle with our thoughts and emotions. It is in our minds that He fights for us and with us.

³ To do what is right and just
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

God knows that whatever is on the throne of our heart will win out in our actions.

⁴ Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

We are from the very beginning of our lives selfish and arrogant beings. It’s all about us and meeting our needs. Ask any mother and she will testify! It’s “the unplowed field of the wicked” part that really gets us. “Unplowed” means “fallow”: land that has been “plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated; not in use; inactive.”

Let’s talk about our spiritual lives. Is our relationship with the LORD Jesus fallow? Christ cultivated us unto salvation, but what then? Have we seeded our soil with the Scriptures? with daily Bible study, both personal and with other Christians? with earnest prayer about transforming our lives to look like His? about looking for where He is working and joining Him there? Are we broken over the sinful thoughts we have? over our tendency to get angry, judgmental, petty, vindictive and spiteful? We must remember that what we do comes from how we think–and God knows both!

With just a little effort, we can turn our thoughts heavenward. If we will look up from ourselves, look inside to His Spirit and turn and look at Him (give Him our full attention), we will come face to face with Christ our Savior! It will thrill Him as much as it will us!!! He desires sweet fellowship with us, and has wonderful adventures in store for us. All it takes is for us to allow Him to be Lord of our lives NOW. TODAY. Don’t wait and don’t look back. Leave everything behind. If we need something again, He will provide it again–probably an improved version (He’s like that).

There is a starter chapter for those who would like to allow Christ to be center stage, but don’t know how to get started. It is Ephesians 4.

Verses 1-3 deal with attitude and gives us a reference for where God will be taking us. He wants us to be humble, gentle, and patient. THAT’S A TALL ORDER!

Verses 4-16 tells us how we are all part of His Body and how we fit together, each growing in different ways that help each other grow into something much bigger than ourselves: The Temple of God, the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ.

Verses 17-24 speak of how we used to be (darkened in our understanding), but how we are now righteous and holy in Christ. We learn to put off our old ways and put on the new life by being made new in the attitude of our minds.

Verses 25-28 we learn about telling the truth, not staying angry, and doing our share.

Verses 29-32 teach us how to talk–and not talk. We learn to keep the Spirit of God flowing through us as we grow in this area. It has all to do with how we think, which controls how we feel, which influences how we act.

May we commit as much of this chapter to memory! Happy reading.

Abba, may You use the teaching in this chapter to transform my life and to conform me to the image of Your Son. I want to be just like Jesus. More than that, I want Him to live through me. May I be a sweet aroma to You, LORD, a living sacrifice, and a holy and clean vessel/conduit ready to be used by You for Your kingdom work. Amen.