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One Thing God Hates
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Proverbs 16:5 All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the LORD; be assured, they will not go unpunished.
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Download audio fileWe all know people who, how shall I put it, throw their weight around. They’re arrogant, they walk over the top of other people. They’re bullies. They use anger and aggression as deliberate strategies to get their own way.
In fact that’s how I used to live my life before Jesus came to meet me, to redeem me, to save me from myself, in grace and in love. Before Jesus came to set me free from that sort of behaviour, and save me from its consequences. These days, when I meet those sorts of people, the arrogant bullies, I shake my head because that used to be me and that’s an incredibly frightening thought.
I wonder, who are the arrogant people in your life? Who are the bullies who are impacting your life right at the moment? At home, at work, perhaps a neighbour, even a friend or a family member.
When we meet arrogant people, when we have to deal with them, come on, let’s be honest, we absolutely hate it. There’s a reason for that. God hates it too.
All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the LORD; be assured, they will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 16:5)
I lived through that punishment. I had to suffer the consequences of my arrogance and it hurt. A lot. But – and here’s the bit that amazes me – this same God to whom I was an abomination, came to me in love, forgave me through Jesus and offered me a rehab program, a new life.
So now, when I meet an arrogant person, when I have to deal with a bully, I try to see them the way He saw me: through the eyes of grace and mercy. You see those arrogant people, invariably, are hurting on the inside. Perhaps, as I was, they’re deeply insecure and they use that outer bravado as a cover for that. That’s often, in fact, what’s going on.
I wonder whether you and I, like Jesus, can’t look at those people through the eyes of love and mercy. And maybe, just maybe, God’s put you into their lives, to be the lighthouse in their storm. Perhaps God’s put you there, next to them, to show them the many splendored love of God in Jesus Christ. Perhaps it’s through you, that they’ll meet Jesus and have their lives transformed.
Their arrogance is an abomination to the Lord, and yet Jesus came to save abominable people, arrogant people, just like me. And let me tell you, if not for the Christians who stood by me, who loved me when I was unlovable, who forgave me when I deserved punishment, I wouldn’t be here with you today.
Maybe, just maybe, the love of Christ in you, is the only thing that stands between them, and eternal punishment.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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