“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” – Proverbs 21:2
Scripture reading: Proverbs 21:2; Proverbs 3:5-6
Are you heart smart? Are you self-aware? Are you ever blind to the deeper motives of your heart, to how others experience you, to things about you and your ways that everyone sees but you?
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 21:2). Wise people assume this is naturally true of them. They recognize their need to be aware of this gut-level dynamic and work against it.
In our fallenness, we tend to trust our own judgment over the judgment of God and others. We are convinced that we are right. We are convinced that our course of action is right. We are convinced that our motives are right. We will not allow others to throw us off course with their inconvenient questions, observations and arguments. This is pride. In fact, this is the pride of Adam and Eve in the garden who ate the fruit when the serpent promised, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:8b).
Remember that “the LORD weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2b). We must rely on Him, in His word and through prayer, to evaluate our ways. We must also value the way God uses others to challenge our delusions of rightness in line with His Word.
May God Himself give us the humility and security in Christ to invite Him to weigh our hearts. May we treasure the ways He uses godly people we trust to show us our self-deception and blind spots.
Suggestions for prayer
Ask God for the humility and security in Christ that you need to be open to correction.
Pastor Richard Zekveld, his wife Nancy (nee Vandermeer), and their five children live in South Holland, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Richard has pastored Covenant Fellowship Church of South Holland (PCA) since 2015, he also works part-time in jail ministry as a chaplain for Chicagoland Prison Outreach. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
