Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”
Proverbs 21:2
Have you ever questioned if the heart of man is his path? What is the heart of man? Is not the heart of man full of emotions and desires that motivates him to actions in life? Is it not the path he chooses to walk and live in? What path have you chosen? When we are born into this world, we had nothing, not even clothing on our bodies. An infant’s survival is based upon the care if its mother. Every mother has a strong maternal instinct for caring for their children. This is one reason why it is so hard for a mother to give up her child for adoption at birth. However, the road or path in taking care of an infant may not always be blissful, for it takes a certain amount of energy to care for the child. Depending upon the environment of the mother and if she is able financially bear the cost, the care of an infant is based upon human actions. We do not always think about the cost of caring for a child. It is not only the child, but the mother who also needs to have basic needs met in order to care for the child.
Man does not always understand this maternal instinct and may think this is an easy job that a woman has, but they are wrong in thinking this is an easy job. Men have broken down when it comes to taking care of an infant with feeding every 2 to 4 hours around the clock and changing diapers. Some men shudder at the thought of even changing diapers. Just think of all the emotions a mother and father go through when a child is born. Balloons and cigars were handed out right after the birth of a child, up to the mid 20th century. Now, we have no smoking in public places including hospitals. Why, because of the health risk. We have learned about how breathing in smoke can deprive us of oxygen. In 2018 USA TODAY reported on top 10 health conditions affecting Americans. The top seven on the list is High Blood Pressure, Depression, High Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Substance Disorder, and Alcohol Disorder. By now you may wonder what this has to do with the heart of man or woman? These health conditions within society have a lot to do with what you believe is the optimal health conditions for your own body. It is what you believe in your heart that determines your path in life. You may have heard that out of the heart comes the issues of life. This is the path we follow that brings the issues in life to the forefront. This is the unveiling of truth in everything we do.
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of those who seek death. The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them, because they refuse to do justice.”
Proverbs 21:6-7
When it comes to getting gain/money, the way of a man is right in his own eyes, they are not concerned with doing justice. In fact, they are far away from doing justice. It is true that you cannot change another’s man’s mind when it has already been made up. The decision to follow its own path is what is on his mind. There are all kinds of philosophies being taught today that may seem right, but they only have a part of a truth, not the whole truth. Take for instance, Friedrich Nietzsche phrase, “you have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Wow! It does not exist; I would beg to differ and say it does exist. Remember Thomas the tax collector who asked Jesus “how can we know the way?” Have you asked that question? Jesus answered and said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” [see John 14:5-6]. There is a way that is right and wrong. We learn about it and try it out as children. That is why nurturing a child is so important.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Colossians 2:8
The apostle Paul tells us to be aware of philosophy and vain deceit. Philosophy and vain deceit that are empty deception of fraud and trickery. We see this happening every day on the internet and in real circumstances in life where someone is trying to get what you have. False impression is a failure to understand correctly. Can we admit to our own failures as human beings? Can we examine the precepts we live by personally? The answer is yes, we must examine ourselves and what we are doing. It is how we think and act that can make the difference in our life. We must choose how we are to act in any situation in life. If it is not after Christ, then it is after another philosophy of men that we are following. We must be concerned first about our own actions and behavior. That is why in Proverbs 22:6, it states, “train up a child in the way he or she should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The whole point is how are we training up our children. Are we honest with ourselves and our children?
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”
Proverbs 20:11
The child will follow the parents even if the parents try to hide their own faults. The child soon learns the truth of what was hidden. A parent can be compromised by their own acceptable standards that are lower than is desirable. God weighs the heart of a man whether it is honest or not. Do you weigh what is in your own heart? What we think is right may not be right, and ignorance is not bliss, for “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death,” states Proverbs 14:12. Just as our lifestyle that we are living, we may think is good, but the end result is actually death. Take into consideration what causes High Blood Pressure, Depression, High Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Substance Disorder, and Alcohol Disorder. Is it not our lifestyles? Is it not the habits we have formed that may cause those results? We must learn to be wise and not be tossed around by lying tongues. Even those who are arrogant and self-sufficient need to examine their own ways and see that they follow their own rules instead of God’s word.
Proverbs 14:14 states that “the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” This is a known fact for those who do not follow any rules, or only follow rules when they have to. Where is the wisdom in following after death instead of life? We must trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. We may not know at the moment the whole truth, but if we follow after Christ’s love, God’s wisdom will be revealed. There is wisdom when we ask questions. We must ask God to help us change the path we are on to the path of Christ’s love. We must ask for wisdom for “the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding,” [Proverbs 2:6]. Christ is our example for the way a Christian should live, and He is the way, truth, and the life. Let us weigh carefully in our own heart what precepts we follow, for it will become the path you follow even your very own health. We must ask God to reveal his wisdom in regard to the path we follow. We must ask God for our own health to help us to change our habits and behavior to one that will bring life and not death.
