October 3, 2023

Scripture: Proverbs 29:25  -"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.:

What it means

Here's another Proverb for us to consider, and yes, it's another difficult one.  Much of what we are advised to do in scripture is difficult, but thank God that we're always given the proper motivation to accomplish whatever we're charged with doing.  This one is advising to not fear man, and that it's a snare.  This is one of those Proverbs that just kind of stands on its own, with no flow or buildup from one verse to the next one or the preceding one, so context doesn't really help here.  Again, we're advised to avoid the trap of fearing man, or what man can do to us, and we're given the advice to help us avoid it - trust in The Lord.  And why? Because He keeps us safe - always and everywhere, He is good and strong and mighty and indeed keeps us safe from those who would cause us harm.

What it means to me

Again, this is ridiculously hard - I mean, who doesn't fear at least one person? Not too many...but if we step back a little bit and think about this, it's actually pretty pointless to spend much time and effort being afraid of someone who may or may not be in a position to cause us harm. It's been my experience that well over 1/2 of what I choose to worry about...really doesn't come to be a problem at all.  Certainly, we should take proper precautions to be safe, but don't let it consume all of your time and attention...life's too short for that.  The Lord Jesus Himself tells us in the gospel of Matthew "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who an destroy both soul and body in hell."  Let's opt for door #2 in this verse - "whoever trusts in The Lord is kept safe."

Love you, talk to you Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian