Avoid This

Although God is love, there are some things God hates.  We would do well to steer clear of them.

Proverbs 6:16-19  English Standard Version (ESV)

There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

Most of these have to do with have a prideful spirit and the things a person will do to protect their image. Of all these terrible things, the last is the worst.  Sowing discord, or being a trouble-maker is an abomination to God.  

Avoid this at all costs!  The price you pay for disobedience is far more costly than you ever want to pay.

Unfortunately, sometimes a conflict maker can be in the midst of a body of believers.  Christians are imperfect people striving to serve a perfect Jesus.  When we are guilty of any of the above, the first thing to do is to examine ourselves.  Our attitude is wrong and we are not loving our brother more than ourselves.  We are not esteeming others greater than us.  

Repent!  The Word assures us that He is faithful and just to forgive if we confess our sin. He will cleanse us from that attitude and give us a heart of love toward our brother. It's not something we can do on our own, but He helps us.

Isn't it mind-blowing? God asks us to do something and then empowers us to do it!  I can't get over His amazing grace ....


Scriptures for further study:

Matthew 22:39
Philippians 2:3
1 John 1:9
James 4:6
1 Corinthians 3:3

This post is Day 29 of my series, 31 Basics for Believers.  You can find all the posts here.

I'm linking my series to a whole passel of bloggers who are blogging on one subject for 31 days.  There are topics for everyone!  If you like to join in, visit the Nester at her blog, Nesting Place.