Walk in Love

(Prov 17:19 NLT) Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.

Here Solomon teaches us about two things: strife and pride. I will discuss them individually.

As a believer we are called to walk in love, not strife. Jesus always drove home the love message. At the end of the day we must realize that God IS love (literally) and if God is in us and we are in Him, then we MUST operate in love.

Nothing we do for God matters if we fail to do it in love.

Everything we are called to do in the Kingdom requires faith and even faith works by love (Gal 5:6). Solomon tells us that those who love to quarrel (fight, argue, disagree) love to sin. I am sure you have met your fair share of people like this. People who love to fight seem to get some sort of twisted satisfaction from getting others riled up. While you and I both know people that are this way, don’t ever let this be said of you. God will not be glorified through you if you continually cause turmoil everywhere you go. You and I are called to be peacemakers, not peace breakers.

Paul drove this message home to the believers in Rome when he said: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love… Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse… Do not repay anyone evil for evil… as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:12-18).

The latter part of our focus text for today seems a bit confusing. Solomon says, “Anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.” Another translation of this portion reads: “Build a wall, invite a burglar.” To understand the message here we have to know something about the time.

Solomon’s culture and setting help give us the context. Back then people built walls around their homes to establish borders. Without the walls stray animals and those traveling on horses could wander through a person’s yard and damage whatever produce they were attempting to grow. While the walls were customary, they were not meant as a form of protection. In other words, the average person was not seeking to build a fortress and they did not want to close themselves in, so they normally built walls that were relatively short.
However some, because of pride, built high walls with very large doors. Their pride often backfired, because the high walls and large doors often drew the wrong sort of attention, the attention of those with bad intentions. More often than not those will high walls were attacked. This is why Solomon said that these people were inviting disaster. Why bring unnecessary attention to yourself?

OH, I know why. PRIDE!

The Bible has a great deal to say about the dangers of pride. In chapter 11 Solomon said, “When pride comes, shame follows. But wisdom comes to those who are not proud” (11:2). In chapter 16 he said, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18). Later in Proverbs he says, “No one is respected unless he is humble; arrogant people are on the way to ruin” (18:12), and “Arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected” (29:23).

So what does this mean to you ? The message this morning is simple: walk in love and humility. If you seek to live in peace everyone and you remain humble you will enjoy God’s best life every day!

Father, I thank You for the reminder this morning. I know You ARE love. You are in me and I am in You. Therefore, I declare, by faith, that I will walk in love with everyone I come in contact with. I am a conduit of Your love and an example of Your goodness. Use me to reach others, with Your love, today. Also, I avoid pride at all costs. I remain humble. I don’t bring unnecessary attention to myself. I seek to bring You glory in all that I do and resist every temptation to operate in arrogance. I humble myself before You and I know that You will exalt me as You see fit, so I don’t need to exalt myself. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!