Things God Hates

There are six things the LORD hates,seven that are detestable to him;

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)

No doubt about it, not only are we to be students of what pleases the Lord, but we must be vividly aware of what displeases him. Here are seven things. Maybe as you read the list you thought, Wow yes, those are so bad. Bad people do those bad things. I would never do any of them. Really?

Let me pick out two that we as women are sometimes especially prone to—faults we see in others and yet sometimes don’t see in ourselves.

• Haughty eyes. This is “that look”—that annoyed look, that rude look. It is the look at someone you think is below you, that you look down on. Have you ever heard the expression “if looks could kill”? Well, looks kind of do kill. Have you ever known someone who just made you cringe when you were around them because they looked at you like dirt? Enough said. Don’t do that.
• Another thing that the Lord hates is causing rifts—causing division. Planting little seeds between people that make them distrust each other. Pointing out flaws and failures. Never forget: God hates it, so don’t do it—ever.

The antidote for both is love. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV). Love covers a multitude of sins.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

God hates it when we use the expressions on our face to put others down with frowns and scowls. I have a friend who was doing that without realizing it. Then she stood at the mirror and could see that her frowns were becoming permanent.

The Lord spoke to her heart: “You can fix your face.” It seemed silly and even impossible at first. But she knew it was the Lord’s prompting. God had softened her heart, and she decided to practice on the outside what he was doing on the inside. Good idea! Let’s try it.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 13:17–15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; and Proverbs 6:16-19