What motivates the decisions you make? Why do you conduct yourself the way you do, and why is your life the way it is?

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend. He was telling me about some difficult things he's been dealing with lately, including some medical problems. Whenever you have medical issues, everyone offers you advice, but some of the advice he received troubled him. He said to me, "I know they're trying to be helpful, but my conscience just won't let me take that suggestion."

Part of the reason I have great respect for this friend is because he has shown me over time that he is a man of strong conscience. He has a high quality of life because he makes a point not to violate his conscience. We're all making "quality of life" decisions on a daily basis. And when we compare our decisions to the counsel we're given in Proverbs 6:1-19, we can clearly see that the quality of our lives will be directly impacted by the sensitivity of our conscience and our willingness to obey the Lord's counsel.

I. How long will you choose to remain ensnared?

"My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; 5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler." (Proverbs 6:1-5)

Becoming entangled or ensnared in something is quite unpleasant. It's unpleasant physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Several years ago, there was evidence that a mouse got into our house. Most homeowners eventually experience that nuisance, and as you'd expect, I set several traps near where I had seen evidence of the mouse's presence. Soon after, I heard one of the traps snap, and when I went to check it out, there was the mouse. He wasn't dead, but he was caught.

At first, I thought I should take him outside and finish him off, but as I looked at him, I started feeling compassion for his condition. I could kill him, or I could set him free. In a moment of empathy that surprised me, I felt compelled to let him go. I did give him a warning, however, that this was a one-time pass and if I saw him again, the meeting would end differently.

Like a mouse in a trap, it's easy to become ensnared by unhealthy and unwise things during the course of our lives. In this passage, Solomon describes someone who becomes ensnared by putting up security for his neighbor. In modern terms, this would be the same concept as co-signing a loan. I don't know if you've ever done that, but it's not a good idea. I have done that in the past, but I don't plan on doing that again. It rarely ends well. Most often, you become liable for the debts of someone else or you're forced to spend years worried about whether or not they'll actually make good on their payments.

Solomon's counsel is to do everything you can to get out of that arrangement because it's a trap that ensnares you. Do whatever you ethically can to get out of it.

And while loans and pledges can ensnare us, they aren't the only things in life that attempt to trap us. Frequently, we're enticed by our temptations to become ensnared in all kinds of ungodliness. Thankfully, Jesus looks at us with compassion and He offers us freedom from our entanglements through faith in Him. And as He blesses us with that freedom, He also reminds us not to return to our previous traps. A trapped life is not a quality life. An entangled life isn't a quality life.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

II. Are you internally or externally motivated to work?

"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." (Proverbs 6:6-11)

I don't know if you're a fan of insects or if they give you the creeps, but this passage definitely deepens my appreciation of ants in particular. We're told that they provide an excellent example of the kind of work ethic the Lord wants us to develop.

Ants make preparations with an eye toward the future. They gather what they need. They do the right thing without having to be directly instructed. And they don't waste their days in a slothful manner.

On the other hand, this world is filled with many people who have been created in the image of God, that choose to sleep away the time they can be using to make a meaningful contribution with their life. Solomon tells us that excessive slumber and laziness lead to poverty, and I'm sure we can all think of examples when we've seen that play out in the lives of people we know.

Just recently I asked my father for an update on someone that I remember him helping out years ago. "What happened to him?," I asked. He said, "After getting hired for an entry-level job, he decided to stop showing up. Now he primarily stays in his apartment, drinking beer, watching TV, and coming up with creative ways to convince the government to fund his lazy lifestyle, even though he's fully capable of working."

Are you motivated to do what the Lord has called you to do? Are you using your time, talents, and energy in accordance with His calling on your life, or are you wasting your days on distractions while avoiding your calling?

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24)

In whatever vocation or area of service we commit ourselves to, let's do so with the understanding that we aren't serving ourselves, we're serving Christ. He is the one we're seeking to honor.

III. Can you be trusted to shoot straight?

"A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing." (Proverbs 6:12-15)

Something that has become very clear throughout the course of my life is the fact that the truth always comes to the surface. At times, I have felt frustrated with those who were operating dishonestly or in a shady manner, but the Lord has made it more and more apparent that if I wait long enough, I will see Him bring the truth to light.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we're called to be truth-bearers. Since our words and deeds impact the impression people have of Him, we should be mindful of the spiritual implications of our actions. Jesus instructed us to speak honestly, with a "yes" that means "yes" and a "no" that means "no" (Matthew 5:37). To do anything less demonstrates that we're deficient in our understanding of His holiness, and His calling on our lives to walk in holiness (1 Peter 1:16).

Solomon speaks to this issue as well when he tells us that a person who seeks to be of no value to others demonstrates their deficient character through dishonesty. They don't shoot straight. Their words are nothing but double-speak. Even their body language communicates deception. Eventually, when the truth comes to light, such a person will be utterly destroyed if they don't repent of their unbelief and its obvious fruit.

IV. Are you making life bitter or better?

”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." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

As this portion of Proverbs 6 concludes, Solomon shares a summary of things that the LORD detests. He despises all forms of deception, injustice, wickedness, and division. These are actions and attitudes that reflect the motives of Satan, not the heart of Christ. As Satan was cast away from the LORD's presence, so too will those who persist in the rebellion and unbelief of Satan.

But as followers of Christ, we have been blessed with a much greater option. Instead of making the lives of others bitter, we have been empowered to make their lives better through the power of the Holy Spirit who is at work within us. True quality of life is found through Christ, and we are graced with the blessing of investing that quality in the lives of those we interact with.

As I read this portion of the book of Proverbs, it seems clear to me that the Lord is encouraging us to be people who maintain a conscience that is sensitive to His guidance and wisdom. As we do so, we'll experience a greater quality of life, and we'll be positioned to contribute to the quality of life of others in a Christ-centered manner.

© John Stange, 2020