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How can we give careful thought to our paths? (Proverbs 4:26)
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
Footnotes
c. Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level (NIV)
Proverbs 4:26
NIV - 26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
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Asked September 03 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
In my opinion, the idea being expressed with regard to giving careful thought to our paths is an admonishment to be aware or cognizant of obstacles that may hinder or even prevent us with respect to reaching or achieving desired objectives (whether physically or spiritually), so that we can take adequate measures to deal with them. We are not to be so focused on unrelated concerns, or even on the intended ultimate objective, that we fail to take those impediments into account. Jesus expressed somewhat the same thought in other terms by telling His followers that, if even their right hand or foot proved to be a cause of spiritual stumbling for them, they should cut it off and cast it from them (Matthew 18:8).
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
To eliminate distractions in our Christian lives, we can pray along with the psalmist, Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” “worthless things” (ESV) is “vanity” in the KJV—literally, “falsehood;” all other objects of trust than God; idols, human power, &c. (Ps 31:6; 40:4; 60:11; 62:9). “What is beyond my path?” (Pr 4:26-27). The Hebrew word translated “ponder” means “to weigh” or “to make level.” It is related to a word that means “scales” (Pr 16:11 nkjv). In his final speech before he drank the hemlock, Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”; Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5 nkjv). The Lord is weighing our ways (Prov. 5:21) and our hearts (21:2), as well as our actions (1 Sam. 2:3), and we had better do the same. Life is too short and too precious to be wasted on the temporary and the trivial. Https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/wiersbe-be-bible-study/3-obeying-god-will-vv-20-27 God, we should note the difference above between “your ways” (Pr 4:26) and “your ways” in Ps 119:37, the latter (Ps 119:37) is really “Your ways”, God. His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8-9). So to make Your ways our ways we must say, “not my will, but Yours be done.” Then we will be giving careful thought to our paths and eliminating distractions.
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