Reading The Proverbs With Timothy And Kathy KellerSample

 Trapping Yourself

No bird of the air would be stupid enough to fly into a visible trap (Proverbs 1:17). But even the birds are wiser than those who think they can get up the ladder by trampling on someone else. Those who do wrong to others are lying in wait for their own blood. They ambush  .  .  . themselves— something the stupidest animal would not do.

The New Testament makes the same point, that gaining the world at others’ expense means losing your soul (Mark 8:36). How does it happen? When you are ruthless to others, you unleash your heart’s capacity for cruelty and selfishness. Those appetites get out of your control and lead to bad decisions. When you live to satisfy not others but only yourself, you will be eternally unsatisfied. Jesus, the ultimate teacher of wisdom, tells us we must lose our lives in service to God and others in order to find them (Matthew 16:25).

Have you ever done something selfish that ricocheted back onto you? How did that incident illustrate the gospel principle “Lose yourself to find yourself”?

Prayer: Lord, my heart tells me that I have to make the pursuit of my happiness the primary thing. But then my heart stays empty. Instead of seeking happiness, I will seek you and say, “Come what may.” And only then will I be happy in the end. Amen.

Excerpt from God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

Reprinted by arrangement with Viking Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017 by Timothy and Kathy Keller