| “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end therefore are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). |
| “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace” (Psalm 37:37). |
| We are coming to the end of the year, and in both our verses for today, that word “end” is mentioned. Yet how different the end of one man is from the other man! There are many today who are following their own way, but without looking to the Lord, or reading His Word. They are listening to the wisdom of this world, and that way seems right, but it is really the way of death. The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and this means not only death to the body, but eternal death in that awful place called hell. We are all subject to death because “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), but those who refuse God’s offer of mercy through the Lord Jesus will experience eternal death, although they will exist for all eternity. |
| Our second verse today speaks about “the perfect man,” and we might think that this means that those who live what they consider “a good life” in this world will go to heaven because of their good life. But this is not what the verse means. Often in the Bible the word “perfect” has the thought of being mature, or full-grown, and understanding the things of God. No one is ever perfect before God in himself, for the only perfect Man who ever lived was the Lord Jesus. But after we have accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior, we can live for God’s glory in this world. This is the result of our having a desire to please the Lord. Not only will we have a perfect ending when we are taken to be with the Lord, but we will enjoy God’s peace in this world. We will be able to walk through this world in peace, and be sure of a peaceful ending down here, whether we die, or whether we are alive when the Lord comes. |
