Proverbs 6
1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, 2if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth, 3then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. 4Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. 5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. 6Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. 7Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, 8it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest. 9How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit. 12A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, 13winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers. 14With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord. 15Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery. 16There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: 17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, 19a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers. 20My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 21Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. 22When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. 23For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life, 24to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. 26For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. 27Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? 29So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. 30Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. 31Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house. 32He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. 33Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away. 34For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance. 35He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.