Proverbs 21

For a long time now, I have believed that the only thing God requires for salvation is a willingness to listen. Why? Because, as Paul said in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” The good work is God’s, and He will complete it in us in His time—as long as we are willing. He won’t force Himself on us, so we have the ultimate say-so over whether we will allow God to do His good work in our lives.

I think Solomon must have also believed this, for in today’s chapter, he wrote, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.” (vs 4) I had never thought about it that way before, but it makes sense to me. The thing that produces sin is an attitude of pride and haughtiness.

Why would that sort of attitude lead to sin (separation from God)? I imagine it’s because a person who has haughty eyes looks down on everything and everyone they see. They are, in their estimation, better than everyone else and usually feel like they have very little to learn. (Rather, they are usually the ones who think they are there to teach.) A person with a proud heart believes that everything they do is right. They usually wear a coat of armor that deflects all constructive criticism—leaving them impervious to learning.

At the end of the day, what is God able to do with someone who stubbornly holds to this sort of attitude? If, in their thinking, they are already doing everything right, are better than everyone else, and have nothing to learn, where is God supposed to start with them? Make no mistake—He will find a way to get through to them, but ultimately, they are the ones who decide whether or not they will abandon their proud, haughty attitude.

God treasures a willing listener. There will always be more for our finite minds to learn from His infinite one. We will never stop learning. In fact, eternity will simply be an ongoing education! If we want to participate in that, if we don’t want to produce sin, if we don’t want to maintain separation between God and us, there is but one simple thing to do: be willing to listen.

As long as we are willing to listen, there isn’t anything God can’t accomplish in our lives.