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I Corinthians 8:1
1. Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
2. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
3. but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

For those of us who are home educating our children we must take heed to these verses. Because we are in a position to learn and acquire knowledge in the best of environments, because we parents and children are learning together as the Lord leads each family, because this is a very "successful" way to live in this evil generation, we must be warned of the subtle snake of pride.

If our home education program is not bringing forth repentance, obedience, and God's love in our family relationships and for others, then our intellectual prowess and our academic success will not be pleasing God.

The following is just a quick look into the scriptures where "wise in your own eyes" appears. We pray that the Lord's grace will be upon each one of us as we seek to do all His way with our motives pure and pleasing to Him.

Romans 2:29
29. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

As we have discovered numerous times before, the FEAR OF THE LORD is a mighty protection against the exaltation of self.

Proverbs 3:7
7. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

When the true fear of the Lord is operating, evil is resisted and the thoughts, attitudes, motives and behaviors of the "old man" are truly dead in Christ. When the FEAR OF THE LORD, is truly embraced, the evil of self-exaltation will not take root. (Further study: The Importance of Teaching the Fear of the Lord)

The instruction found within the pages of the Bible as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit never makes excuses for sin. It always exposes the evil of exalting "self" in graphic terms. The following passage acquaints "one who is wise in his own eyes" as one who is worse than a fool! It then likens that one to a sluggard, whom everyone can observe as extremely fearful, ("There is a lion in the road!") and as lazy. He is so lazy he gets tired of feeding himself!

Proverbs 26:5
5. Answer a fool as his folly {deserves}, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6. He cuts off {his own} feet, {and} drinks violence who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7. {Like} the legs {which} hang down from the lame, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8. Like one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a fool.
9. {Like} a thorn {which} falls into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10. {Like} an archer who wounds everyone, so is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
11. Like a dog that returns to its vomit ss a fool who repeats his folly.
12. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13. The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! a lion is in the open square!"
14. {As} the door turns on its hinges, so {does} the sluggard on his bed.
15. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can give a discreet answer.

When we see laziness in ourselves and in our children, would we ever equate that with "being wise in our own eyes"? God's word reveals that the symptom of laziness sinks its roots deep into a heart that is "wise in its own eyes." "Being wise in our own eyes" has many symptoms that can get us sidetracked and push us onto the wrong path of discord and lack of unity in the home with no good fruit coming forth. Rather than deal with the symptom of laziness and foolishness, we parents need to examine our own hearts, and then we can help our children understand the evil exaltation of self. To have a good harvest we must plant the word of God in hearts that have been circumcised. We must be "dead" to our own opinions, ideas, concepts and philosophies that do not conform to the written word of God.

Proverbs 28:11
11. The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding sees through him.

Our Heavenly Father is the Creator of all, sustainer of all, giver of all. No one can out give God. He is wealthy beyond anything that our minds can comprehend or conceive. We must be very careful when we equate riches with God's favor or His disfavor. We are created in His image, so it is worthwhile to desire to be rich as He is rich. God GIVES. God SHARES who He is and what He has with whomever wishes to receive it. Those who are rich in money, talents, gifts, abilities, possessions, et cetera have been given all by the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:18
18. "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as {it is} this day.
19. And it shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God, and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish.

A poor man who needs what we have will be able to access our true riches. If we are givers, able to share freely of whatever we have as the Lord directs us, we will not be "wise in our own eyes."

Those who refuse to share or refuse to give even the little they may possess are not functioning in the image of our Creator. Jesus' teaching concerning God and His will concerning what He has given us is very clear in the following parable.

Matthew 25:14
14. "For {it is} just like a man {about} to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.
15. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
16. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
17. In the same manner the one who {had received} the two {talents} gained two more.
18. But he who received the one {talent} went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.
19. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
20. And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.'
21. His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.'
22. The one also who {had received} the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.'
23. His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
24. And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no {seed.}
25. 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.'
26. But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no {seed.}
27. 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my {money} back with interest.
28. 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'
29. For to everyone who has shall {more} be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
30. And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

As home educating parents, we must be very sure that we are teaching our children by example that what we have been given by the Lord, we are sharing with others. However, as parents, we must also help our children discern what they have been given by the Lord and help them share as the Lord leads them. The Lord doesn't expect our children to be mature adults before they can share their gifts and talents with others. May we resist "being wise in our eyes," and may we be able to cast off the arrogance that lies and says, "I have nothing to share." The Lord Jesus has given us Himself so we can give Him and ourselves to others.

Matthew 10:1
1. And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Matthew 10:8
8. "Heal {the} sick, raise {the} dead, cleanse {the} lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.

Whatever we have received from the Lord, He expects us to share with others. Money and possessions can't buy the power of God that is necessary to raise the dead, but money and possessions can be used to bring the love and power of God to others. Let's be like our Lord so that the poor and needy no matter who they are can receive all He has for them when they come into contact with us.

Isaiah teaches us that keeping our eyes on ourselves is the way of woe rather than the way of blessing.

Isaiah 5:21
21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight!

John the Baptist said

John 3:30
30. "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Jesus had to rebuke Peter when satan was using Peter to tempt Jesus to embrace the easier way. Peter's thoughts were "wise in his own eyes."

Matthew 16:23
23. But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

God's interest, His will, must always be paramount in our thought life, and we parents may need to rebuke each other and our children if we are setting our thought life on man's interest rather than on God's will.

After Jesus rebuked Peter, He then taught us the truth of "being wise in our own eyes."

Matthew 16:24
24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.
26. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

As home educating parents, the thinking of the world is very "wise in its own eyes." We must be very careful that we truly believe and obey the teachings of Jesus concerning our own thought life. If we are willing to give up our own thoughts in any matter and subject them to the written word of God, we will not be "clever in our own sight."

Mark records the same instance with an extra perspective.

Mark 8:35
35. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it.

Our thought life must continually be submitted to the Lord for the sake of the gospel. The good news can only be found in the Bible, and only when the good news of our loving Creator and Redeemer is resident in our hearts and in our minds will it come out of our mouths. All of our home education program must be centered upon this principle daily or we will be tempted to be arrogant.

Luke added the "daily" to the same account. He reports it this way.

Luke 9:23
23. And He was saying to {them} all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

The "himself" must be seen as the thoughts that are within our mind.

Proverbs 23:7
7. For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

We human beings cannot get into the "thought-life" of anyone, but the truth, God's word, can.

Hebrews 4:12
12. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

As our home schooling schedule is submitted to the Holy Spirit and His revelations from the Word, our wrong thoughts, wrong patterns of thought, and wrong habits of thought are continually being changed. When the mouth says something that is contrary to the word of God, that is our warning that our thought life needs correcting by the transforming power contained within God's word, as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Only submission to God's revelation brought to us in His timing can bring the harmony and unity of God's will over our own, or that of our children.

I Corinthians 1:18
18. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside."

If God sets aside the "cleverness of the clever" and "destroys the wisdom of the wise", then we must be willing to do the same within our own mind and help our children to do the same. If we wish to imitate the Lord, we must learn to think His thoughts and not our own. We can do this because Christ is in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

"Christ in us" has the "mind of the Lord", but we must yield to the thoughts of God moment by moment because we are also "in Christ." As we do that, we are given the command to "boast in the Lord."

I Corinthians 1:30
30. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31. that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD."

We do not need to praise ourselves, but we do need to talk about what the Lord is doing in us. "Boasting in the Lord" is the same as our testimony. When we allow our own thoughts and words to take precedence over the Lord's work in us, we are giving opportunity for satan to exalt his nature which is pride. Thus we need to share our "testimony" with one another in our own families and with others.

Revelation 12:11
11. "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.

It is the "blood of the Lamb" that enables all of us, no matter what our age, to give the "death" sentence to our own thought life. As we do that, our testimony or boasting in the Lord gets stronger and stronger and the enemy is overcome.

Paul taught us that all of us have the truth of God within us, but we suppress it.

Romans 1:18
18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19. because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

God's kingdom works on a very simple principle. What He has given us, He wants us to share. The thoughts that He has placed inside us, He wants us to speak to others. When we suppress what He has given, we are very ungrateful children. When we suppress God's thoughts, we are unrighteous and ungodly, and we need to repent of self-idolatry!

Romans 1:21
21. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

This is an incredible verse to contemplate. When we entertain our own thoughts, we "suppress" God's thoughts. We choose our thoughts over God's perfect thoughts. When we suppress God's thoughts, we are "not honoring Him as God."

A symptom of this refusal to honor God is revealed quite easily. There is a lack of thankfulness. We cannot be thankful when the thought life gives way to our own thoughts over God's thoughts. Paul's revelation into this is very clear. The suppression of the truth, the refusal to think God's thoughts, the supplanting of our thoughts causes futility. Frustrations, out bursts of anger, failures, hostility, criticism all arise from a thought life that refuses to submit itself to God's thoughts. We parents must continually refuse to respond to the external symptoms we can easily observe and desperately seek God's wisdom in how to discern and expose the wrong thoughts in our own mind as well as those that are expressed within our household.

Romans 1:22
22. Professing to be wise, they became fools,

When a member of the family is desperately trying to prove to others how "wise" he or she is, then that member is exalting "self." Until the root is dealt with, the symptoms of foolishness and disharmony will only increase.

Paul exhorts us to deal with this problem his way.

Philippians 3:7
7. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,
9. and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith,
10. that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
11. in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12. Not that I have already obtained {it}, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of {it} yet; but one thing {I do}: forgetting what {lies} behind and reaching forward to what {lies} ahead,
14. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
16. however, let us keep living by that same {standard} to which we have attained.
17. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
18. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, {that they are} enemies of the cross of Christ,
19. whose end is destruction, whose god is {their} appetite, and {whose} glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

Paul makes it very clear that setting our minds, our thought life, on anything apart from the Lord's thoughts has a destructive end. Paul is our example of one who gave up all to have God's thoughts, to speak God's words, to do God's deeds in his body. This is what it means to be a living sacrifice. The thoughts of yesterday may easily become an old tradition that is lifeless and powerless, thus Paul continually knew how to forget his old thoughts and continually have his mind renewed to God's thoughts. Paul teaches us that he didn't walk in this way perfectly, but he never stopped trying. This is a most exciting way to live in a world that is full of unbelief, doubt, and confusion. The gospel is very hopeful. Our thought life can keep on changing. We do not have to remain in darkness!

In the book of Romans Paul gives us another insight into what can cause us to be "wise in our own estimation."

Romans 11:25
25. For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in;
26. and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."
27. "And this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
28. From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of {God's} choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29. for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
31. so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
32. For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.
33. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
34. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

He teaches us to be very certain that we understand His choice of Israel, His purposes for choosing Israel, and His future plans for Israel. We are now living in another rising wave of anti-semitism against the political nation of Israel. If we wish to walk humbly with our Lord and think His thoughts, we had better be very cautious of thoughts or words that are contrary to God's destiny for natural Israel. Israel and the Church can exist side by side because God has so ordained it. Natural Israel can never supplant the Church nor can the Church ever replace natural Israel. The sovereignty of God must be embraced in our thought life if we wish to avoid arrogance, predjudice, enmity and error. God Himself says Israel is "beloved," and should be shown "mercy." All men have sinned and come short of the grace of God. Our disobedience and our sin are to be replaced by God's mercy. This passage ends with a reference to the "mind of God." Thus we can conclude that our thoughts toward the Jewish people, saved and unsaved, must be aligned with that of our Heavenly Father.

Romans 12 is an excellent passage to conclude our study of "being wise in our own eyes."

Romans 12:1
1. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3. For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

When Paul instructs us to present our bodies as a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice of worship to God, he specifically teaches that our minds, our thought life, must be renewed. The thoughts of the world will try to conform our thoughts to old worldly thinking habits, but we must continually think God's thoughts in our minds that are good, acceptable and perfect. The only "sound judgment" that we can permit in our thought life, must be based upon our faith that Christ is in us. "Christ in us" is revealing the thoughts of God, and it is up to us to yield to those thoughts. This dependency upon the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth is the only way to "Submit to God, resist the devil and see him flee (James 4:7).

When we think the thoughts of God, the Lord will be able to serve the needs of all those who are around us. Paul shows us that having God's "sound judgment" is a very practical way to live.

Romans 12:4
4. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
5. so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
6. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, {let each exercise them accordingly}: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7. if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8. or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Many members of our families are not receiving God's grace because we are not thinking God's thoughts. When we suppress the truth of God's thoughts, we think we are insignificant. When we refuse to share because we think we are insignificant, we deny someone the grace of God. The family suffers because a wrong thought locks someone into selfishness.

Romans 12:9
9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11. not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12. rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13. contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Many members of our families are not receiving god's grace because those who have much to share never "give preference to another." When we allow thoughts of predjudice concerning age (too young, too old), level of education (too smart, too dumb), gender (male or female), employment (rich or poor), to deny the expression of God's grace through that person, we are exalting self in our thought life and in practice. The Lord wants the members of our family to enjoy the gifts and callings He has placed within us. Each one of us must decide to be led by the Holy Spirit in our thought life, so that we can all experience more of the grace of the Lord.

Paul also explains in this same chapter that persecution within our own home or coming at us from the outside, must have God's response and not ours. If the thoughts in our own minds during those times of testing submit to God's thoughts, we will be obedient to the following command.

Romans 12:14
14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.

The Lord expects a compassion and a discernment to come from Him through us at all times. He expects our thoughts and our emotions to express His will and His heart in every situation. Thus Paul says,

Romans 12:15
15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

The thoughts of the world are not very comfortable with intense swings of emotions, but if our thoughts are aligned with God, we will see extreme rejoicing and extreme weeping occurring by more and more of the members of our families. This release of emotions is part of the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This outward expression of behavior is often a good indicator that we are thinking God's thoughts toward another rather than our own. When we are truly empathizing with another, we will be able to put aside our own estimation of the situation and circumstance and move in the "sound judgment" and "faith" that God has given us, so that the Lord will be glorified.

Only those who have aligned their thought life with that of the Lord will be able to obey the following instructions.

Romans 12:17
17. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
19. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath {of God,} for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
20. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."
21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

As we parents seek to give peace a chance in our homes, we must be very careful that we do not react quickly to symptoms, but take the time in prayer, fasting and waiting on the Lord so that He can bring His kindgom into its fullness in our homes. When conflict and stubbornness arise because a member's "self" is in exaltation, we trust that unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness and revenge will be refused a place in the thought life. We pray that Paul's instructions will be a reality in our homes.

May the will of the Lord and His thoughts be expressed more and more in our homes and with others.

Ephesians 5:15
15. Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,
16. making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
19. speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
20. always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
21. and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Ephesians 4:25
25. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one {of you,} with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
26. Be angry, and {yet} do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27. and do not give the devil an opportunity.
28. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have {something} to share with him who has need.
29. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such {a word} as is good for edification according to the need {of the moment,} that it may give grace to those who hear.
30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 5:1
1. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2. and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

I Corinthians 14:26
26. What is {the outcome} then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.