(Proverbs 3:1-35)
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
But have your heart comply with my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and a good reputation
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the first of all your produce;
10 Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His rebuke,
12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
13 Blessed is a person who finds wisdom,
And one who obtains understanding.
14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her produce better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are those who hold on to her.
19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom,
He established the heavens by understanding.
20 By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open,
And the clouds drip with dew.
21 My son, see that they do not escape from your sight;
Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,
22 And they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will walk in your way securely,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden danger,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
But have your heart comply with my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and a good reputation
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the first of all your produce;
10 Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His rebuke,
12 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
13 Blessed is a person who finds wisdom,
And one who obtains understanding.
14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver,
And her produce better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are those who hold on to her.
19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom,
He established the heavens by understanding.
20 By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open,
And the clouds drip with dew.
21 My son, see that they do not escape from your sight;
Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,
22 And they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will walk in your way securely,
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden danger,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The heart is central - literally - to everything. And the condition of our heart will impact our body, our thinking, our emotions, as well as all of our relationships. The key to "healthy" living begins with having in a personal relationship with the Lord, which can only begin with a humble heart. And in moving forward, when we strive to keep our hearts humbled and looking to the Lord, we can lean on His wisdom and strength for everything.
Understand that humility is not humiliation, but a cognitive recognition that the Lord is great - greater than us, wiser than all of earth's wisdom put together, and more powerful than all powers put together - and - we need Him in our lives!!! Also understand that being humble is not based on feelings, but on knowing the Author of truth and lovingkindness! As with any relationship, when we love someone, our hearts are very much involved! We long to talk with and hear from those loved ones, and we embrace what they say - "taking it to heart". How much more then should our hearts interact with the Lord?
It also helps to understand that God's agape love is a choice - to love sacrificially and unconditionally. So, because this love involves action within relationships, let's zero-in on verse 1 for a moment. Since God is love as well as sovereign, our minds need to see the reasons as to why our hearts should comply with God's commandments, as David encourages his son to do. This is to embrace and do what He instructs and to trust Him unequivocally.
In this most trusting and loving relationship that we could ever have, we should want to choose to sit at the table with the Lord everyday and ingest His every word, knowing that His truth is good and that it works, and THEN put it to work in every aspect of our lives. If we only periodically think on these things, and maybe do some things out of obligation, there is more chance for us to get off track. But, God's truth and lovingkindness go hand-in-hand, otherwise why bother?
Some people say, "I'm going to live and speak my own truth no matter what!" In this free-for-all "sensibility", there will be misunderstandings and collisions with style preferences and desires. People will also say, "I just say it like I see it!" But, it doesn't matter how "honest" one is if they are only seeing it from their side of things, with limited parameters of what truth is. Even if they say something with kindness, people will be offended. And if there isn't any kindness attached to it, people will be hurt and/or angry, and things will go terribly wrong.
People tend to become defensive when their self-centered truths are called into question. Doing things our way with our own understanding can lead us into so much trouble because we are selfish, self-centered, and have very limited knowledge. We do not have all the details, we cannot see into the past or the future, and we cannot know what is in other people's hearts or minds. Right? We cannot control anyone else. We sometimes cannot control even ourselves!
What is so super interesting is that - even though God is sovereign and in control, He chooses not to control us. He has given us a free will, with options and the freedom to act on those options. So... it all comes down to our choices! And the best choice we could ever make is to become a child of God. Then, because of His grace, we can never lose our salvation, but we can still choose to be unwise, disobey and stray.
Therefore, we should be so very thankful that God loves and cares so much that He would discipline us, to get our attention, and help get us back on track. He only desires that we continue on in our walk with Him, on His path, which leads to His riches and blessings Straying from God's will, which includes His kindness, truth, wisdom and discretion, will lead us to divisions, destruction, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness, guilt, shame, fear and sleepless nights. If one is unkind, lies, acts foolishly and acts out unwisely, we will create enemies who will seek out retribution. I don't know about you, but I have never lost sleep after I have wisely helped someone while showing them love and kindness.
Our goal should not be about becoming famous or popular, but rather, to live in such a way that we find favor and have a good reputation among others, which is accomplished by knowing and always keeping God's lovingkindness and truth together! Seeing how things work for good when we do this will help deepen our faith and trust in the Lord. And the Lord will bless us with His peace, confidence and security, which is far, far better than all the fame and fortunes of this world.
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