This Week we continue our study of Proverbs, looking at the scripture of Proverbs 3: 5-12
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not 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 shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
We’ve been studying the Book of Proverbs and about how decisions we make put us on a path and that path leads to a destiny. We tell ourselves that this is just a one-time event, but the reality is that it is the beginning of a lifestyle. This is what often happens, we come to a fork in the road and weigh our options. Then, we choose the road that feels the best to us at the moment. That path may not be the best path for us, but we put our minds to work figuring out reasons that justify our decision.
Two weeks ago when we started this series, we said there is an unbreakable principle in theuniverse and that if you try to break it, it will break you: Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination,. The prudent see danger and take refuge, while the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Solomon diagnosed this problem 3,000 years ago, right along with the problem we’re looking at today. Apparently, people back then weren’t too different from people today. There, Solomon gave a solution to the happiness quest in what may be the most famous section of the book of Proverbs. Some of you who’ve been in church a long time may have a portion of this memorized. What you may not have seen before is its relationship to The Path.
If we look at the scripture above, According to Solomon, God will make your paths straight if you do three things:
1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
2. Lean not on your own understanding.
3. Acknowledge him in all your ways.
Some of you have never heard this before, so let me walk you through it. Yet some of you are almost too familiar with this verse, so I want to help you to see it as if for the first time. The starting place for a straight path is just what it says on all American money, “In God we trust.” This is somewhat ironic, because, in my experience, money is often the last thing that Americans trust God with. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” In every arena of life, in every possible path, in every category of path, “trust” God. The answer to choosing the right path is to choose God, to trust God, to go where He asks you to go, do what He asks you to do, and to do it every day. This is not a one-time thing. It’s a path. Place all your confidence, all your faith, all your hope, all your plans in God. Acknowledge God and His ways, and He will make your paths straight. He’ll direct you in the way you should go. He’ll protect you when evil and junk try to crowd in on you.
Has there ever been a time when you acknowledged God in all your ways? Many of you have trusted Him for salvation – which is kind of like inviting God into your living room. “Here, Lord, come into my life.” But then that’s as far as you let Him go. Have you invited Him into your bedroom, where all your private thoughts are? Have you invited Him onto your computer, where all your access to the world is? Have you invited Him into the kitchen, where He can see what and how much you eat? Have you invited Him into your closet, where all your secret things are? Seek first the kingdom of God and He’ll take care of the rest. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He’ll steer your ship in the right direction, your car onto the right path, your life into the right places, plans, and priorities. This is the path, friends.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes.” After telling us the key to a straight path, the path you want to take, the path that will always get you from where you are to EXACTLY where you want to be, Solomon suggests three action steps to take in order to trust God fully and acknowledge Him in everything.
1. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
Don’t think, “I don’t need to consult God on this one, after all, I’m an expert at it. I’ve taken classes in it. I’ve taught others about it. I’ve done this type of thing a thousand times before.” Every decision, every fork in the road is a new fork, friends. Wherever you are today, you’ve never been there before. So, resist the temptation to think you know it all. That’s when you get into trouble. Consult God in all your ways, with all your forks in the road.
2. Honor God’s provision for you.
After all, it all came from Him. If you want Him to direct your paths, first, let Him direct your wallet. For most of us, our wallets are somehow connected to our hearts, aren’t they? God says, “Hey, if you want my input, trust me with your output—I gave it all to you anyway. If you trust me, give.” You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.
3. Don’t blame God for your pain.
Sometimes you caused what is happening to you, and sometimes God knows you need some correction, which he provides like every loving father does. I’ve heard many people say, “Why did God let this happen to me?” Usually, they’re in too much pain to hear the truth at that moment, but the truth is, in most cases, God didn’t let that happen to them. God didn’t want that to happen to them. God tried to prevent it from happening to them. He tried to stop it, but He couldn’t stop them.
“The Lord disciplines those he loves, like a father does with a son he delights in.” So this week work on these 3 things.
1. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
2. Honor God’s provision for you.
3. Don’t blame God for your pain.
Take these next steps
1. Come back next week.
In order to keep gaining wisdom, come back next week, when we’ll talk about choosing your path at an even deeper level.
2. Read from the book of Proverbs.
3. Live your life with others. The Heart Matters
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