I want to begin today by commenting on what a great evening we had last night at our monthly Wednesday Night With The Master program at Pearland. Special thanks goes to DC and Debbie Brown for their great idea of having breakfast for dinner last night. All of us who attended had a wonderful time and enjoyed fellowshipping by doing God's work.
This morning we are in Proverbs Chapter 3. I have shared the idea of spending the month of March in the book of Proverbs with a few people who probably wouldn't read this blog and I've had positive responses. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
This is one of those passages we probably all need to read everyday just to stay on track. In my typical day I make hundreds of decisions. Do I wear jeans or dress pants to work? Do I read "Goodnight Moon" or "I Love You Through and Through" to Emma at night? I'm ashamed to say that more times than not I do not consult God on many of my decisions, I tend to lean on my own understanding, and when I do I don't always make the best decisions. Consider for a moment of how trusting in the Lord does show our submission to him. The idea of total trust is one that is becoming less and less frequent in our society and this is sad because we all have a desire to trust and be trusted. With God this desire for trust reaches it's fulfillment. We trust God in all things and he takes care of us. God also trusts us by giving us free will and choice knowing we may choose not to trust him. My friends this is the epitome of total trust.
Proverbs 3:11-12
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.
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
When you were a child you probably had difficulty understanding why your parents were disciplining you. In your mind you couldn't understand why you were in trouble for jumping on your bed. You might have made statements like "You just don't understand me" or "I will never treat my children this way", and now that you are grown you understand there was a reason for our parents disciplining you. Shouldn't we give God this same understanding? Shouldn't we understand that God loves us and that he wants the best for us and that sometimes that means going through something unpleasant? I love this passage because it helps me, a finite being, have some insight into the mind of an infinite being.
Proverbs 3:27-28
7 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.
When was the last time you did something simply out of the goodness of your heart? From what I know of my readers I would think that for most of you it hasn't been all that long ago. The thing about all of you is that , for the most part, you are the exception to the rule. People in the world don't always step up to the challenge when it comes to doing good for someone else. I challenge all of you to try to influence the world to begin serving others by continuing to put the needs of others ahead of your own daily.
Well those are the passages for today. I hope that in some way these passages and my thoughts have been a blessing to you today. Enjoy your study of Proverbs and thank you for taking this journey with me.
Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul
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