THE FATHER'S DIRECTIVES
Proverbs 3:1-12 NKJV
1 My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
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 shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
No, these are not my directives as a father, but directives from our Heavenly Father. I was impressed last year to memorize these twelve verses. They cover a wide range of vital areas, starting with God's Word and ending with God's correction. These are if/then directives. If you do this, then these will be the results.
Not forgetting God's Word but putting His words into our hearts. This directive deals with how we approach God's Word. We must be intentional about hearing and doing what we find in the scriptures. We must be intentional about valuing God's Word enough to think about it and apply it to our lives. God knows the benefits of giving His Word the proper place in our lives. Obeying His Word produces productive days, a long life, and peace. How much humanity is striving for those three things!
Don't abandon mercy and truth. Keep them close. Mercy for those who are making mistakes and acting foolishly. Truth to help them make course corrections and get on the right track. Mercy delivers truth in such a way that it's far easier to swallow. Yes, the truth can hurt, but mix in some mercy, and it buffers the sting. With mercy and truth come favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge God in all your ways, and He will direct you in your ways. It requires trust to acknowledge God in all our ways. It's so easy to operate on the lower level of our limited understanding. Most people were brought up that way. We were given a brain for a reason, and we don't have to abandon all forms of rational thought. But rational thought is not the first place we are to go. We trust the Lord with all our hearts, indicating there will be times when trusting Him will contradict rational thought. But we trust first. And God directs all the ways where we acknowledge Him. Often, I have not acknowledged the Lord because I wanted my own way. I am sure I am the only one who has ever done this, so please have mercy.
Don't be wise in your own eyes and think you have everything all figured out. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Out of respect for God, we depart from evil even if we think it's not a big deal. How many spiritual train wrecks started with the thought of this is a little sin and not a big thing? Or this won't matter much. Or compared to what other people do, this is nothing. That type of reasoning will lead to nothing good. Fear God and leave evil in the dust. Because there are some serious blessings here. Health and strength for our bodies. And departing from evil is healthy for our spiritual health and strength, too. The apostle John wrote that we prosper as our soul, our inner man, prospers.
And two of my favorite verses regarding giving. Honor the Lord with our material goods and with the first of what comes into our accounts. God does not want everything we have; He just wants to be first. When we honor Him with our giving, we are operating where the proverbial rubber meets the road. And God's promise to us when we honor Him in our giving is to cause His grace and abundance to impact our lives. I appreciate the verbiage here, filled with plenty and overflowing. Who could argue with that?
Lastly, don't think lightly of the Lord's correction in your life. Because He loves us, He treats us as a father treats a son that is the delight of his life. God does not correct you with cancer and tragedy. We live in a fallen world with a devil and evil people. God's correction is not going to knock us down. His correction is not traumatic, but it can be convicting. Thankfully, He loves us enough to help us correct to the good paths He has prepared for us.
PRAYER
Thank You, Father, for Your love and Your instruction. I will take it to heart and take it into my everyday life.