Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.
So then it’s Tuesday; a bright and sunshiny day. That means we’ve successfully navigated the stormy waters of Monday and are now on our way to a hale and hearty week of work, under the wonderful guidance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! And all God’s children gave a grateful and joyful shout of ‘Thank You Jesus!’ Now what can be better than that eh? Absolutely nothing! For Jesus is the be all and end all of everything, and once we have Him and His Holy Spirit guiding our lives we won’t want for anything.
As Bruh David so confidently declares in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) And Jesus says, not to worry about things like food and clothing, because our heavenly Father knows our needs. We just have to seek Him and His righteous kingdom first, and all we need will be furnished. (Matt. 6:25-33) Then Bruh Paul further assures us in his letter to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
Therefore, it’s obvious that if we put the Lord God Almighty in first place in our lives, then we will not lack for any of the necessities of life. But unfortunately that’s where we keep falling down; we don’t always keep God first place in our lives, but are very much influenced by the world’s system, so we’re suffering more than is necessary. That brings to mind these amazing verses of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs chapter three. We talk about them all the time but don’t practice them sufficiently, otherwise our lives would not be as rough and meaningless, as they currently are.
So let’s consider them one more time, and hopefully this time we’ll put them into action, the way we ought to. (smile) Cousin Sol strongly advises; ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.’ (Prov. 3:5) And that’s the first hurdle we must jump. Putting all out trust in God and not in our puny and finite understanding. And if we don’t do that, nothing else will work. It’s all about trust and faith in Almighty God. The Bible tells us: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight:’ (2 Cor. 5:7) And what does that mean?
This commentary explains it thus: ‘The phrase “we live by faith and not by sight” means that believers should trust in God’s promises and guidance, even when they don’t see immediate evidence or understanding, relying on belief and inner conviction rather than solely on what is physically observable. It emphasizes a life guided by faith, trust, and God’s word, rather than being solely dictated by what is visible or easily understood.’ And that’s why Hebrews tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) It’s the solid hope and trust we place in God for things we have not seen.
That then leads to this other very important scripture verse: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) So it’s all about trust and faith when you accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, nothing else will do, or get you anywhere in His righteous kingdom. Cousin Sol then follows up that verse of complete trust in God with this one: ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:6)
Yes friends, according to the scholars, that means ‘having fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’ Then this next verse is indeed wisdom personified. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:7) And why should we be humble in our own estimate and have a reverential awe of God, while staying away from evil? Cousin Sol gives a very simple, true and straightforward answer: ‘It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength, refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7)
Then there’s this other admonition: ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.’ Why? ‘So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) overflow with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) That means, at the least tithing thy income and also being generous to kingdom work and those who are sadly in need. What we need to recognize here my people is that we don’t do those things simply for the sake of doing them, but substantial rewards accrue from doing them. We worship and fellowship with God first place in our lives, and He rewards us for our trust and faithfulness.
And now this last admonition: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) Ah mih people, that admonition is one we certainly don’t like, because none of us like to be chastened or corrected, even when we know we’re wrong. I guess that stems from our high level of foolish pride. But just like our earthly fathers correct and chasten us because they LOVE us, that’s the same reason God does it to us.
And as Hebrews remind us: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons of God), My, son, despise not the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourged every son whom he receive.’ (Heb. 12:5-6)
So what does all of that mean? This commentary explains in simple form: ‘In religious contexts, “the chastening of God” refers to God’s discipline and correction of believers, often through trials and difficulties, motivated by LOVE and intended for spiritual growth. It is not meant as punishment, but rather as a way to shape believers into the likeness of Christ and help them run the race of faith with endurance.’
There we have it friends, some of the best scripture verses in all the Bible! Ones that if we truly put them into our lives, and keep them there, we will live an amazing life of trust and faith in Almighty God, and be well rewarded for our efforts. And for those of us who are already trying to do just that, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…like our earthly parents have rules…so does God…and just like our earthly parents…He disciplines us when we disobey them…
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