Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2026 Proverbs 3:5.
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday; bright and sunshiny though somewhat cool, with even an advisory of frost later in the evening. But we’ll take the sunshine anyway it comes. And after enjoying some lazy day time in bed, I got up a short while ago and looked out my bedroom window only to be greeted by a most wonderful scene; the tall tree in my neighbour’s backyard looks like a flame of fire rising up to the sky, with all its red, gold, green and yellow leaves dancing in the soft breeze, reflecting the essence of our God’s marvellous artistic talent!
It’s the same tree that did not lose all it’s leaves last winter, And strangely enough, no other tree in the neighbourhood looks as bright and flaming as that one, so it must be blessed with God’s favour more than some of the others. (smile) Anyway, now that I’ve enjoyed my lazy time, let’s get down to the Lord’s business, and we’ll begin by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth.
So, as one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And we know that if we sought God with a sincere heart, He was well-pleased at our wanting to have greater intimacy with Him, because there’s nothing He desires and likes more than deep intimacy with His human creation. Like our earthly fathers are thrilled when their children come to them with a sincere heart for some intimate time, likewise our heavenly Father is thrilled when we come to Him, not wanting anything but to spend some quiet and intimate time in His awesome presence.
And once He’s assured that our motives are sincere, He will release that wonderful peace and calm that only He possesses, and only His sincere children can enjoy, although they don’t fully understand it. That’s the beauty of living for God and seeking Him with a true heart! He offers us blessings that we don’t understand but can still enjoy because of our total surrender to Him and our trusting faith in His goodness and mercy.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in these wonderful verses of Proverbs: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine. 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 deilghteth.’ (Prov. 3:5-12)
Oh my people, if you desire a short and wise way to truly serve God, I believe those verses serve the purpose. Because they encompass all that’s necessary: meaning trusting God and His will for your life; not being proud and arrogant, but living in reverential awe of the Lord, and doing your best to stay away from evil, while honouring God with your possessions by being generous to the church and its outreach, as well as any others you can help. All of that causes the Lord to keep your life blessed and highly favoured.
And there’s one other important thing, don’t get snotty when the Lord corrects or chastens you, because just like our earthly father’s correct and chasten the children they LOVE, so does our heavenly Father correct and chasten those whom He LOVES. Yes my faithful brethren, those are the basic things it takes to live a good Chrisitan life, and if we faithfully follow them then our lives will be blessed and run fairly smooth. Now that doesn’t mean there will be no trials and tribulations, and tests of our faith by the Lord, but we will have the wherewithal to know and at least understand some of what’s happening, and thereby retain a good attitude in those difficult times.
It’s like the scholars explain the first couple of verses: ‘Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’ And per the last two verses, they simply say; ‘God’s correction shows His LOVE (cf. Heb. 12:5-6).’
And if you don’t know the verses referenced there, then here they are. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children (sons), My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Heb. 12:5-6) Now that just reinforces what Cousin Sol says about the Lord disciplining those He LOVES.
And yuh know what mih bredrin; today, this sunshiny, lazy-day autumn Saturday in the middle of October, is an excellent day to spend some time pondering those wise and valuable words of Cousin Sol and seeing just how we match up to them in our own lives, then asking the Lord for His wonderful help to do better, because we can always do better! And in these very trying and troubled times, we all definitely need to do better! Much LOVE!
…living sincerely for God…is the only wise way…to handle the stress and strain of today’s world…
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