The Wisdom of Trusting God and Acknowledging His Sovereignty Over Our Lives!

30 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 3:7.       Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.

And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day of the work week, but unbelievably, it’s also the last day of April 2025.  Can you imagine that April’s over already, and most of the things we were supposed to do in this month have not been done? I can’t handle it nuh. The days are passing by too quickly for my liking. But I guess I should remember that some wise person once said, ‘life waits on no one.’ And that’s the living truth. So, all I can do is pray and ask the Lord to help me put whatever day(s) I have left to good use, in His cause. In other words, to make hay while the sun shines. 

And the sun is shining right now, so let’s see what hay we can make nuh. (smile) Now, the rain we were promised yesterday really never showed up, except for a li’l drizzle early in the day. I suppose the strong winds we experienced all day, drove away the rain clouds. But that’s another intriguing and dangerous aspect of climate change. In recent years we’ve been having windstorms aplenty, even during the summer months. And we can only do our best to help turn things around, while offering up heartfelt prayers to our great and wonderful God for help to handle whatever comes against us. 

That brings us to these wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs, words that we all know, but don’t necessarily practice enough. And with all the chaos, disaster and lawlessness that’s currently surrounding us, now is a perfect time to review them. Cousin Sol wisely advises us to: ‘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 or straight) thy paths. 

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear 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 forth with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:5-10) 

Oh my people, those are probably the six wisest verses in the Bible. And if we follow them, then our lives will be God-centred and filled with numerous blessings…as well as the necessary trials and tribulations. (smile) But we will be able to handle those with God as our Guide and Helper. According to the scholars, in verses 5-6, ‘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 if we add honouring God with our first fruits and tithes, then our lives will be almost complete. And why almost you ask? Because there’s one more important provision in Cousin Sol’s game plan, where he wisely advises: ‘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) And that’s ever so true my faithful brethren! Our God corrects us because He LOVES us just like our earthly fathers do, and if we despise that correction, or rebel against it, we’ll forfeit many blessings. 

And there are several scriptures that remind us of that particular subject. In the Book of Job, his friend Eliphaz the Temanite expounds on it thus: ‘Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power (hand) of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with (have a covenant with) the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle (tent) shall be in peace: and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin (find nothing amiss). Thou shalt know also that thy seed (descendants) shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it; and know thou it for thy good.’ (Job 5:17-27) 

Oh friends, it seems that Eliphaz had researched the subject and came up with those marvellous conclusions. So, we will also advise us to hear it, and know it for our own good, because it’s a rather important subject in God’s kingdom. Meanwhile the author of Hebrews in talking about Jesus and what He underwent on our behalf, reminds us: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children (sons of God), 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 recieveth.’ (Heb. 12: 5-6) 

Yes friends, God disciplines those He LOVES, in conjunction with these wise words of Cousin Sol’s from Proverbs: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him, chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 3:24) Many of you might not agree with that verse, but speaking from personal experience, I can assure you that it works. It doesn’t mean abusing a child, but it does mean as the old people would say, when you don’t hear, you feel. And I can assure you too, that if many of our young people had had a taste of the rod in their early lives, they would not be the rebellious and ungodly people they are today. 

And Jesus Himself considered discipline important, when He said in His message to the church at Laodicea: ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent.’ (Rev. 3:19) So if Jesus said it, who am I to refute it eh? Oh my people, we can either be obedient, or accept the Lord’s discipline with grace. It’s as simple as that! Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Jesus Christ. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if we endure with Christ to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever imagine. So let’s be wise and endure to the end nuh, and so enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…sincerely trusting God…and totally leaning on Him…are the wisest things a human being can ever do…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 December 2021 Proverbs 3:1.

14 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 3:1.     My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.

The grace and peace of Almighty God to you my faithful brethren, this Tuesday morning in the Advent Season of this crazy year of 2021! And though the waters are troubled and there’s danger all around, I just want to remind us that our great God is standing by, and He’s faithfully promised that if we hold on to His marvellous Son, Jesus, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so unselfishly for us, we will be able to ride out any storm that threatens to overwhelm us. 

That’s why Cousin Sol wrote these wise words in Proverbs, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck (like a necklace); and write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4) 

Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any clearer than that. Just look at the wonderful benefits that will accrue to us if we are obedient to God’s will and purpose and let mercy and truth guide our lives. We talking about seeing things like prosperous days in a long and productive life, with favour and high esteem from both God and man. Now it couldn’t get any better than that, could it? Certainly not! 

And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Moses as he instructed the Hebrew children long before that. ‘All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe (be careful to observe) to do, that ye may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto (promised) your fathers.’ (Deut. 8:1) Yes friends, the blessings of God will always fall on the obedient, faithful, truthful and merciful! 

So, I wonder why our world is in such an angry uproar and consumed by so much violence and strife? Could it be because we have not kept those traits above there that please our Creator and heavenly Father? I would tend to say that our disobedience and evil ways have played, and are still playing a big part in our current worldwide misfortune and calamity. Now the Lord knows that living for Him will not always be easy, but He expects us to make a sincere effort and even went to the awesome length of sacrificing His only Son Jesus so that those who believe in Him will have divine help to live the way He desires. 

And yuh know what, Cousin Sol was so conscientious and interested in our welfare that he broke down the rules for us into their most basic form. Listen as he admonishes and guides us in his wisdom. ‘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.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) That’s wisdom in spades my people. 

And if you still don’t understand it all, then listen as scholars explain. ‘3:5-6. 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 of your life straight before you.’ Now that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but you can be assured that He will guide you through them, eventually working it all out for your benefit. 

And Cousin Sol didn’t stop there. He continued with his wise advice. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruit of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10) 

Oh friends, the whole duty and wisdom of man is laid out in those verses from 1-10. If you follow them sincerely you will be so blessed and productive and prosperous that you won’t know what to do with yourself! (smile) As we said, it’s not easy to live that life in this world, but that’s why God gave us all the help He did. But we need to grasp that help and hold on to it tightly, if we want to receive the blessings that flow from living for Jesus. 

And please excuse me, there’s one more important thing that Cousin Sol mentions. And this is probably the most difficult one to accept. (smile) He says: ‘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 bredrin, that’s a hard one, for none of us likes to be chastened or corrected, even when we do wrong. But our God knows that in our frailty and weakness we will make mistakes and since He is our heavenly father, it is His bounden duty to correct us, like our earthly fathers do. And He only corrects us because He LOVES us so deeply and doesn’t want to see us go astray and be lost from His fold. 

And the author of Hebrews, in talking about God’s discipline, quotes those verses of Cousin Sol, then adds his two cents worth. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons. 

Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he (God) for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:7-11) 

Yeh friends, living a disciplined life is tough, and when we make mistakes and get punished, we are never happy right then and there, but later on we realize that it was really for our good and it helped make us better people. And the purpose of all that we’ve said today is simply to have us use wisdom, the divine kind to live this earthly life, because when we do, it improves our entire life and existence and even flows down to the generations that come after us.  

So, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident 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 the world. Amen!’ 

And having proclaimed that proclamation (smile), we now must go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and serve him like we do. Much LOVE!

…man was made to serve…to revere…and to LOVE God…with all his heart, body and soul… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8