Scripture Reading Proverbs 16:1-9
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
7 When a man's ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
My thoughts
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
I can plan and plan and plan....but God is the one who holds the answers to my plans.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
I can so often think that I know best, but do I really? Do I really know more than God does? God sees my heart, he sees my spirit and he KNOWS beyond a shadow of a doubt what is best for me.
3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
But see what I need to do? If I commit my work, my way to the Lord....he will establish my plans. Does this mean that if I am committed to the Lord that I will get all that I want? NO.. it means that if I commit to the Lord...then it is more likely that what I want is what the Lord will want to. He's good at that you know... changing us to be better than what we are. He calls us to holiness, he calls us to MORE than what we are now.....Now we are fallen people riddled through and through with sin....and he helps us to see beyond ourselves.
4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
I read a book once, about a lass fighting for justice, and everywhere she met there was a fellow who was full of derision and it was starting to bother her. As she was talking with one of her advisors about this matter he said "for all you know, he was created for such a time as this." He went on to say how their gods made everything and you just needed to trust that the gods knew what they were doing. It was a secular fiction book but that statement made a huge impact on me. How do I know why people are as they are, or what purpose they have for living. God knows them. He knows their hearts. He gives us free will to act and choose, but he has created each one of us for a purpose.
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
Those who insist on being only what they want to be are "an abomination to the Lord". God created us to be a perfect people, in full communion with him. If we reject him....God will punish us for our arrogance. That's just fact.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Knowing God is the best way to keep from being an abomination to him. He is the only one who can bring peace to our hearts. He's the only one who can help us turn from evil. Pleasing the Lord makes the rest of life so much better....not always easier because sometimes the Lord calls us to very hard things. the death of family, the loss of a child, losses of jobs, scorn and derision from the world, pain, sickness, separation.... but knowing God just makes it more doable.
8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
But when it comes right down to.... I can do all the planning that I want, but it doesn't happen without God help. really, truly, seriously. I need to trust that God really does know what he doing. And the more I trust him, the more I see it truly.
I see it in my homeschooling the lad.
I see it in my raising my rabbits.
I see it as i learn to be a better wife and mother.
If I don't lean on God, if I don't trust him, it just makes it all harder to do as I seem to then be doing it all on my own.
God calls me to more than that. He calls me to holiness and faith and belief.
Stephen Olford's thoughts
He makes three main points:
- The personal commitment of our lives to God.
- "when we walk in the path of God's will with undeviating obedience, we cannot miss God's best"
- The practical adjustment of Our lives by God.
- The God who sees the sparrow's fall is interested in every aspect of our lives. We need to daily ask for his help and guidance.
- The purposeful fulfillment of our lives in God.
- God will give us the fulfillment of peace, pleasure and purpose.