The key verses in this chapter are verses 5-6, a promise God's people have often claimed as they have sought the Lord's direction for their lives. And this promise has never failed them-if they have obeyed the conditions God has laid down in verses 1-12. God ALWAYS keeps His promises when we obey His precepts, because our obedience prepares us to receive and enjoy what He has planned for us.
The first condition for receiving God's guidance is that We learn God's truth (1-4). The will of God is revealed in the Word of God, and the only way to know His will is to study His Word and obey it. It isn't enough for believers to carry the Bible in their hands; they must let the Holy Spirit write it on their hearts. Obedience to the Word can add years to your life and life to your years.
Secondly Obey God's will (Verse 5-8): This means we must trust Him with all our heart and obey Him in all our ways, total commitment to Him. The word translated "trust" in verse five means to lie helpless face down. It pictures a servant waiting for the master's command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general. The danger that we might experience is that we lean on our own understanding and thereby miss God's will. This warning doesn't suggest that God's children turn of their brains and ignore their intelligence and common sense. It warns us not to depend on our own wisdom and experience or the wisdom and experience of others. Let this be a reminder to all of us be careful of times when we become wise in our own eyes Prov.3:7 then were heading on the path of trouble.
Third Share God's blessing: (Verse 9-10): If we don't faithfully give to the Lord, we don't really trust the Lord. Our tithes and offerings aren't payment for His blessings; rather their evidence of our faith and obedience. Christian industrialist R.G. LeTourneau used to say, "If you give because it pays, it won't pay." Giving is heart preparation for what God wants to say to us and do for us. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also Matt. 6:21.
Submit to God discipline: (Proverbs 3:11-12) Discipline is part of God's plan to help His sons and daughters mature in godly character (Heb.12:1-11). God disciples us, not as a judge punishes a criminal but as a parent disciplines a child. He acts in love and His purpose is that we might become partakers of His holiness (Heb.12:10). Sometimes God might discipline us because we have rebelled and need t0 repent; other times He disciplines us to keep us from sinning and to prepare us for His special blessing. No matter how much the experience hurts us, it will never harm us, because God always disciplines in love (Deut. 8:2-5). Take sometime and reflect and ask yourself how is your path being directed? Are you leaning on your strength or are you relying on Gods wisdom to lead you?
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