Commit to Going God's Way

Spending time with God through prayer, meditation and reading the bible are essentail for your ongoing spiritual health and growth - they are powerful tools. They will also assure you that you get the heart of God and the ways of God for your life. Today's bible reading takes us to Proverbs, a book that is filled with rich truth for our lives. I really enjoy reading Proverbs for the wisdom found in its pages is pure gold.

SCRIPTURE:
Proverbs 16: 2, 3, 5, 9, 16, 17, 18, 20 & 25
2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
5 The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

OBSERVATION:
Life goes best when we are committed to God and His ways. So many people feel that what they are doing is right, innocent (as long as I am not hurting anyone else) and productive. This is due to limited vision and insight – it is man looking at himself and as Jeremiah tells us: “A man’s heart is too wicked for him to assess his own heart.” (Jeremiah 17:9) At each turn God will weigh the motivation behind what we do (Proverbs 16:2 tells us that. A key to this passage is verse 3 – “Commit your way to the Lord – whatever you do and it will succeed.”

Are my ways committed to God or are they just my ways? If I am going to commit and give something to God to Him as a gift then I am not going to check the contents of the gift. In other words, my ways succeed when they are committed to Him and I only commit to Him what is worthy of Him. When there is pride in my heart – God will weigh that too and it will cause punishment to come my way. Pride comes before a fall and brings destruction to my life. We must guard our ways and our hearts from evil and in doing so we are guarding our lives. We plan our course but it is God who plans our steps.

APPLICATION:
Things I must watch for on a daily basis: My motives for the things I do and the pride that can rise in my heart. In all the things that we pursue in life – we need to pursue wisdom and understanding at any cost. Proverbs 16: 6; How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! We need to watch our ways – it may seem right but is it really right. We must pursue God and the wisdom He provides so our ways don’t lead to death but rather success. Since God plans our steps we must pursue understanding and wisdom and His power and purpose. We must continue to spend time in prayer and listening to God and in the bible each day. Keep journaling and growing from your time with God – it will help you guard your heart and provide success.

PRAYER:
Dear God, you know the way I should go – please show it to me and let me not be deceived that my way would be a better way or that something I know would be placed above you. Help me to obtain wisdom and understanding and to guard my heart that I might serve you in obedience and power. May I follow the example of Jesus Christ, who followed you. Amen.
Pastor Bernie