April 27, 2023
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Professed Christ-followers all over the world are familiar with this passage. Yet, to ponder each phrase honestly while examining his/her lifestyle, may highlight the need to seek His grace and power to make adjustments. It is wise to consider the whole of Scripture. The exquisite harmony within shines a bright light on its true meaning:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart . . .
With my whole heart I have sought you; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Psalm 119:10
Lean not on your own understanding . . .
Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34
In all your ways acknowledge Him . . .
Two of our “ways” are what we do and what we teach. Tradition must not be elevated above Scripture. It is a matter of authority. Just before His ascension, the risen Jesus said:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20
He shall direct your paths . . .
Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Psalm 119:133-134
Beloved, it is a fact that the old enemy of souls is at work through man to oppose and oppress those who want to follow the Lord in loyalty and obedience. This challenge to our faith will intensify until the Lord comes. Remember that the Bible always ties obedience to love. It is Satan who ties it to “legalism.” Jesus teaches that one who is under grace is under a triple obligation to keep the law: in thought, word, and deed. Grace brings pardon to the repentant one for having broken the law, and it is grace that brings cleansing as he walks in newness of life. To think that living “under grace” gives a heavenly “OK” to continue breaking the law is a deadly mistake. God has been longsuffering with His people, but soon He will see that everyone has had opportunity to learn the truth and, by His grace, bring his or her life into harmony with His righteous requirements (see Matthew 5:18). His patience will come to its prophesied end (see Revelation 19:15). You can be sure that He will never direct you to toss His holy law aside. Instead, He desires to write it on your heart (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). If it were possible to alter the eternal law of God, Jesus need not have died to pay the penalty for breaking it! He said:
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:14