LEARNING DAILY

 

Proverbs 3:7, Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.

 

Proverbs 16:3, Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

 

Proverbs 28:26, He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

 

The Chronological Study Bible I am reading for my daily devotions has grouped the Proverbs into categories. I have selected proverbs from the heading Trust in God or Self for today.

 

The last part of Romans 12:16 gives both a preview and a warning about which we are to choose from this category. It tells us, “Do not be wise in your own opinion.” Pride begins when a person elevates himself in his own eyes. This directs Believers to realize that their intellect is not to be compared to God’s intellect; our intellect is far below the intellect of God. Relying on only our own intellect may lead to false assumptions – especially about God, who He is, and what He expects. Romans 1:22-23 shows what happens when men claim to be wise. “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man – birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”  A fool in this verse means one who has heard the truth about God but deliberately rejected it. Men thinking, they were wise, began to worship nature and idols. It is so much better to follow Solomon’s advice to “fear the Lord and depart from evil”. Job discovered this through great hardship and God finally said to him in Job 28:28, “And to the man He said, ‘Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’”

 

The answer is to “commit your works to the Lord”.  Trust Him! Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us to trust in the Lord, lean not on our own understanding in all our ways acknowledge Him. Trusting Him is the opposite of doubting God and His word. Trust is fundamental in our relationship with God and is based on the premise that He is trustworthy. We gain that trust by reading/studying/ meditating on His word daily and then being obedient. That obedience aids us in departing from evil. That has been a constant teaching of this blog! In the most difficult situations, we face we can commit our way to the Lord and trust Him to work on our behalf.

 

Be honest – our own understanding is limited and can lead us to make great mistakes. Our heart, flesh and mind can be deceptive and lead us in very wrong directions. Leaning on our own understanding, rather than trusting the Lord leads to pride and away from being led by the Holy Spirit within us. Romans 8:9-16 explains that Believers are to live righteously, to live according to the Holy Spirit’s direction and according to the flesh. We are not to be wise in our own eyes but instead trusting the Lord by asking Him continually for wisdom and knowledge of His will in all aspects of our life. We are daily in God’s Word and at the same time pray for wisdom and discernment needed for the day.

 

Every day we acknowledge God as the Lord of our lives as we walk the narrow way making it know we desire to walk in His will. When we live in a close, trusting relationship with Him, looking for His direction, He promises to direct our paths, and to guide us in making the right choices.

 

How do you answer the heading Trust in God or Self for today?