WATCHWORD:
1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart.
2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.
3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. 13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. 14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. 15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:1-15
Meditation:
Wisdom of Solomon
One of my favorite Bible verses, and one of the few I have committed to memory, is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” But if you look at all of Proverbs 3, there is so much more there.
Right at the start we have the author, Solomon, giving advice to his son, a warning not to forget the Word of God. This was more than a mental exercise of memory, this was saying to actively practice obedience to God’s Word. Practicing obedience to God’s word goes far beyond the simple memorization of Bible verses. If one knows the Word but does not practice it, that is, in effect, forgetting the Word of God.
He stresses the importance of mercy and truth in verse 4, and trusting the Lord, in verses 5 and 6. Other important topics Solomon speaks to include humility, generosity, rising above adversity, wise living, maintaining confidence in God and not being afraid.
I believe that obedience to the Word of God is one of the heart. Obedience is not merely outward conformity to God’s will, but a heart that loves and obeys Him. We are fragile human beings and, there are times when our resolve to obey, softens, or even wanders away from God. But I also believe that when we renew the commitment to follow, we return to a forgiving God. Think Peter, his denial of Jesus, and then is forgiven.
When we truly trust Him, we can honor Him with generosity that realizes He is the great provider and God has inexhaustible resources. Many commentators note that the word honor has a connection with sacrifice. “This is the only place where Proverbs alludes to ceremonial worship…. Proverbs is not so much concerning itself with ceremonial religion here as it is exhorting the reader to demonstrate gratitude toward and confidence in God (rather than in wealth).” Another piece of advice: give back to God some of one’s wealth as a sacrifice in recognition that God gave it.
Solomon’s advice continues through all 36 verses of this chapter, underscoring why this man was considered the wisest of the kings. His advice has real practical value for us, as well.
All in all, Proverbs 3 is an inclusive guide for Christian living. I wonder about us, who have parented children from infancy to adulthood. How did we address those important issues? How did we communicate, assuming that you did not write another chapter of Proverbs ala Solomon.
Maybe we didn’t write it, but we acted it out, and our children observed, and learned. Now our grandchildren benefit by those lessons taught through living.
Two years ago, I posted an essay on my blog entitled Not By Accident, in which I wrote: So, it is not by accident that loving people had, in most cases, loving significant others in their lives, and now that same quality is passed on to their children.
Bulletin Board:
Hey, all you Watchword watchers, how about sharing a bit how things are going with you, here in the middle of winter. Are you holding up? Waiting for the sun to shine and the temps to rise?
Books read? Best Netflix movies you have seen and enjoyed? Etc., etc. Here are two movies that we have really enjoyed, both were uplifting, maybe a bit strong in the language department. Nevertheless, good for evening viewing: The Fisherman’s Friends and Chef
Prayer requests? I have one. Please prayer for Terry Davis on the death of his wife Louise. Louise was a victim of Covid. Her funeral was this past Saturday.
Closing Prayer:
Dear God, We confess our need for you today. We need your healing and your grace. We need hope restored. We need to be reminded that you work on behalf of those you love, constantly, powerfully, completely. Forgive us for trying to fix our situations all on our own. Forgive us for running all different directions and spinning our wheels to find help, when true help and healing must be found first in You. Forgive us for forgetting how much we need you, above everyone and everything else. We come to you and bring you the places we are hurting. You see where no one else is able to fully see or understand. You know the pain we’ve carried. The burdens. The cares. You know where we need to be set free. We ask for your healing and grace to cover every broken place. Every wound. Every heartache. Thank you that you are Able to do far more than we could ever imagine. Thank you for your Mighty Power that acts on behalf of your children. We reach out to you, and know that you are restoring and redeeming every place of difficulty, every battle, for your greater glory. Thank you that you will never waste our pain and suffering. We love you. We need you today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
