One of the biggest lies of Satan is when he tricks us into thinking that we can "do it on our own."  There are many modern day lines to express this.  I’m a self made man, I can do it myself, being self sufficient, climbing the corporate ladder, getting to the head of the class, are just a few of these lines.  Recently at a graduation, I overheard an unsaved person telling the graduate, who was a Christian, "You can really be proud of yourself.  You did this all by yourself.  You’re great."  There could not have been a more damaging statement made to the young man.  If we are to glory, we are to glory in Christ Jesus.  He is the One who enables us to do anything that is of worth and value.  Anything done outside of His leadership is filthy rags, hay and stubble.  We are only successful because He is great and greatly to be praised.  Our only achievements that are worthy of honor are those where we have received the enabling of the Holy Spirit.  These verses of Proverbs tell us just that.  It is the Lord who gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  It is only from Him that we can have sound wisdom, not as the world gives false wisdom, but that which is of eternal and earthly value.  When we realize that our only valid source of achievement is to be found in the Lord, then we will give Him all the honor and praise and He will become the center of our lives and thoughts.  With the modern day humanistic attitude of self sufficiency, it is no wonder that we are raising a generation that do not think they need God.  Think back to your youth.  The person you could not stand was often the one who thought he was just everything, "the cat’s pajamas."  No decent young girl would go out with a young man who thought that the world revolved around him, because she knew he would expect others to add to his self pleasing attitude.  No captain of a school team would want to choose such a school mate to play on the team, because he would never be a team player but only out for his own glory.  No teacher enjoyed having such a headstrong person in their class, as they were most often rebellious and unteachable.  Yet it is just these kinds of character qualities that the humanist admires and promotes when he tells our youth that they do not need God or anyone else to tell them what to do, they can do it on their own.  In our own strength, we will always fail sooner or later.  We will always reach an unclimbable mountain of difficulty or an uncrossable sea of trials, if we set out on life’s journey on our own.  Only God can be our true guide down that pathway.  Let us pray that our young people would realize that they need to honor and serve the Lord in their lives if they are to have success.  Let’s teach them that it is more than just lip service and surface Christianity that is required.  God gives His promises for strength, protection and guidance to those that walk uprightly, are the righteous and his saints.  For those who follow Him, he lays up sound wisdom, becomes their buckler, keeps them in the paths of judgment and preserves their way.  To all Christians who will honor Him in their lives, God gives the marvelous promise of verse 9: Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.  This blessing is reserved for the God dependent person.  I want to walk in good paths everyday and in every area of my life!  Let’s honor God today as the source of all that we need.

Discretion is an extremely important virtue of Christian living and one that is sadly lacking in the teaching of modern day life.  Yet verse 11, tells us that discretion shall preserve thee.  Discretion is godly judgment, and the actions that come from that judgment.  It is what causes a lady to know when to speak and when to keep silence, to know the appropriate response and the proper attire.  Spiritually, it is a vital element in our witness and in our ability to maintain our own life testimony in graciousness.  Whenever we think of a woman with discretion, we always think of that important evidence of grace in action, the very essence of being ladylike.  God alone can give us real discretion.  He promises it to those who will hear and heed His Word: For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. (Isaiah 28:26)  Our verses in Proverbs 2, teach us how and when this instruction in discretion takes place.  Verse 10 says, When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.  We will learn discretion when we allow the wisdom of the Lord to enter deep within our hearts and become a part of our life.  We must also have a love for God’s Word and desire a knowledge of it until it becomes a joy (is pleasant) to our souls.  Discretion will allow us to be preserved.  When I make preserves in the summer, I am making something of lasting quality.  There are just too many "fly by night" Christians, those that live for the Lord one week and for the world the next, ones who come to church for a while and then it will be months before they come again.  I want to be a Christian of lasting quality in my lifestyle and attitudes.  Discretion will allow me to be that steadfast person for the Lord that He desires me to be.  The understanding that God gives to us to look at life and its situations and make wise decisions will keep us from sin and disaster.  It is certainly worthwhile to spend time in God’s Word, studying it, loving it and making it a part of our lives.  Discretion and understanding, two important blessings from God, just a part of the treasure chest of blessings He has for those that love Him.  In my Bible, I have these two verses underlined.  I also placed stars in the margin and circled the word When in verse 10.  I trust that they were starred verses for you today.

God’s mercy and truth will never forsake us.  They are bound to the character of God and are ours for eternity in Christ.  No matter how many times we fail God, or how often we sin, mercy and truth are still available to us.  I do not believe that these verses are speaking about us holding on to God’s mercy and truth as if we could lose them, because we never can.  I believe that Solomon is admonishing his son to always keep mercy and truth in his own life as part of his own character.  When we become a Christian, one of the most exciting things that happens to us is that we become possessors of the character of Christ.  We do not always choose to exhibit His characteristics, but they are always available to us.  Just as the fruit of the Spirit is totally ours from the time of salvation, so is the fullness of Christ.  But just as we do not always use the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control that is our constant possession in the fruit of the Spirit, so we do not always "hold on to" the mercy and truth that is ours in Christ.  How very sad it is to meet an individual who claims to be saved and yet does not evidence mercy and truth in their lives.  It just does not seem to make sense.  And yet, if we pause to think seriously on these two qualities, we will realize how easy it is for the devil to tempt us to forsake these same two elements in our own lives.  Maybe we will not become hardened, cold hearted and calculating, but there are certainly times when we should show mercy to another, but instead, we think of exacting just payment.  Satan, the father of all lies, tries constantly to get us to forsake truth and tell just this one little lie to smooth things over.  Christ would never direct us in such a way, it is totally contrary to His character.  How pleasant it is to be with someone who will always tell you the truth and on whom you can rely for gracious mercy to be shown.  Such a person is a prized friend.  The reality of truthfulness is essential to successful Christian living.  The quality of mercy is like a shining jewel adding beauty to the wearer.  A person who has developed the character of mercy in his life is someone who comforts in time of need, who gives peace and rest to our weary hearts when we most need a friend.  What a beautiful phrase Solomon chooses in which to tell his son how very important these two qualities are.  He tells him to bind them about his neck as beautiful and precious golden chains.  Not only will they be a pleasure to the wearer, but beautiful to those that behold them.  What a pleasure it is to see someone who openly exhibits the character of Christ.  Then Solomon admonishes him to write them upon the table of his heart.  When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He wrote them upon tables of stone, engraving the words with His own finger.  The illustration aptly applies to our verse.  When we become a Christian, we need to ask God to engrave mercy and truth upon the table of our hearts that have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus at salvation.  These qualities are to stand as constant reminders of the new law of our hearts that is to reign in our lives, ruling our emotions, thoughts and actions.  This week there will be many opportunities for each one of us to test the use of mercy and truth in our lives.  We need to pray that we will be strong enough in the Lord to choose His character qualities.  Instead of having that quick remark towards those that offend us, choose mercy.  When you see someone you love who is hurting, don’t pass them by, demonstrate mercy.  Kindness and compassion are rare qualities that are highly valued beyond all degree.  Tell the truth and walk in truth, even if it is the harder road to tread, God will always reward you.

Trusting in the Lord is much more than most people even begin to experience in their Christian life.  The kind of trust that Proverbs 3:5 speaks of is a complete commitment and total confidence in the Lord in every area of our life, with no reservations, a whole hearted trust, holding nothing back.  Part of that trusting necessitates recognizing God for who He really is, in all His power and majesty.  It is interesting that the term the LORD is used instead of "God" in this verse.  Many people recognize God as being real, but they never allow Him to be Lord of their lives.  The name LORD implies rulership and personal knowledge of acquaintance.  To really trust God, we must know Him as Lord.  Even the saved person must examine his own life to make certain that he is allowing God to be Lord in every area of his life.  Too often we give God control of the areas that we think we need the most help in, and try to hold on to control of the rest.  The very areas that we feel the most self confident in are most likely to be the ones that could cause us spiritual downfall.  If we do not give God control over every area then we will not be able to say, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)  When we try to do things on our own, in one way we are really saying to God, "I do not trust You with this area of my life."  If we know how wonderful God is and how He always desires the best for us, that is not just a sad statement, but also a very foolish one.  We must trust Him with all our heart.  Then the verse says, lean not unto thine own understanding.  The first word is very important.  We can think of lean in several ways.  First of all, it can mean to move toward.  When we have been learning to trust God, we need to be careful that we are not deceived by gradually moving towards trusting in ourselves again.  The second that we start to take a step towards the things of the world or begin to develop self sufficiency, we need to be alerted.  Instead of leaning towards our own understanding, which can often be faulty, we need to be firmly planted in the will of the Lord.  Leaning is also not a very secure position.  After a hard rain, my spring plants will be leaning over and I sometimes have to tie them to a stake until they are strong enough to stand upright.  We lean because we are tired or weak, we stand because we are strong and determined.  So it must be in our spiritual life.  We must work constantly to strengthen our stand in the Lord, our roots must go deep and our faith must be firmly planted.  Leaning is a dangerous position to be in.  A ladder that is leaning against the side of a building without being firmly anchored, is hazardous to anyone who might try to climb it without checking, especially if they are all alone.  It is when we venture out onto the feeble leaning ladder of our own understanding that we most often fall flat on our face.  The third aspect of leaning, involves what we are leaning against.  When we are weary and lean back into a sturdy, soft arm chair, we can have confidence that we will be held securely.  But if we lean on something that is unsteady or of faulty construction, no matter what our confidence is, we could still fall through and be injured.  When we lean on the strong, everlasting arms of the Lord, we will never be let down, our confidence has been wisely placed.  But if we lean on our own understanding, we will doubtless find the weaken places sooner or later.  Satan will constantly try to tempt us to lean on everything but the Lord.  We need to be forewarned.  Lord, You have proven Yourself to be worthy of my trust.  You have promised to hold me securely in the palm of Your hand, where nothing can ever harm my soul.  Help me not to be so thoughtless and self centered as to trust myself more than I trust You.  Let me never forget that I can do nothing of eternal worth on my own and that my fleshly understanding falls far short of what I need to make proper decisions.  Help me to trust You more day by day and with all my heart.

In thinking of this verse, I would like to share a personal story that well illustrates it.  Many Christians think that this verse means that God will direct our paths only when we ask His specific direction and that the acknowledging of God is in that one specific pathway (such as a vocation or a ministry).  Read the verse again and notice that we are to acknowledge God in all our life’s ways and then He will direct us into the paths that He has planned for us.  Listen to my story and see if this does not make sense.  My close friend and missionary co-worker, Linda, often quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 when she gave her testimony in churches, as they were her life verses.  Verse 6 was especially evident in her life as the Lord led her in His paths.  From the time of her salvation in college, Linda knew that the Lord wanted her to serve Him, even though she did not know the specifics.  She trusted Him to show her where and how.  What was very interesting was that each step of the way she was in God’s will, yet she could never have known all the different paths that God would lead her along.  Only He knew.  Often Linda would not know where God was leading her until He actually placed her on that particular path.  It is very exciting as we can look back on His leading each step of the way, and I know that it was only possible because Linda was acknowledging God in all her ways.  Though she did not know where He would lead her or how she would be used, Linda had committed her life to the Lord.  Every part of her life was given to Him: her devotional life, her reading material, her music, her dress, her grooming, her conversation, her personal life...every part.  And in all her ways she was able to acknowledge God because each area was placed under His control.  Because of that commitment, He directed her paths.  God took her from one Bible college to another, then directed her to a completely different mission agency than she had at first thought of.  As a single woman missionary for over 16 years, she at first served in Africa.  I am certain she thought she would be there for her entire missionary career, but God had other paths for her to travel.  Near the end of her first term in Africa, she become very ill and had to return to the States.  She was advised not to return to Africa.  Instead of fighting it, Linda had a special peace within and prayed for God’s direction.  He lead her into Spanish speaking ministries, for which she had to attend language school.  Her first choice of a field was closed to her after she had thought everything was arranged, but within days she was on her way to Philadelphia to work in a Spanish speaking ministry there.  After several years, Linda began to feel God’s leading else where, but not knowing where.  Again she trusted Him, totally, and by faith wrote a letter to her missionary director.  The very same day that he received her letter requesting prayer about working in a church planting ministry under a strong missionary couple with the same burdens and standards, the director was scheduled to be at a mission conference together with us.  We had traveled to the conference with many burdens on our minds to discuss with him, and had written a list.  At the top of the list was the request for a single woman missionary to work with us.  I shall never forget the grin on his face as he heard the request and reached into his briefcase to hand me her letter!  Again God had directed, even when she had not known the path to start upon.  For six years she worked with us until one day all three of us felt a heavy burden that she should leave the field months before we had been planning.  There was no explanation, only the distinct burden.  Within two weeks she was on her way to her parent’s home and a temporary job in a large church to help her financially as she started her deputation schedule.  We had plans of being ready to start a new work together within the year, but God had other plans.  The very week she arrived at home, she met the man who was to become her husband a year later.  He had come into town just for his sister’s wedding, to which Linda was also invited.  They made quite an impression on each other, both single dedicated Christians in their late 30's.  But they needed to know each other better and Linda was, after all, a missionary on deputation.  The meetings did not come in quickly, but a request from his home church came to the mission asking for a single woman missionary to help them with their burden to reach the military families, especially the wives, on the bases near their church.  Linda was just the person, and God especially blessed her with a new ministry while she was getting to know her future husband better.  Because of her faithfulness in following God’s directions, she was blessed with the ministry, marriage and family God had planned for her!  Each step of the way, she was never less than a faithful Christian, serving the Lord in all areas of her life.  Because of that, God could greatly use her in the paths that He had uniquely planned for her.  His paths were best because her ways were blessed by obedience.  Don’t wait for some big decision or major pathway choice.  Be like my friend, Linda.  Walk each day and in every area as a servant of the Lord.  He will direct you into those unique pathways He has designed just for you!  Even if that pathway is never further than your home, it will be the BEST pathway and you will experience His abundant blessings there, maybe even a few surprises...(like baby Lois, Linda and Kent’s pride and joy!).

If there is ever anything that we want to teach our children, it is to depart from evil!  One of the most important tasks of a Christian parent is to forewarn his children to turn their backs on the evil things of the world and to choose that which is good and right in the Lord.  If our children could learn that important lesson and put it into practice in their lives, then our hearts could rest easy!  Solomon knew the burden of wanting his son to learn that lesson and so, after giving the beautiful instructions of Proverbs 3:1-6, he issues the warning.  He first tells the young man not to become wise in his own eyes.  How true it is that when we become self sufficient and think that we know everything, or even have superior knowledge in one area, that we will become tempted away from dependency on the Lord.  If we are trusting ourselves, we will not be totally trusting the Lord and acknowledging Him in all our ways (verses 5-6).  Everything concerning self pride is contrary to God’s design for his children.  Other words for this condition are arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, boasting and hypocrisy, all of bad connotation.  Other verses warn us strongly: Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool, than of him. Proverbs 26:12  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes .. Isaiah 5:21  And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. I Corinthians 8:2  Just the opposite of self pride, is a true and sincere fear or respect for the Lord.  God not only desires us to fear Him, but requires it of those He would honor.  And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12.  When we love the Lord in this way, we will naturally shun evil.  This message is not just for our children, it is for each one of us.  In our own lives, we need to be constantly on guard concerning evil and temptations that will come into our lives.  Evil is evil, wrong is wrong, and we must never forget our responsibility as Christians to be totally separate from it.  If our dependency is on the Lord and our love and fear is directed towards Him, then we will not have as much difficulty saying no to sin.  Today when evil calls to you, depart from it, turn your back and walk away.  Walk in God’s strength and not your own.  Walk in His paths of righteousness and humility.  The amazing thing is that when we are not wise in our own eyes, God will impart His matchless wisdom unto us!  He will give us the strength to not only say no, but to carry through with the action required of the statement and sear determination into our hearts to shun that which will only cause us harm.  In turning our backs to evil, we will often come face to face with the glories of God's righteous choice for us and the ability to perform it.  In honoring His righteousness always comes blessing.  Following God’s design is, indeed, always best.

This verse, which is just the opposite of the world’s ways, is really the answer to one of the most driving forces in modern life: the desire to get ahead!  Worldly man says that success is everything and to be gotten at any cost.  Even if your family suffers or is ruined, if you are a financial success, the world will admire you.  The world says that the man who employs deception and manipulation to get what he wants is not really sinning, but just taking wise advantage of the situation.  Yet, in the end, no amount of money or position can make up for what is lost in such transactions, their eternal soul’s well being.  The world scoffs at the Christian who tithes and puts God first in his life, and yet that is where true success is to be found.  God gives us His solemn and eternal Word on it.  Not only will He bless us spiritually, but these verses tell us quite strongly that if we honor the Lord with our substance and first fruits that He will fill our "barns" with plenty!  If someone wants to know how to get ahead in the world, they need to heed these verses secured away in the middle of God’s Word.  Honoring God with our substance means much more than just giving an offering or even tithing.  I believe that it means honoring God in all areas of your life and substance, in the position of rulership and directorship.  He should be the Chairman of the board over all your endeavors and possessions.  He should have the first and last say over every decision financially, and be given the praise for every good advancement and gain.  The first fruits of all our gain must be consecrated to Him.  Tithing should be as natural to a child of God as prayer.  Too many people give God the left overs and scraps from their tables.  He gave us the best in His Son, we should never be tempted to give less than the first and the best to Him.  Just as in so many other areas of life, if we honor the Lord and give unto Him our best, He will richly reward us.  Though it may seem contrary to the world’s scheme of things, it is exactly God’s financial plan: Give to Him consistently and of the first fruits, never doubting or hoarding our increase, and He will shower us with more than we could have imagined.  We will not all become millionaires in His plan, but we will be abundantly blessed, full of the riches of peace and joy and the confidence that we are indeed a people cared for by our Heavenly Father.  Have you been fretting over financial woes and concerned over how to pay the bills?  Follow the advice of our verses for today.  Trust in His plan and find His rich rewards.