Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

"Preach The Word"

READ THE DIRECTIONS

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. "
Proverbs 3:5-6

HERE is a blessed portion of the Word of God. It is one that is deeply significant as we face all
that lies ahead. We are conscious of our need. How often have we asked ourselves the
questions: What shall I do next? Just what is God's will for me? We have an inward feeling that
we need help. Nothing can satisfy our hearts but the assurance that we are doing the will of
God in whatever our pursuit may be. As Christians, we belong to the Lord and feel our needd
to be always led by Him. We are sheep; He is our Shepherd. We want to hear His voice and to
follow Him. God wants His will done in our lives. We are enjoined by the Apostle Paul to
understand the will of God. "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of
the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). Epaphra prayed, "that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the
will of God" (Col. 4:12). Nothing is more important after we are saved than knowing God's will
and doing it. The Bible tells us how to be saved, and then, as Christians, what to do and how
to do it. God sees us in our need. He knows that the world in which we live is dark and sinful.
He will never desert us. He is mindful that we need "by day time . . . a pillar of a cloud, and ... a
pillar of fire by night" (Num. 14:14). The book of Proverbs is one of the outstanding books of
the Old Testament that tells the believer where to walk and where not to walk. In Proverbs 3:5-
6 we have set forth in concentrated terms the clear pathway of righteousness. We want our
lives to please God, and we want to be assured our lives will please reasonable folks.
Winsomeness that is born of grace is attractive both to the Creator and to the creature. Let us
hear the wisdom of Solomon that comes by inspiration from God Himself. There are four clear
thoughts in these two verses.
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I. UNERRING WISDOM
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart" (Prov. 3:5a). The confidence that God inspires is so
complete that you can trust in Him with all your heart. If God's people would daily remind
themselves of God's faithfulness and practice trusting God, the sense of dependence upon
Him would become second nature. When we refer everything to Him in complete assurance,
God will become an intimate reality in Christian experience.What does it mean to trust the
Lord? In describing faith, someone has said that it consists of two elements, belief and trust. It
is a belief that trusts. Belief is taking the map, and trust is taking the journey. Literally, trust
means to lean upon. We are conscious of our feebleness and rest wholly upon the Lord for
support. The Lord is the object of our trust. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man" (Ps. 118:8). Now think of that verse and what it teaches. It declares that we
are to trust. It does not talk about feeling. The Christian life starts with trusting and continues in
the same manner. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him"
(Col. 2:6). After we are saved, God takes over the responsibility of caring for us. "Casting all
your care upon him, for he careth for you" (I Pet. 5:7). There is something in this verse for us to
do. Then there is something that God will do. He can carry us and all our cares.
II. UNIVERSAL WARNING
"Lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5b). We poor creatures certainly need
heavenly wisdom and heavenly help. This is where the problems in the lives of God's people
usually begin. We seek the solution of our problems in human wisdom. God says we are not to
lean upon our own understanding. James, writing on practical Christianity, says, "If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God" (James 1:5). Where is the man or woman, saved or unsaved,
who doesn't lack wisdom? We have no wisdom of our own that is worthy of our allegiance.
We need the wisdom of the Lord in Bible study. "The natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God" (I Cor. 2:14). We need the Lord's wisdom in Christian service. We want to
serve in the right place. If we are in the wrong place, the right place may be empty. As we read
these words, do our hearts have assurance that we are where God wants us to be? Or are we
wandering through life without any purpose? We need wisdom in order to do God's work in
God's way. We also need the understanding that God gives for our daily walk before our
children and in the presence of our fellow laborers, as well as in the house of God. Don't
depend on human wisdom. Pray for and seek the wisdom which comes from above.
III. UNFAILING WITNESS
"In all thy ways acknowledge him" (Prov. 3:6a). First, we are to trust the Lord. Then, we are to
lean on Him. Now we are to witness for Him. Notice the little word "all" in this sentence. It is a
key which unlocks a great secret, relating to divine guidance. In every sphere of life, we are to
manifest the fact that Christ dwells in our hearts and is living 'through us. In every detail of life,
wherever we are and whatever we do is to prove that Jesus Christ is on the throne of our
hearts. We must acknowledge Him in our social life and in every sphere of Christian service.
We must testify to His redemptive power as our Savior from sin. We must give evidence of His
supporting grace as the solution to all our problems. When there is no recognition of Him in the
common affairs of life, how can we expect help from His hand in the crucial hours of life when
we need Him most?
IV. UNFALTERING WALK
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"And he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:6b). The constraint God lays upon our hearts in
response to our confidence in Him is what He uses to guide us in our lives. Our
acknowledgment of Him before the world brings from Him a directing principle so that we will
know which of two paths to take. In our innermost thoughts, we will be able to sense the way
that we should go. A supernatural influence will direct the tendencies of the will. Then we can
do the will of God from the heart. If, as a child of God, we follow the teaching of His Word and
habitually acknowledge Him, we can avoid standing before various openings, debating with
ourselves which way to take. God's decisions and desires for us will be given to us as clearly
as if someone whispered them in our ears. Let us never forget that faith is not concerned with
methods, but with promises. He speaks through His Word and directs us by His Spirit. None of
us needs to live in uncertainty about the will of God. God rewards those who read and follow
His directions. He recompenses in physical and material ways (Prov. 3:7-10), and in eternal
dividends (Col. 3:24).

Sermon by Dr. Andrew Telford