Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
These two verses are among the more familiar ones in the Bible. As I was reading these verses recently, one word jumped out at me. Used twice in this passage, the word “all” is of particular importance. Continue reading
When the Lord brought the children of Israel to the Promised Land, Moses reminded them of their commitments to Him before they crossed over to inhabit the land. The Israelites had agreed to keep the Lord’s commandments and reaffirmed that promise.
Deuteronomy 5:27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
The Lord, Who knew their hearts, expressed His desire that they would indeed have a heart for Him to do all that they had committed.
Deuteronomy 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
God knew that His way was best. His desire was that the Israelites experience the best He had to offer (“that it might be well with them”). The blessings they could experience would pass on to their posterity as well (“and with their children for ever”). However, He knew that their heart was not in the right place. As history shows, they would disobey Him and receive just recompense for their sin.
The same is true with us. God created life and He knows how life is best lived. Why do we not trust Him in this? God loves us as a parent loves his child. He wants the best for us, but like wayward children, we all to often refuse to give up our own selfish desires. We need to have a heart for God and obey Him. Then we can expect His blessing upon our lives.
In our world, there is a broad spectrum of religious systems. Without being unkind, it is safe to say that they all cannot be right since they often have beliefs that contradict each other. How do we know which is right and which is wrong? The Bible provides us guidance in this area. Continue reading
During His earthly ministry, the Bible is clear that Jesus Christ faced temptations as we do. One of those instances is documented in Matthew 4 (a parallel passage is Luke 4) where He is tempted by Satan himself. In accordance with His perfect life, Jesus did not give in, but rather provides us with a primer on how to deal with the temptations we face. Continue reading
Too many times in our society, people promote themselves and take credit whether it’s due or not. This is a prideful way of acting and one that was foreign to a remarkable man named Daniel.
We find Daniel in the second chapter of the book bearing his name facing certain death. King Nebuchadnezzar has ordered that all the wise men be put to death because they could not tell Nebuchadnezzar what he had been dreaming about or what it meant. Daniel petitions the captain of the guard to take him to the king. Upon his appearance, Daniel asks the king for some time and is granted it (Dan. 2:1-16). Continue reading