As we begin the third chapter of Proverbs, I am excited because it is one of my favorite chapters in the book.  Wisdom, personified in Jesus Christ, thrusts us toward obedience, trust, and dedication to God.  The focus later turns to the wisdom of pursuing wisdom itself and ends by dealing with godly counsel.

Proverbs 3:1-2, "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:" Solomon again instructs his son to remember his teachings and to keep his commandments.  As God's children, we would do well to follow this same directive.  It is easy to stray from God's Word because of the many other influences in the world.  Most people fail to read the Bible any time at all, and then, there are those who hear it only when in a Bible-preaching church.  However, there are those who have a daily diet of feasting upon God's precious Word, and they are intent on obeying it.  Are you a person who reads daily and who is impacted by the Spirit's teaching? Don't forget, as Reuben Ewert used to say, "It isn't how much of the Bible you know that matters, but how much of the Bible you live."  May we be a people who keep God's commandments!

2 "For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee."   Here, the writer speaks of how remembering God's Word and joyfully obeying it, will provide you with a greater quality and quantity of life. Do you desire fullness and blessing of life? If so, take in God's Word with the purpose of obedience.  You will never go wrong following this formula.                                

Proverbs 3:3-4, "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:" The Bible pairs mercy and truth together.  Mercy is the action of God whereby He extends His kindness and grace to us from His heart of love.  Truth is the yardstick, the measuring rod, by which God will judge every issue of right and wrong.  May God's mercy and truth be at the center of our experience with God, and may they reflect our lives as we deal with others.  Solomon describes these virtues like jewelry about the neck and concludes by emphasizing writing them upon the table of our heart.

4 “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man."  Someone has said, "We should savor the flavor of favor."  I certainly desire to live life experiencing God's favor.  Finally, the development of mercy and truth will produce an ability to make right choices, which will be evident to God and others.  The saturation of our minds with the Word of God, joined with obedience, forms a great recipe for goodness and blessing. A life adorned thereby will truly be happy and stable.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATION

1.  How intent are you upon obeying the Lord?  Explain your answer.

2.  What is the yardstick by which God will judge every issue in your life?

3.  Good choices are the result of a desire to obey God.  List some good choices that you have recently made.  How did you arrive at those decisions?