Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
This (verse 5 here), applies to all believers, but even more to those who are in the service to God.
God never chose any man or woman to work for Him because of their training and ability within themselves.
God chooses people like Jeremiah who was just a lad with no formal training; and God put the words in Jeremiah's mouth to give to the people. You may read all about it (in chapter 1 of Jeremiah).
When we depend upon our own ability, we fall very short.
For a minister of God to be effective, it must be God speaking through him.
Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Three commands are given (in verses 5 and 6): Trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; Lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts, and Acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life.
The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.
Here again, we get into the will of man.
Man has to be willing to accept God's help and to give God the credit for the job well done.
A Christian must first of all not start anything that the Lord is not in, and then we must praise Him in everything.
Hebrews tells us when we should praise the Lord.
Hebrews 13:15, "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
If He directs our path, we shall walk in the light and not stumble and fall.
Proverbs 3:7 "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
The most dangerous thing, if you are trying to succeed in the world, is to get satisfied with yourself.
A person cannot grow when he gets this attitude.
When we rely upon our self, we are always disappointed.
No one likes a know-it-all or a conceited person.
We must remain humble.
What little knowledge that we do have is because of God's generosity towards us.
Fear of the Lord will take away all arrogance and pride.
In the first few verses of Proverbs, we learned that the fear of the Lord is true wisdom.
Fear here could be looked at again as reverence or high praise.
Give God the glory for it all.
Proverbs 3:8 "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."
The strength here is in the marrow, the inner parts.
God is promising physical well-being for those who live wisely according to His will.
Such physical well-being is what David forfeited before he confessed that he had sinned against Bath-sheba and Uriah.
Many illnesses are brought on by sins as we said before, not all illness, but some.
Good clean living seems to assist in good health.
For sure, good clean living brings a clear conscience and no regrets. When the spirit of man is healthy, it helps with the physical health, as well.
Exodus 15:26, "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statues, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee."
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