I Need To Do Things God’s Way (Proverbs 3:1-8)
Proverbs 3:1-8
As Christians, you and I should spend our lives seeking the wisdom of God. In the book of Proverbs, God gives us a treasure full of wisdom for living life. If we would read this book it will fill our lives with wisdom that will affect practically every area of our lives. If you have questions about life in general, especially if you have questions about the will of God in your life or maybe you are trying to figure out the will of God, and if you want to be in the center of the will of God in your life, then it begins by understanding very basic and simple principles found in these few verses of Proverbs chapter 3. I think God gives us the formula for living successfully and it always works. When it comes to God’s formula for you and I becoming what He wants us to be and moving in the direction and the path He has for you and me, these three principles will always be true.
1. The foundation of your life and mine is the Word of God.
- “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.” (v.1)
- God’s Word is foundational in everything that I am going to do.
- The Word of God draws a straight line. The Word of God is clear and foundational in everything. It removes all confusion. There is no confusion between right and wrong. The Word of God will say what is right and what is wrong. The Word of God tells us the way to walk, the way to live, the way to go. It is the answer to everything we face in life.
- If you want to know a life with blessings and success, then ground your life on the Word of God.
2. There needs to be a response to God’s Word.
- I should not forget or willfully disregard and neglect God’s teachings, commands and principles but I need to do something about it. Obedience. (v. 1; Deuteronomy 8:1; 30:20)
- I need to decide that I am going to trust God and no one else and nothing else. I am not going to turn any other way. (v. 5; Psalm 37:3,5)
o Trusting is a total commitment and reliance upon God on my part. It is more than just trying God but a complete abandonment to God.
- One of the responses, one of the points of obedience in your life and mine will be an acknowledgement of God. (v. 6)
o Acknowledge means, to know. In all my ways I should know God. I should acknowledge God. (1) To know by observation. Just to look at God and look at the situation. (2) To know by reflection. I need to think on it. I need to think what is right, what I should do and shouldn’t do. (3) To know by investigation. Studying and searching out God’s will and purpose for your life. What is God saying about the situation. (4) To know by a personal relationship with God. Spending time with God. Knowing Him.
3. Time. In all your ways. In other words, trusting and acknowledging God all the time.
- What does “all” mean? “All” means with everything. If you want to know what real blessing is and you want to do things God’s way, then realize that all of your life, all of your opportunities, all of your comings and goings, all of your work, all of your decisions, all of your activities, when you wake up and when you go to bed, God is included. He is included in everything.
What happens when I decide to do things my own way?
- When I do things my way, my way is always very deceptive.
- “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (v. 7; Isaiah 5:21; Romans 12:16; Galatians 6:3)
- Don’t be deceived in your own mind that you know the way to go and that you know the decisions to make. Don’t think that you know in your own eyes. It is a warning against self-sufficiency, self-conceit and self-reliance.
- Pray to God that we are not deceived about things and decisions. We need to make sure that if we are going to choose to do something that we ask God to see if it will end well. Ask God to see things clearly.
- Psalm 37 illustrates what happens to people who decide to live their lives without God’s help and do things their own way. No matter what you think about people who are prospering in their sin, God knows their end.
- Jeremiah 9:5-7 God knows what happens when we venture off and go and live your own way, it’s a deceptive way. It is sin. Sin is deceptive.
2. When I do things my way, it is prideful on my part.
- What happens when I become prideful in my own wisdom? Pride causes you and I to forget God’s promises to us and His love for us.
3. Doing things my way ultimately causes problems. It causes stress, it causes immorality, it causes times of great sin and troubles.
- Doing things my way causes more problems that I could imagine. When I do things my way its rarely done right, but when I do things God’s way I discover that the problems that I once have seem to disappear.
4. Doing things my way causes other people to stumble.
- Why should I make the Word of God foundational in my life? Why should I really choose to respond to God’s Word? Why trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all my ways? The reason is there are a lot of people watching how we live.
5. Doing things my way separates me from God.
- Lean His way so that you don’t fall away from Him.
6. Doing things my way hurts the heart of God.
- What hurts the heart of God is when we turn to other options. When we as Christians turn to someone else or other things for directions, for help and clarity on what we should do and how we should do it and when we should do it instead of turning to Him.
