“Our Daily Bread”  http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht  

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/

Proverbs 3:5-6…  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your ownunderstanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  (NKJV)

The opening scripture is one of my favorites; and was written by the wise Solomon…  Many people have seen or heard this scripture, because of the profound truth that Solomon reveals in just 2 short verses…  But have you gone on to examine verses 7-12 ??  

I listened to 2 audio sermons done by Dr. Charles Stanley that he titled… “God’s Guide to Life at it’s Best – Part 1 & Part 2”, that were dated 10/14 and 10/15/2013…  These can be found  @ http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/audio-archives and were the basis for today’s writing…

Dr. Stanley uses…Proverbs 3:5-12… to give us 4 points, much like a compass has 4 main directions (N,E,S, & W), to give us his version of everything the Christian needs, to never get lost in the worlds maze of pitfalls and dead ends that will lead the unsaved to destruction…  Dr. Stanley uses the words “A compass for your life”, to describe the 4 main points…  Here is a link to… Proverbs 3:5-12… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20prov3:5-12&version=NKJV;KJV

First, Christ must be at the very center of our lives…  We must trust Him in all things, at all times… 

Second, we must never rely on our own thoughts, desires, or direction…when God has given us a clear path we should be taking through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, that God has given to all of His redeemed children… 

Third…if God blesses us with an abundant life, we are to give back to Him what is rightfully His, by honoring Him through our tithes, our time, and our possessions…Proverbs 3:9-10… Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with of the firstfruits all your increase; ¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.  (NKJV)

God wants us to consider Him first, with all that we have…before we take care of our own needs…  The concept of tithing is hard for many people to understand…  But I don’t know anyone (including myself) who steps out in faith with the abundance God has given them, by honoring God first…who God has ever shortchanged with providing for all of their needs…Matthew 6:33…

And lastly, God’s children are to have a proper response to any needed discipline that God promises He will use, to bring His wayward children back into alignment with His will and His ways…  We see this in…Proverbs 3:11-12… My son, do notdespise the chastening of the Lord, Nordetest His correction; ¹² For whom the Lord lovesHe corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. (NKJV)

Once God’s children understand that God is acting out of His love for us…and is only disciplining us to mold us and to help conform us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29)…we should embrace any needed discipline without regrets, and with a positive attitude knowing that all things work for the good of those that love God…Romans 8:28… 

We see the same scripture in the New Testament, in…Hebrews 12:6-11…that speaks about God’s tough love for those He promises to chastise and scourge in order that it may “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”…Hebrews 12:11b…  Here is the link for this New Testament scripture, which backs up Solomon’s writing from the Old Testament…   http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=heb12%3A6-11&version=NKJV;KJV

By following these 4 points for life’s direction, in obedience to the Lord, as laid out by Dr. Stanley using Solomon’s wise teaching…God’s perfect plan for His children will bring the Christian right back to trusting in the Lord, and righteous in His sight…

Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word, and those of Your humble servant Dr. Charles Stanley, if listened to…would urge us through the power and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, to see how important it is to live a Christ centered life…  I pray Lord, that You would cut right to the very core like a two-edged sword, of the soul of those in need of making You the priority in their lives…Hebrews 4:12-13… I pray for this fullness of Christ in all of our lives, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

Blessings in Christ,  bruce r mills