Stuff that keeps me going

I’m scared to death as I approach you today, because I have to be honest. We live in a culture and we as a people, and I myself,that can take life changing great stuff and let it enter one ear and out the other. In other words I am expecting to not be heard.

If you listen today you will hear a verse that stops me from being stupid. And opens me to amazing revelation. It kept me going when I was ready to give up. God uses this all the time to change me, to remind me that He is my strength.

This truth is easy to listen to. If you make any effort at all to memorize it, to concentrate, to try it everyday in your life. Your life will never ever be the same.

If you listen. If you focus, If you care.

Proverbs 3:5–8 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.

Trust

Than complain

The memorization is easily in English as well as Hebrew

The memorization is easily in English as well as Hebrew

action - direction - character - body part

Proverbs 3:5 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;

know - straight - wise - eyes

fear - turn - evil - healing/body & strength bones

A straight path is a prepared path, obstacles have been removed, it is clearer to find the trail, much easier, quicker and more enjoyable. A newly paved path might be a modern equivalent.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding Proverbs 3:5

Trust

Explain - Heart often means love in America. But Heart in the Bible’s culture is the center of conscience, we might use the word mind instead. (this is why own understanding is the opposite

“To trust with all the heart is to surrender to God and rely on Him with the total human personality. “

So what does it mean to trust in the Lord and not rely on your own understanding?

This has messed me up before because I thought, I have to rely on God I don’t want to make the decision. But God gave me a brain.

Jesus said,

Luke 14:28 CSB

28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

This was an illustration of a bigger point but the thought back was learning, planning, and using our brain is good work. Its why God gave us a brain.

So if I can think than why do I need to trust God? Why can’t I rely on my own understanding.

Illustration

I think of policies, direction, goal

Safety is our most important thing at school

Respect of individuals as people is also important. They may have disabilities but they are fully human. No one should touch them when they don’t want to be touched.

Education is important. We come to school to learn. Disability doesn’t mean I can not grow, learn, and achieve. Everyone can have impact on this world.

Policies though shows what is most important at work. A student should learn but if they refuse to learn, won’t walk into the classroom, we are not going to carry them into the classroom because respect is more important than education. But if a danger like they are near broken glass or in a street or a violent person, than we will violate their right not to be touched because safety is more important than respect of right not to be touched.

Application

The lord gave us life to enjoy and a mind to use but without God as our first priority, where we know what pleases him in the huge variety of situation we faith in life; we can become a mind focused on how we feel and on what is easiest for us or most comfortable producing a life wasted or a life that never escapes the sin of our old life.

Trusting in the Lord brings amazing blessing. As we learn God, and put our trust in what He tells us to do, amazing Justice, peace and beauty come to this world

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6923 Lincoln’s Bible

Lincoln’s Bible

Joseph R. Sizoo, one-time pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington which Abraham Lincoln often attended, says he will never forget the day he held in his hands for the first time the Bible of Abraham Lincoln. It was the Bible from which Lincoln’s mother had read to him as a child. She had taught him to commit to memory many of its passages. It was the only possession Lincoln carried from Pigeon Creek to the Sangamon River. And book in my hand, I wondered where it would fall open. It opened to a page which was thumbmarked and which he must have read many times. It was the thirty-seventh Psalm, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers.… Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:1, 7).

—James Hastings

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers.… Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (, ).

Trust demands that we know the Lord otherwise we are trusting in what we think the Lord wants which will in turn trick us into really trusting what we want.

Proverbs 3:6 CSB

6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

Know him

Explain

From the Hebrew Yada, nobody stated that it is where our phrase yada, yada, yada comes from.

Observing and reflecting; as well as experiencing

Noah knew the waters left because the birds could find fresh leaves. Didn’t personally see it but know it

Yada = Know by experience

This is the knowledge that comes after you’ve done or been a part of something. I know what going through an earthquake is but I don’t know what a hurricane is becuase I have never experienced it. However I could know it because I observe and reflect.

You can know God because you know what God does or doesn’t do when you go through something.

Yada = Know by learning from others

You also can know God because of what he has told you and reflect on what you’ve seen and heard.

When we seek after understanding God - knowing the scripture, seeking to use it in how we live,

It runs parallel with God making our paths straight.

P

Proverbs 3:6 CSB

6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

Straight can mean boring or plain.

Straight can mean boring or plain.

But it should mean easy.

An ancient route, would be like a hiking trail. One that is very difficult to keep track of can suck

One that is well prepared would be wonderful

Like driving on new road

I had a different application here until I read my email this morning. I don’t get out much and examples are hard to come by. Baylor, wear my daughter goes to school, sent me an email and we I saw it I thought, these people get . They have lived it out and have seen it happen in their lives in the most incredible way.

As you watch this video.

Video

Proverbs 3:5–8 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.

We need healing today.

You’ve leaned on your own way you think the world should work.

Commit to the Lord

Memorize this verse this week

Proverbs 3:5–8 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.

Post about it, take pictures of it, THINK ABOUT IT, LIVE IT

REALIZE YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH AND HUNGER AFTER IT

Anxiety and chaos can hurt us when we rely on our own wisdom.

Body and Bones

Explain - Healing for navel. An idiom for everything about the gut.

Bones is the most permanent part of you. Lasts long after all flesh has gone away. Dusty bones or smashed bones is the greatest form of defeat.

Application -

Prevents the sin and chaos of bad moral choices.