Proverbs 3:1-35 (ESV)
Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get disgrace.
Let us follow the wisdom of God and search for His characteristics and let us follow them...To do this we must trust in the LORD and lean on His understandings...God has Complete Understanding...Let us read God's Word to learn about Him and to get closer to Him and His Son...
As Jesus was always teaching about His Father, when I read Proverbs three, I think about the different characteristics we are searching for in the Father and His Son...And parts of this Proverb remind me of some of the Teachings of Jesus and some of His Parables...Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding...In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths in life straight and always lead you in His righteousness...These verses are a part of Him, because all verses are God inspired, and His Son has a most Special Relationship with His Son...
Later Jesus gave us the Two Great Commandments, love God and love neighbor...When I read the Proverbs and His Two Great Commandments, I learn good true things...I believe His Two Commandments begin our faith and are much shared in the Ten Commandments and are related to other characteristics of those who follow Jesus...Jesus was always teaching about His Father...And by giving His followers these Great Two Commandments, He wants us to Love and Respect God, and to do the same toward all our neighbors...To do these things we must be moral followers, because God wants us to do the right things, not just sometimes, but all the time - just as His Son and He does...So, let us be moral and loving...Let us follow the Proverbs and His Teachings and God's Word...
St. Paul wrote the Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law...Let us learn from the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the gospel of Jesus as we search the different characteristics that help us follow so we may lead an Abundant Life...
God is LOVE, so love is a fundamental characteristic of who God is and it’s a value that is to describe those who follow Him as well...Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His LOVE endures forever...Jesus was always teaching about forgiveness...He went around regularly forgiving others...It is part of His make up and His Eternal Lifestyle...He taught us about helping others, and in this we find the belief of generosity, both in our time and in money...Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God LOVES a cheerful giver...And God is able to make all grace abound in you when you give and are generous, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work of charity that you can...We are to give our kindness and gentleness to all people...Since God created us all in His Image, we are to give our kindness and gentleness to all people, since we are all created in His image, and not just some people....This kindness includes our enemies...Jesus teaches: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'...But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven...Hope is another of Jesus' characteristics we need...The Proverbist writes, "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."...Search for wisdom for blessed is the one who finds wisdom...The one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold...But when you find wisdom, always remember be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil...It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones...It is by the LORD's Great Wisdom that He created the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew...
Peace is another characteristic that was a fundamental characteristic we get from our Teacher...He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you...Not as the world gives do I give to you...Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”...Truth is another characteristic, we are to follow...Jesus said that He is Truth, and He teaches God's Word is Truth...So let us follow the Truth and only believe in things that are True....Why would one believe in anything else, except those things that are True?...We are also to be patient...St. Paul wrote St. Timothy and said, "But this is why I was shown mercy, so that Christ Jesus could show His endless patience to me first of all...So, I'm an example for those who are going to believe in Him for eternal life."...We are to have faith in the Father and His Son and to be faithful to them...St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the LORD is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one...The Proverbist wrote, let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart...Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man...Let us follow the Father and Son's joy, so that we can make our joy complete...Joy is more than a feeling good...The Joy of following Jesus and His Father has a lasting time to it...It comes from the choice that we are following Jesus' teachings...Jesus teachings are the Way, the Truth, and Way to live our lives...