Scripture:
Proverbs 3:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Thoughts:
On day 14 we had the four steps of success, with the first of those being “Trust in the Lord”. In the verse for that day, Psalm 37:3, the result of trusting in the Lord with the addition of “doing good” was to “dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”. Peace and safety. In today’s passage the promised result of trusting God with the addition of not leaning on our own understanding is to have God make our pathways straightforward.
I like the idea of straight paths. It implies the avoidance of frustrating detours or confusing forks in the road. It means I don’t have to worry about where I’m going, but rather give my time and energy to increasing the speed and efficiency of life’s accomplishments. Many books are sold on the topic of time management; there are seminars and programs giving top efficiency methods. While here is a promise that God will do much of that work for you! If you are trusting in Him and not your own determination of what is the best way to go. Acknowledge God’s wisdom and Lordship in your life. Check in with God on your plans and even on daily schedules.
He promises to make your ways straight, if you do.
The wise men, though coming from far in the East to a place uncharted except by the indication of the star in the sky, found their way made straight to the place of the promised Christ. Herod did not find anything, instead he was thwarted and confused…. and in his madness destroyed many innocents. The nadir of the life that rejects God’s sovereignty is what we see in Herod in the Christmas story. While the example of Joseph, and of the wise men, illustrates straight paths despite opposition: God made the way straight for them.
Carol: We Three Kings
The ornament is an arrow, “straight as an arrow”
Angel Bell Ornament (Bow & Arrow)
