CAUSE AND EFFECT

Proverbs 3:1-4

Thoughts for the Day


The book of Proverbs has so many "cause and effect" statements throughout its pages. That is why it is a book of wisdom. The first verse above gives us an admonition, while the second one states the results of keeping that admonition. These verses are simply stating "cause" and "effect." The Bible states here, that if we will not be forgetful to keep God's laws, but rather keep them in our hearts and obey them; they will produce three things -- days full of accomplishment, long life and peace. These three things are in addition to other things that the Lord promises His people.

The Lord wants to bless us and our families with long life and peace; just as many of His other blessings are available to us. However, our part is to put His Word in our hearts, and through faith and obedience we must appropriate these promises. God has a plan and a purpose for every human being in this world. It is a wonderful plan and He promises each of us a long life so that we can fulfill it. However, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is out to destroy that plan, along with God's purpose for our lives. Jesus, in the New Testament, speaks of the devil as a robber, who is out to kill and destroy. The devil seeks to rob us and our families of our peace and our promised long lives.

Verse 4 is a promise that we shall find favor and understanding with God and man if we do two things: that is, to allow mercy and truth to rule our hearts and lives. When we are told to bind truth to our hearts, this scripture is referring to God's Word as truth. Therefore, we are admonished to keep God's Words and His truth in our hearts. What is truth according to the Bible? We find this answer in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

To bind truth in our hearts, we must invite Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts since He is the Truth. We can never find our way in this world, until we allow the Holy Spirit through Jesus to guide us and lead us. Life is in Him. Truth is in Him. When we follow Him, we will keep His commandments. His commandments and words are the absolute truth. The Bible makes the following statement about the Word of God and the words that Jesus spoke: Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

In the day that we live, humanistic teachings have spread that say there are no absolutes; thus -- no absolute truth. Humanism teaches that each man is his own guide and truth. We are told to do what feels right for us; however, others may not do the same thing, if their consciences bothers them. This destructive teaching is creating havoc in our world because it eliminates a standard, and without standards we have no justice nor fairness. Everyone's own ideas create situations where there is no right nor wrong -- just what is decided by each individual at the moment. Each person becomes a law unto themselves. The Bible even speaks of this kind of thinking in Proverbs 16:25: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
If we desire the favor of God, we must embrace His Words and His ways. If we would like the favor of men, we must not only embrace the truth, but we must also be merciful to people. We must not be legalistic about the Word of God, but always have mercy in our hearts toward those that break the laws of God. The Lord tells us, if we desire to obtain mercy in our time of need, we must be merciful to those that fall short of the truth. Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."