Daily Bible Verses for 3/4/2016
Bible Verse
When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Reading Notes
This section of scripture was written by Solomon and covers essential Biblical truths, including the sovereignty of God along with the wisdom which comes with fear of the Lord. In this context the phrase, “fear of the Lord,” means to have a deep down, overwhelming love, awe, respect and gratitude for God. This attitude is a result of the spiritual growth in us, which is brought about by our faith in Christ. When we follow Jesus and grow in our faith we develop a heart sensitive to the things of God. This happens through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. When we received salvation God replaced our spirit which was dead in trespasses and sins, with a new spirit, which is alive to the things of God. The Holy Spirit then works with our new spirit to change us from the inside out, as we become a new creation in Christ Jesus our Lord. This process of spiritual growth carried out by God is called “sanctification.” And as the Holy Spirit begins His work in us, we begin to better align our will with God’s will. As this occurs God can use us more effectively for His kingdom work. Moreover, God in His sovereignty can make even our enemies to be at peace with us, even though there will be trials in our lives. However, all of this starts with “fear of the Lord.”
The phrase, “fear of the Lord” does not mean to be afraid of God. Rather, it refers to having a deep down love, awe, reverence and respect for the Lord through a relationship with God. A relationship which is only possible through faith in Christ. In addition, as we study and grow in God’s word, we are also growing in wisdom and knowledge from the Lord’s instruction. And through the work of the Holy Spirit, God causes our hearts to grow closer to Christ. Which then produces a new character and focus in our lives as we walk closer with God. And as our lives begin to focus more on Jesus and less on ourselves, the Holy Spirit better controls the direction and steps we take through life. We must never forget, submitting ourselves to God, through Christ Jesus our Lord, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit is worth more now and in eternity to come, than all the riches we can accumulate here in this fallen world. So we should always remember to look-up from time to time, to make sure Jesus is still out in front, and that we are still following Him. If we are not attentive we can mistakenly follow a world which is at enmity with God. We are called to always be in Christ Jesus, we do so always knowing that we please God through our faith in Jesus and our love for Him, and not through our own effort.