June 8, 2012 … Doing Life God’s Way

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 19-21 [NKJV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 19: 16 : [NKJV]… He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, … but he who is careless of his ways will die.  
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 20: 24 :[NKJV] … A man’s steps are of the Lord; … how then can a man understand his own way?  
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 21: 2 :[NKJV] … Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, … but the Lord weighs the hearts. 

My Journal for Today: Okay, again today three more Chapters in Proverbs, #s 19-21; and today God’s Spirit (I believe) has shown me three proverbs which I – and maybe you – need to heed to live out our lives GOD’S WAY. And the warning for not doing life God’s way comes in the first highlighted proverb above - He who keeps the commandments keeps his soul, … but he who is careless of his ways will die. … And in this guiding truth, we read the reality of the human condition, my nature, which so often leads me to make ill-begotten, even sinful choices (i.e., actions which wreak of death). Why? Because I simply ignore or selfishly circumvent God’s way to do life MY WAY. And right now the old Frank Sinatra standard bubbles to my consciousness, where “Old Blue Eyes,” sings “I did it my way.” If you want to listen to the 1969 hit, go to this link . Our human default just wants to do it our own way, doesn’t it? But God wants us to have the best in life, … HIS BEST. … BUT … the only way we’re ever going to have life at its best is to live it GOD’S WAY; and the only way we’re ever going to do that is to live by His commandments as this first proverb today charges.

But the second of today’s proverbial truths give us a related warning, when it says, A man’s steps are of the Lord; … how then can a man understand his own way? … Life is so complicated and getting more complicated – very quickly – as it passes before us. And so often we move down the roads of life, making ill-begotten, poorly calculated directions, which our lack of understanding or human selfishness dictates; and we just don’t realize that we’re not making those directional choices by following God’s way, … but rather doing it – as Frankie sings – “my way.” And though God always is there with us, even going ahead of us (see Deuteronomy 31: 8), we can be led off of God’s track and into danger because we simply didn’t choose to seek out God’s way and follow it. Oh how it behooves us to take the time to seek out the will and the way of God by heeding His word. Oh, the pain and agony we could avoid!

And finally today we read one succinct warning as to walking down the roads of life, in the final highlight passage above, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, … but the Lord weighs the hearts. … How many times have you – like me – just knew that we had made the right choice; and walking down the road our choice led us and into really bad consequences. It is so easy to let our deceit-ridden hearts [see Jeremiah 17: 9] con our own minds into thinking that our self-driven choices are what God has for us. Many times this even leads us to doing good things for the wrong reasons. For example, have you ever done something which everyone would consider a “good thing;” but down deep in your heart you were doing it for human recognition and not for the goodness which the action produced? That’s what it means in this proverb by God helping us to do the right thing for HIS heart and glory and not for our own.

Oh, my fellow Christian, … so much of our trek through life needs to be modulated by how we pursue and follow the ways God leads us, rather than doing it “MY WAY.” So, rather than doing life as Sinatra sings, … should we not be doing life … HIS WAY?

Can I just imagine if I really lived life following how Jesus lived His, … fulfilling the old Jewish proverb (and truth) … to … Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind?   And if we did do life this way, as Jesus said (in Luke 10: 28, "Do this, and you will live;” what would our life be like?

And as we walk through life today – this very day – and we’re going to make some choices, some of which may be critical; will I do it “MY WAY” or do it GOD’S WAY?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to overcome self and do life YOUR WAY … this very day! Amen