Under Gods Command
Proverbs 13:13 He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.
God created us, knows us, and loves us. It only makes sense, then to listen to his instructions and do what he says. The Bible is his unfailing word to us. It is like an owner’s manual for a car. If you obey God’s instructions, you will “run right” and find his kind of power to live. If you ignore them, you will have break downs, accidents, and failures.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 12:13 – An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.
Sinful talk is twisting the facts to support your claims. Those who do this are likely to be trapped by their own lies. But for someone who always tells the truth, the facts-plain and unvarnished give an unshakable defense. If you find that you always have to defend yourself to others, maybe your honesty is less than it should be.
Under Gods Command
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
John 13:36-38 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crow’s you will disown me three times!
Peter proudly told Jesus that he was ready to die for him. But Jesus corrected him. He knew Peter would deny that he knew Jesus that very night to protect himself. In our enthusiasm, it is easy to make promises, but God know the extent of our commitment. Paul tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Instead of bragging, demonstrate your commitment step-by-step as you grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and in your faith.
Proverbs 3:5-6 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.
Under Gods Command
John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples. If you love one another.”
Jesus says that our Christ like love will show we are his disciples. Do people see petty bickering, jealousy, and division in your church? Or do they know you are Jesus followers and not just a fan by your love for one another? Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source. The Bible has another beautiful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Proverbs 3:5-6 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.
Under Gods Command
Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet
John 13:12-17 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus did not wash his disciples feet just to get them to be nice to each other. His far greater goal was to extend his mission on earth after he was gone. These men were to move into the world serving God, serving each other, and serving all people to whom they took the message of salvation.
Proverbs 3:5-6 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.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 28:05 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.
Because justice is part of God’s character, a person who follows God treats others justly. The beginning of justice is concern for what is happening to others. A Christian cannot be indifferent to human suffering because God isn’t. And we certainly must not contribute to human suffering through selfish business practices or unfair government policies. Be sure you are more concerned for justice than merely your own interests. You can’t claim to follow God and ignore your neighbor.
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 20:3 – It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
A person who is truly confident of his or her strength does not need to parade it. A truly brave person does not look for chances to prove it. A resourceful woman can find a way out of a fight. A man of endurance will avoid retaliating. Foolish people find it impossible to avoid strife. Men and women of character can. What kind of person are you?
Under Gods Command
Proverbs 19:16 – He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.
Do you care about yourself? There is a way to live that brings happiness and success, and there is a way to live that will kill you. The choice is yours. The results are God’s. Do you love or despise God’s ways for living? If you keep God’s commandment, you keep yourself from pain and trouble. If you despise God’s ways, you commit suicide.
What is the commandment to keep your soul? It is all God’s commandments, no matter what part of life each may apply to (PS 119 -128). The man who keeps God’s commandments is doing something very good for his own soul. He is pursuing wisdom and all its benefits for his life.
How does a man despise his ways? He rejects God’s ways for the various aspects of his life. We interpret “his ways” as God’s ways, because God is to be elliptically understood from the first clause, and because men do not truly despise their own ways. The man here believes he has better ideas on how to live, so he rejects the counsel of God for his life.
What are the consequences? When a man chooses his own way for a decision in life, rather than God’s way, he chooses death. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (16:25). “There is a way that seem right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (14:12).
God’s infallible revelation, the Bible, teaches men how to be happy and successful. If they rebel against His wisdom, they bring on themselves dysfunction, pain, trouble, and eventually death. They die early by accidents, capital punishment, disease, revenge, or God’s judgment. If a man truly cared for himself, he would keep God’s commandments.
Here is how Moses taught this wisdom to Israel, “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess” (Deut 5:33).
Consider a simple example. Instead of honoring parents as God commanded, men allow disrespect, jokes, and rebellion, never seeing that such irreverent fools will eventually run into a human authority that will crush them, and they lose God’s promised blessings for parental honor (Ex 20:12: Eph 6 2-3) It is lose-lose to reject this commandment of God.
God will separate all men – those who did the will of their Father in heaven, and those who did things their way. Jesus warned, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but only he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, … And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you evil doers.” (Matt 7:21-23).
Do you want a rule for life? “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (3:5-6). Instead of despising his ways, humble yourself and have respect unto his ways.
Under Gods command 