Walking in Wisdom

Proverbs 1:1-5

May 21, 2006
Speaker: Randal Myers

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Learning God's Will

What does the future hold?

All of us would like to be sure of our future. All of us would like to be sure of God's will for our lives. All of us want to be sure we're making wise decisions day in and day out.

Should I do this or that?

What do I do about this problem?

How do I handle these issues in my life?

Should I take this new job or stay put?

We have career decisions, child rearing issues, financial decisions, relationship struggles, and the list goes on and on.

Common Myths about God's Will

Myth #1 - God's will is hard to find.

Much of what He desires is already revealed in scripture.

My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. - Proverbs 6:20-22

Look what King Solomon's father (King David) told him.

And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. - 1 Chronicles 28: 9

There are keys to finding God's will in this verse.

Acknowledge God.

Acknowledge the God of your father...

Serve him wholeheartedly.

...and serve him with wholehearted devotion...

Be sincere.

...and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind...

God and his will can be found.

...If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

Myth #2 - God wants you to know the future.

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a lightÖ - Proverbs 6:23

God does not reveal what's coming next week or next month or next year, but instead urges us to just take the next step.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. - Psalm 119:105

I believe that God doesn't want us to know the future for at least two reasons:

One is that if we knew the tragedies and trials we were going to face in our lives, we couldn't handle it. They would seem overbearing and insurmountable.

The other reason is that God wants us to learn to trust him step by step, day by day.

Myth #3 - God's greatest goal is my happiness

We need to understand that God is more concerned about our holiness than our happiness.

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life... Proverbs 6:23

Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them" - Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1

Solomon says, in essence, "You go right ahead and pursue whatever you think will make you happy. Sooner or later you're going to understand that those things don't really even make you happy."

Conclusion

It isn't God's great goal to make us happy...it should be our goal to make him happy.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

Would you like to study this topic further?

Detailed lesson outlines, audio tapes, and compact discs of this lesson are available free of charge from the Highlands church of Christ.

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