Proverbs 3:5-10
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.
and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 are the most commonly quoted verses from this chapter, probably, but where I get convicted starts with verse 7...
Am I impressed with myself?
Do I fear the Lord and turn away from evil, or do I just try to avoid or ignore it?
I need healing for my body and strength for my bones........
Do I honor the Lord with my wealth...with the BEST PART of everything? My time? My tithe? My thoughts? My loyalties?
My bank account is not overflowing yet......
Verses 11 and 12
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Um...just for the record...I do, in fact, get upset when He corrects me. It hurts my feelings. I feel embarrassed, awkward, sad, and sorry. Did I mention embarrassed? I am so thankful it's because He loves me and that He tells us that's why. It's really hard to remember that He "delights" in me when I'm foolish, mean, hurtful, disobedient, rebellious, cranky, PMSing, whatever. It's just beyond me. That kind of love is unfathomable..."delight" is not the first word I think of when one of my daughters does those things...
Verses 15-18
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
17 She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
17 She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.
There's that word again: "delightful." I'm discovering more and more how UNwise I am. I have a vision of garden pathways in the botanical garden...Wisdom's Garden. Delight...I'm thinking of another verse now:
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Okay, so what does "delight" really mean? If we check Webster, we will come sorely short of God's intended meaning. Webster's definition has far more to do with our self-focus of happiness, rather than the intended meaning of these words in Scripture. We must be students of the original words.
de-lit' (verb, chaphets, ratsah, sha`a`; sunedomai):
"To delight" is most frequently expressed by chaphets, which means originally "to bend" (compare Job 40:17, "He moveth his tail"), hence, "to incline to," "take pleasure in." It is used of God's pleasure in His people (Numbers 14:8; 2 Samuel 22:20; Psalms 18:19, etc.), and in righteousness, etc. (Isaiah 66:4; Jeremiah 9:24; Micah 7:18, etc.), also of man's delight in God and His will (Psalms 40:8; 73:25; the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American), "There is none upon earth that I desire besides thee"), and in other objects (Genesis 34:19; 1 Samuel 18:22; Esther 2:14; Isaiah 66:3); sha`a`, "to stroke," "caress," "be fond of," occurs in Psalms 94:19, "Thy comforts delight my soul"; Psalms 119:16,47,70, "I will delight myself in thy statutes."
http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/delight/
So here we see that delight as a verb indicates bending and conforming, or inclining ourselves to God and His Will. It also means that God takes pleasure in His children and delights (or inclines Himself), bending to be near us...to be close to us in His loving, gentle, nurturing tenderness. What sweetness! Studying God's Word truly is digging for treasure. We can read it flatly and appreciate what we see, but it's not until we delight in the Lord and bend, incline, take pleasure in, Him and His Word that we really begin to discover and comprehend what glittering, radiant treasures lie beneath the surface! DELIGHT...A whole new understanding has dawned on my soul this morning!
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A Delightful project I have been working on in my desire to become a more intentional and joyous homemaker has been the girls' bathroom...we decided to retire the beach theme for now and opt for a "Parisian Powder Room," ala Hobby Lobby, Ross, and World Market. I highly recommend these stores if you love unique and affordable decor. We have to "design on a dime" for sure, so these stores have been a fun treat! (Also, I dream of traveling, and since so far we haven't made it anywhere so far, I decorate my house with themes from around the world. It brings me joy.) :)
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