Trust In The Father
Proverbs 3:1–12
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
This is the writing of a father to a son, to look to The Father for the benefit of the son.
Solomon, the author of the Proverbs, writing most likely to the son who will claim the throne when he dies, Rehoboam.
As to the willingness of the son to trust the father in his words, we gather that he did not.
It is a story similarly (but not always) repeated throughout history in dynasties and businesses around the world; the Kingdom is established in the 1st generation, expanded upon in the second generation and lost in the third generation.
The Kingdom was established in David, Expanded upon in Solomon and almost completely lost in Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, grandson of David.
The Counsel of Solomon was not trusted by the son, and the nation of Israel was divided, only a remnant was left, and only due to the promise of God to David the king.
The lack of trust in the father in one generation affected a nation for many generations.
One of the greatest burdens of a father is that he may have the trust of his Children.
If he is a wise man and fears the Lord, he is a man worthy of your respect and trust, and he will then lead you, as Solomon did his son, to 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. .
But we also learn from this account.
Perhaps it was Solomons own later life of backsliding that was witnessed by his son that caused the son not to trust God the Father.
We have a great responsibility as fathers, where our own backsliding can potentially affect the next generation.
If only our Children may determine to learn from our mistakes and TRUST in THE FATHER themselves.
TRUST IN THE FATHER is everything.
GOD IS THE most perfect example of a father to us all, and he desires that we may learn to TRUST HIM.
When my children were small I wanted them to learn BY EXPERIENCE that they could trust me.
Whenever we were on an outing, or at the beach or in the pool, I would have them do something that required them to TRUST in me for a good outcome.
They may jump from a rock-ledge into my arms. I would always promise to catch them and I would never break that promise. I wanted them to learn by experience that I am worthy of their trust from the small things to the large things.
So too it is with God the Father.
He bids you to trust him.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
And you will find that you will LEARN TO DO SO BY EXPERIENCE.
He will begin with the small things.
First to determine to 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
This Trust is a DOUBLE EDGED SWORD, where to gain the one you must lose the other.
It is a MINDSET. A Conscious Determination. Just as Honouring your earthly Father is a conscious determination
SECOND to LEARN to trust him by EXPERIENCE.
The greatest experience is gained by EXERCISING our trust and learning EXPERIENCE that it is God who provides for all our needs. 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
This Trust IS A CHOICE between two masters.
It is the example to ALL fathers that their Children learn by experience of your own diligent provision for the family.
Lastly trusting in his active love for you;
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
This Trust through chastisement of the Father is to be seen by you as his active love toward you.
TO all FATHERS, God is the example.
How he works in our personal lives, we are to emulate in our families.
It is ALL ABOUT TRUST.
Pray
Trust, The Double Edged Sword
Proverbs 3:1–7
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Trust in the father is fist a MINDSET, just as honouring our fathers on earth is first a mindset. A conscious determination.
There is a recognition that Children are not yet wise in matters of life and have no knowledge of that which pertains to the attainment of all that is good in life, and so THE FATHER bids us to trust in him.
Far too many presume they know best.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Prov 14:12)
But it is a double edged sword.
IN our willingness to trust The Father, we are also saying we are unwilling to trust ourselves. For you cannot attain to the one without the willingness to LOSE the other.
There must be an active choice to a final authority in you life and it must be in accord with all that he commands and calls for without our natural attempts to rationalise it all away.
DO YOU TRUST in THE FATHER enough to do all that you do according to his perfect law of liberty, or do you try to justify yourself to do it your way?
Jesus exampled it perfectly with “not my will be done, but thine“
Far too often however, ours is the opposite, “Not thy will be done, but mine”.
You cannot claim to trust in the Lord with all thine heart AND lean… on your own understanding“. This is not what the text says.
The passage says 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
The passage goes on to deal with sinfulness therefore saying;
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Beloved I am not going to spend the time going into detail of all the sins you may be justifying yourself in, for in addressing one others justify themselves, YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR SINS ARE.
Multitudes today whose minds and consciences are seared by justifying EVIL rather than departing from it.
Tragically, too many CHRISTIANS today, wise in their own eyes, are literally justifying the very sins considered by God as a CAPITAL CRIME in days past.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Sadly, such sins also become a stumbling block for others.
BUT…
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
What a blessing it is to simply give up on our own understanding of matters and to place our complete TRUST IN THE FATHER!
It is a MINDSET FIRST, a DETERMINATION to trust his words rather than your own.
Fathers, imagine how your own heart would feel if your children trusted your judgement, and respected you and honoured you so much as to take your advice as wisdom for their lives, rather than their own notions.
How are we different as adults respecting TRUST IN THE FATHER?
Now imagine your own children ignored anything good you had to say…but still claim your name as their own!
Isaiah 4:1
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Fathers, please can I encourage you to TRUST IN THE FATHER, be led by him as an example to your Children before it is too late, that it may “be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones“.
Trust, A Choice Between Two Masters
Proverbs 3:9–10
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
This is where the EXPERIENCE COMES IN.
The mindset becomes the act.
Turn in your Bibles to Luke 3.
Luke 3:9–14
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
It is a matter of interest that when the people flocked to John the Baptist as he was preaching in the wilderness, and asked him what it was they ought to do as a testimony of repentance toward God, each is told that which is related to money and possessions.
John hereby teaching them to choose between two masters and which they ought to TRUST IN; God the father, or mammon.
Jesus said;
Matthew 6:24
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Which will you trust as your provider?
The mental answer is ONLY identified in the act.
Solomon wrote to his son saying;
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Proverbs 3:9–10.
The Lord is teaching us that it is in the EXERSIZE of THIS CHOICE that we gain the confidence of God’s provision.
Our willingness to exercise our TRUST IN THE FATHER by honouring him with a portion of that which we have received by him, blesses us in return for our willingness to trust in our FATHER as the provider of all we have.
There are two potential masters: One will keep us enslaved and the other will give us the greatest liberty of all.
MY OWN FATHER.
When I was growing up, one of the most wonderful things my mum said about my dad was that, because of his willingness to work and to work hard, and because he was never limited by what he was willing to do to put food on the table, we would NEVER GO WITHOUT.
My father always provided for our home.
He never went on any dole, he would never accept handouts, he would work and do what ever needed to be done and was my example growing up.
We never needed to worry.
HOW MUCH MORE OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN?
Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evil” and that the covetousness thereof causes us to lose our faith and he says they are thereby “pierced… through with many sorrows” (1 Tim 6:10).
Money is the final frontier of Christian idolatry; it is the one subject far too many Christians become uptight about when any suggestion of 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: is mentioned.
But it is ultimately a failure of TRUST.
God teaches us that in THIS work, we are to EXSERSIZE OUR TRUST IN THE FATHER.
When this part of our life is understood, it is the single most liberating experience in our lives.
Yes it may indeed be difficult to do, and only because we have for too long given our hearts to mammon, but when we trust in the father by faith for something so important, so will the reward for our trust be measured;
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Beloved, trusting the Lord with our money will NOT ONLY PROVE we have lacked NOTHING, but will gain to us so much more than only material sustenance.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 9:6–10
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Every farmer knows full well that the more seed is sown the greater the harvest can be.
In fact, many choose to invest in larger fields to sow all the more seed to reap all the more harvest.
But what is it he reaps? Is it ONLY a return of the seed sown?
NO, it is so much more. It is the FRUIT of the harvest and not only a return of the bare grain.
WHEN you commit your finances to God, you are indeed blessed in return, but not for covetousness sake.
Beloved be careful here for the lust of the flesh will undermine the seed sown, do not to use the scriptures for any satisfaction of the flesh, we give because we are COMMANDED to.
It is our duty we are told in Romans 15:27.
It is our responsibility to support the ministry of the Church we are told in 1 Cor 9:1-14
When God speaks of the “Cheerful giver” in 2 Cor 9:7, there is a natural presumption that he is…..? Giving!
It is the first ministry of the Church in 1 Timothy 5:16-18
And it is the sowing of a wonderful bounty we see here in the entire chapter of 2 Cor 9.
And not only here, we see it again and again in both the Old and New testaments, and even addressed by John the Baptist.
Beloved, it is the EXPRESSION of Trust in your Father’s provision that becomes the EXPERIENCE of Trust in Your Father’s faithfulness.
It is why Jesus commanded us not to worry of What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:31–33
While, it may indeed be one of the greatest tests of your faith to trust in the Lord with the regular giving of your first fruits, you LEARN BY that glorious experience that he is FAITHFUL and truly the PERFECT PROVIDER OF YOUR SOULS.
Do you want to see miracles, try him at his word. Try TRUSTING HIM for a year of faithful giving and see how he “…will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” Mal 3:11-12.
Rather that sowing much and bringing in little, eating but not having enough, drinking and not filled with drink, clothed and not warm, and earning wages to put them into a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6), the Lord promises that;
“I will … open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Mal 3:10)
But this will ONLY come when you have made the right choice between the two masters, for Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The call is yours beloved, there are a number in this Church who have made this decision long ago and could testify to you of the blessings that they experience in TRUSTING IN THE FATHER for all their provisions. I would certainly not still be here if this was not true.
Psalm 34:8
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Trust In The Father’s Love
Proverbs 3:11–12
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Fathers have the responsibility to discipline their Children, they who will not do so demonstrate they do not love their Children. They testify to their Children that they are fatherless, “bastards” say the scriptures.
Discipline is the third major responsibility of a father,
We have seen the first responsibility and that is to TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
We have seen the second responsibility as a PROVIDER FOR THE HOME, and so to trust in the Lord with your first fruits that he may enable your provision.
The third is related to the discipline of Children.
According to the Bible this is a demonstration of the fathers love.
Job 5:17
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
God knows that the more we trust him the more we draw closer to him. The more we draw away from him the more he leaves us to ourselves and the consequence of our own sin.
Our hearts desire ought to be the removal of anything that would take away our trust in the Father.
Psalm 139:23–24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
The greatest joy a Christian can experience is growing in our faith and dependance upon our Father in heaven. It is the single most blessed state of hope in our hearts and we need this all the more as the day approaches.
This is why we desire to test our faith, to try our hearts and to remove ANYTHING from our lives that LIMITS our trust in the FATHER.
1 Peter 1:7
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Job had endured much and many of us have had encounters that we had likened in much smaller degree to the trials of Job, and yet he trusted in the Lord and loved and honoured the Lord.
He knew that God will try him and it will end to his benefit.
His desire OUGHT to be our desire that we may be as blessed at the end of our trials;
Turn to
Job 23:8–12
8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
O that you may trust in the Father, that you may desire him and love him and take your counsel in him. That men and fathers would learn from him and trust him enough to obey him.
Honour him enough to trust him.
Respect him enough to do as he bids you, to whatever end.
That you may be as the friends of Daniel in your willingness not to be defiled with the kings food.
That you be NOT like “Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright” (Heb 12:16)
That you may be as Moses
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: …” .Hebrews 11:25–26
Or be even as Shadrack, Meshac and Abednego, the friends of Daniel who said to a government that would force their worship;
Daniel 3:17–18
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Finally, who may say with Job;
Job 13:15
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: ….
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