Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso
putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe”. The verse says that the confusion
and wretchedness we have in the fear of what a person can do to us, is
contrasted with the security of the one, who not only "fears" the
Lord, so as to avoid offending Him, but trusts in Him as his protector and
guide by faith alone.
Man, on his own cannot know what is right or what is
wrong. To understand the truth of what
is right and what is wrong, man must first understand and obey God’s Universal
laws as found in the Bible. Jesus Christ
gave strict instructions on how man can understand the truth to gain what we
need to live in this life and secure eternal life. Jesus Christ said, “But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you.” (Matthew 6:33).
Trusting God and following His commandments instead of our
own wishes, needs to be our first priority.
If we do not learn and follow God’s commandments, we are actually
committing idolatry. A Christian must
choose to do what God has told us to do and then have the faith to let whatever
happens to us, in the hands of the Lord.
Keeping the Law and having Faith, is living by the
commandments of God and Obeying His laws as written in the Bible. It is not living by the doctrines of man, and
trusting in the consequences of your own actions. The Bible says that if you keep God’s law, you
are actually waging war on the wicked.
The people who keep the law are actually considered wise by
God and do not run the risk of shaming their parents. But, if you turn away from the law and refuse
to obey it, and then pray to God, your prayer is as much an abomination to God
as any other sin a person could commit.
(Proverbs 28:4, 7, 9).
The acquisition of wisdom is not done by some intellectual
or spiritual exercise. Wisdom comes from
an obedience to a law that comes from outside of our own existence, personal
psychology, desires, and culture. It
comes from God’s eternal law as written in the Bible. You are justified to eternal life by your
faith in the eternal law of God which ultimately points to Jesus Christ as our
Lord and Savior. (Romans 1:16-17).
Seek the Lord in your daily life. It is the very law of God that identifies sin
and if you cannot identify what sin is, you are in danger of committing sin
against God and this ultimately leads to an eternal death. (Romans
7:7-13). What makes the commandments of
God, as written in the Bible, different is that they come directly from God and
by living by these laws, you are effectively living a life with God. The law points us to Jesus Christ and by
following it we are then justified by faith.
(Galatians 3:24). By obeying the
law we are drawn closer to the Lord and to the salvation He offers us through
our faith in Jesus Christ.
People who do not understand and follow God’s law do not
understand the fact that they will be judged by the same standards that the
people who follow the law are judged.
People who do understand and follow the law, have a complete
understanding of what is at stake, eternal life. There is no such thing as blind faith. True faith comes from the knowledge of God’s
law.
There are strong words for the Rich who feel they are
blessed by God. If you do not abide by
the words of the Bible and follow the commandments of God, it says that the
love of God is not in your heart. This
person, no matter how rich he is, will perish like all worldly things will
perish, he will lose eternal life.
People are warned not to gain their riches at the expense of those who
have less than they do. (Proverbs 28:8).
You will be blessed if you give to the poor. (Proverbs 28:27). Your riches should come to you as a result of
hard work and not by chance. (Proverbs
28:19).
The Bible also has a handbook for the Poor. Both the poor and the rich who oppress the
poor in order to gain their wealth, were created as equals. God will shine the light of truth equally in
both their eyes. (Proverbs 29:13). God
tells us that you are to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you” (Matthew 5:44-45).
Proverbs 28:3 goes on to point out that rain is supposed to
be a blessing and be fruitful. It also says
that a driving rain can destroy the crops.
People who are blessed by riches should be careful that they do not
become likewise destructive by taking advantage or oppressing those who have
less in life. “Better is the poor that
walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be
rich.” (Proverbs 28:6). God will reward
a righteous poor person far more than any physical wealth that can be obtain in
this world.
It is more important for any person to have faith, that by
understanding and obeying the laws of God, they are far richer than if they
would or could obtain all the wealth that this world has to offer. This world and all its wealth will perish,
along with all the unrighteous. But, the
knowledge of God’s law and obedience to it give us eternal life. It was King Solomon who said that the only
real progress a person can make in this life is by understanding and obeying
the laws of God as written in the scriptures and, with the help of God, living
by them.
