Thought for December 17

 History:

• 1538: Henry VIII excommunicated
• 1777: France recognizes US independence
• 1791: First one-way street--NYC
• 1798: First impeachment trial of a Senator--William Blount of TN
• 1862: General Grant issues order expelling Jews from Tennessee
• 1900: Prize of 100,000 francs offered for communication with extraterrestrials--Martians excluded as too easy
• 1903: Wright Brothers first successful flight at Kitty Hawk
• 1925: Court Martial of General Billy Mitchell
• 1947: Patent for holograph issued
• 1964: "Goldfinger" premiers
• 1989: "The Simpsons" premiers
• Born: Arthur Fiedler, Erskine Caldwell, William Saffire, George Lindsey, Ernie Hudson, Chris Matthews, Bill Pullman, Michele Tafoya
• Died: Simon Bolivar, William Thompson [Kelvin temperature scale], Dana Andrews, Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, Jennifer Jones, Penny Marshall

Thought:

Proverbs 3 is a continuation of the search for God's wisdom. Many of you may have Proverbs 3:5-6 as your life verse--"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Then verse 7 tells us, "Do not be wise in your own eyes." Just think about these simple verses:

• Trust with all your heart. There used to be a TV program "Who do you trust?" That really is a life question--who do you trust? Many of our problems in life come from trusting the wrong person. I am amazed at the social media "influencers." People go on the internet, watch and listen to a person they really don't know and are influenced to buy a product or do something crazy [ice bucket challenge; Tik Tok dance; tear our fixtures in their high school; wear a certain brand]. And the "influencer" is paid large sums of money. I read that there are two sisters who each make millions as influencers on the internet, or infants or children who are paid millions to play with a toy or wear an outfit because people are influenced to buy. We have surgery and meet the person who is going to sedate us and monitor our breathing for the first time. We get on a plane and never know anything about the pilot. We go to an amusement park and get on a ride without knowing anything about who made it or maintained it. And then we have trouble trusting the God of all creation and His Word. Notice the desired outcome--a straight path [3:6] We want to get to our goal, our desired destination --a relationship with God and an eternity with Him. How do we start--trust Him will all your heart. Trust His directions, instructions, guidance, commands. 
• Do not trust yourself. The middle verse in the Bible [Psalm 118:8] tells us it is better to take refuge in God than to trust man/woman. When I trust myself rather than God, I make myself God. That is always a problem. Why? God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal--I am not. Trusting someone who created everything, maintains everything, controls everything, knows everything, and will always be present is wise--Trusting someone who does not know everything, created nothing, and is temporary and limited in every respect [me] is not wise. 
• Acknowledge who He is and what He has said in every action and your path will lead directly to Him. [3:6] In everything we say and do we acknowledge that He is God, He is sovereign, He made the rules, the rules are for our good and His glory. Doing that keeps us on His path and His path leads to Him for eternity. 

What a simple idea---trust the one who created, maintains, sustains, and powers everything. Do not trust myself. I used to tell my high school students "just do it according to the manufacturer's suggested operating instructions." This applies to our speech, marriage, sex, love, attitude, persecution, trial, temptations. The manufacturer knows what works best--follow His directions-- that is wisdom.

Blessings

Larry