A Blessed New Year

As another year unfolds before us like a path in front of our feet, so we should view it as an opportunity to pause for a moment to review how far God has brought us along the route we have already come. For some of us, the walk has been treacherous and yet we still live and have breath to continue, leaving us very thankful for the treasure of being here. For others, it has been a blessed time, giving us hearts of gratitude since we know not how long the good times will last. The one thing that we can be assured of is that the Lord of Hosts goes before us, indeed, is already there, in the future to join us in the journey, to uphold and sustain us through whatever our destiny may take us. So, as we follow the steps of our Lord Jesus, may He grant us a very blessed New Year in His service and His love.

What Betokens the Shepherds’ Arrival (as based on Luke 2:8-18)

What Betokens the Shepherds’ Arrival

By Dr. Chris King

(as based on Luke 2:8-18)

On a quiet, mid-winter’s eve while dancing their shadow and amber reel

The light from wicks of olive oil lamps, hung and placed throughout the homes

Silhouetting the inhabitants of the house as they ended their day,

Preparing their twilight meal.

Outside darkness fell.

The sky blanketed in pitch, speckled only in dots of white.

The countryside mingled with the dimness, accenting the loneliness

Of the shepherds’ golden hillside fires.

As the blessing of thanksgiving was said, the bread was broken and conversation begun.

A familiar, yet untimely, smell entered the room, making the meal a most reprehensible feast.

A scent most unwelcome, early and inappropriate.

Yet, it was enough of a prompter to warrant an outside peek at the window

To see the source of this unseasonable visit.

The stench of sheep and their keepers who were normally prevented from entering the city

Until the time of shearing and the selling of their wares

Followed in the wake of their unexpected visit.

They passed house unto house through the village as if on mission

Speaking to none apart from among themselves.

Their search specific, their attention riveted on one focus.

Having taken their ill-favored smell with them,

The residents began again to settle down to their meal.

Their course of conversation steered to the shepherds

And then on to other subjects of the day as needed.

Yet, the odd behavior of these denizens of the field

Could not be forgotten—Why did they come to town tonight?

As the dishes of their evening repast were removed and washed,

In the distance was heard, of all things, singing, laughter, and…shouts.

Attention of all, thus captured, the residents rushed to window and door

To see and hear this disturbance that had overtaken their quiet hamlet.

To their surprise, none other than the previous inopportune shepherds

Returned in a state of uncharacteristic joy and abandonment, declaring…

“The angel spoke truth to us. We have seen it ourselves.

The long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.

He is born tonight among us in a stable on the other end of town.

Here, of all places, in our small village of Bethlehem.

The angel spoke to us and the host of heaven as well. Come and see!”

In their joy, the shepherds danced arm-in-arm

Overwhelmed by God’s blessing upon them

As they shouted to Bethlehem’s residents, young and old,

“Come and see. The long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.”

It is not known how those who heard the words of the shepherds

Responded to their acclamations or to the joy that drove them from the fields

To see if the angel’s declaration to them was, in fact, true.

It is, however, known that the same invitation

That the sheep keepers extended to those village inhabitants

Is the very same one the Scripture offers to everyone each Christmas and each day hence:

“Come and see. The long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.”

Thanksgiving in Worship

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name

For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

(Ps. 100:4-5, NASB)

            Modern worship, whether we realize it or not, tends to be focused on what we as spectators desire to get out of the experience. As I was traveling to meet one of my children for lunch recently, I was listening to a Christian radio station. My ear caught several advertisements by churches marketing themselves to the station’s audience by sharing all of the different ministries and programs they had to offer to each member of the family. For each person, he or she would have his or her own dynamic experience with God. On the surface that sounds exciting. However, we have become so accustomed to such consumer-based/market-driven moves within our culture that they do not seem at all out of place within the church any longer. To us, there appears to be absolutely nothing wrong with “shopping around” to find just the right church to fit our particular needs. Yet, this is not at all the perspective Scripture has of the Church or, more importantly, of the worship of Almighty God. Worship has nothing to do at all with what we want, desire, or need. It does not take into consideration what style of music we prefer or whether we feel more comfortable with traditional or contemporary, “high” or “low” church customs. To our possible dismay and definitely to our conviction, worship is directed toward and solely defined by God Himself.

            As the Psalmist plainly tells us, we are to have hearts full of thankfulness when we “enter into His gates” to worship Him. How can we do this if we are so concerned about what we want out of worship? If we think going to worship is about what we are to receive from it, our thankfulness is misplaced from the beginning. The psalmist is thankful because of who God is to him and for what God has done for Him. He is overwhelmed by the goodness and grandeur of God. Thus, he says, “Give thanks to Him, bless His name, for the LORD is good.” Not only does the psalmist know this personally, but he has seen the Lord’s grace operational in the lives of his forefathers for generations innumerable in the past. He knows that “His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness (is present) to all generations.” Thus, the psalmist can “enter His gates with thanksgiving” with a heart ready to authentically worship the Lord.

            When next you go to worship, I challenge you not to think of worship in a self-centered fashion, as if worship has anything to do with you, your wants, desires, preferences, or needs. Instead, I dare you to put all of these things in your past and remember the God who has saved you and called you into His “kingdom of light” by His grace alone, who has blessed you with much more than you ever deserve in this life. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one” and then “enter into His gates with thanksgiving”. Your worship of the Lord may never be the same again.

The Essential Nature of Forgiveness

            Having reached the age of fifty has me thinking of a number of things differently than I have in times past. I am marking milestones in life with much more importance than before, at least within my heart. I am beginning to realize with a greater clarity that I am not going to be passing by this way again. Thus, it is best to be making the most of these moments and relationships while one has them.

            It is in this spirit that I want to share this bit of encouragement with you. It is actually a direct reflection of what the Apostle Paul clearly states in his letter to the Ephesians toward the end of his epistle. He writes,

           

"…forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32, New American Standard Version).

            In spending so much time over the years with folks who have suffered damage to their hearts  caused by blocked arteries, I know what restricted blood flow can do to someone’s life,  overall well-being, and future prospects. A person so afflicted can find himself with a very limited existence because his choice of food intake over the years ended up caking the “pipes” that brought life-giving nutrients to his heart. Now, he cannot fully enjoy life or the blessings of his family. I have personally seen family members and friends in such situations.

            The same sad occurrence takes place even more frequently in the lives of many believers today. Many of you who are presently reading this edition of the newsletter are suffering from this malady even now. Yours, however, is not a physical condition, but a spiritual one. Yours is not a clogging of the arteries of your physical heart, but of your spiritual heart with the plaque of unforgiveness. You are holding on to offenses from time gone by. You have nursed these offenses like babies, so that now they have grown through childhood to adolescence unto adulthood, choking your heart, making it very hard for you to spiritually breathe. You try to have a relationship with God, but He continually seems to be distant from you. You endeavor to worship Him, but your worship has no depth to it. Your words of praise ring hollow; they bounce off the ceiling and ring accusingly in your own ears.

            What is one to do in such a situation? If your physical heart were being choked to death by plaque buildup, you would have by-pass surgery to provide new life to your heart. The same holds true for the spiritual heart. However, in this case, it takes a different type of surgery. Truth, honest truth, is the scalpel used. The Holy Spirit of God is the surgeon. You need to submit yourself completely to His surgical table for the operation. Let Him show you the areas of your life which you need to release to forgiveness and vulnerability. Once this ugly truth is revealed, you may need to then go to that person and ask their forgiveness for holding unforgiveness toward them for so long. Remove then the barrier of protection against them in your heart so that you may love them unconditionally. This is how you will know that your forgiveness is real. True forgiveness is not forgetting, but choosing to love the person unconditionally and allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable to be hurt again, even as Christ has forgiven us and has suffered pain over and over again by our failures toward Him (Eph. 4:32).

His is the standard of measurement we must use in terms of forgiveness one toward another. It is on this basis that our relationships are built, brother and sister in Christ, siblings, parent-child, husband-wife, etc. When we are able to forgive completely those who have hurt us in the past and cleanse our hearts of all past bitterness, then we can fulfill His desire for us to have hearts of kindness and tenderness one toward another as stated in the first part of Eph. 4:32. Then will the heart’s blood flow freely without any blockages and our spiritual lives will be renewed and powerful according to His desired will for His people.

Are you harboring ill will, unfulfilled expectations and bitterness toward anyone today? Is your spiritual life lacking? Is God distant from you no matter how hard you try to please Him by your actions? Search your heart with honesty to see if there is unforgiveness resting and rooted within you. If you find it, remove it no matter the pain. You will find the Holy Spirit ready and willing to assist you to the place of comfort, peace and love, wanting you to experience the blessed joy of true forgiveness.

Grace Sought When None Seems Available

            The period in Scripture known as the time of the Judges was one of the saddest in Biblical history. It began with the death of Joshua and the elders who served with him. It ended with Israel at her one of her lowest points spiritually. Between those two places, the children of Israel began a downward spiral that included times of closeness with and obedience to God and His Word that was accompanied by the leadership of a judge followed by outright idolatry and rebellion after the judge had died. With each act of defiance God would seek them out, calling His people to repentance, but after receiving only indifference and spite in return, the Lord would turn them over to an oppressive nation for discipline and punishment for their sins. Each successive instance proved longer and more detrimental to His people, yet they still continued to rebel against the Lord. I encourage you to read the book of Judges, especially chapters 1-16 for verification.

            Like Israel, there can be no doubt that our nation has sinned against the Lord who brought us into being as a people. We have turned our backs on Him as sure as the sun rises to proclaim a new day each morning. Our laws capriciously deny life to those to whom He has given it and give liberty to sin to those whom He has called specifically to repentance. In so doing, we find no shame in mocking His holiness and His people, those called by His Name, sit idly by and watch these things being done while voicing little, if any, opposition. We are so divided as to not make any difference if we chose to make ourselves be known. Our concern lies more in mansions for worship, mansions for homes or mansions in heaven. We care little for the truth of God’s Word and taking our stand upon it so that the world will know what is right, what is wrong and Who we represent. Because of our complacency, our nation is in peril, spiritual and otherwise. We must awaken from our slumber.

`           Typically, we assume that in viewing parallels of principles from the Scriptures, as in the book of Judges, we must look for some outside enemy to invade our shores or attack from the air. In this case, we would quickly join together and mount a defense. However, we have yet to see that our enemy has already attacked us on several fronts and we have not even risen from our seats to cry out in defiance. Our economy is in shambles. Our unemployment rate is uncharacteristically high and has been for years. Our military resources are stretched extremely thin. Our government continually wants to grow and become more and more our Savior in all areas of life. Many of our churches are more concerned about competition with other churches to see who can have the most attendees and offer the biggest programs, rather than investing themselves in the lives of others for the sake of Christ and His Gospel. The combination of all of these factors is resulting in a nation devoid of spiritual and moral direction, ripe for the arrival of someone who will promise redemption and hope but who will bring only oppression and pain. That day, a day like those experienced by the Judges, may well be upon us already.

            If this be so, what then can we who really believe and serve Christ do? First of all, we must not lose hope. The nation that was founded by Christians, though post-Christian it may be at present, still has the opportunity to repent and return to the Lord who brought her into being initially and who can redeem her if her people, especially God’s people within her, are willing to do so. Secondly, we should “pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways…” as according to II Chronicles 7:14. We need to look into our own lives, asking God to forgive our sins of omission and commission so that we can be clean enough to see the way ahead and respond to His direction without hesitation even as we pray diligently for His leadership. Thirdly, we should not be afraid to share and “speak truth” (rf. Ephesians 4:25) with love, even as we live it before the eyes of an unbelieving nation. After all, Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth, the light of the world”; as such, we have a responsibility to discharge in disclosing plainly through life and lips the reality and truth of Scriptural knowledge and action.

            If we follow such a path, who knows but that we as believers in Christ might yet redeem our nation. T’would be a great blessing to see the God of mercy move in the midst of this people once again to save many of her number. However, we must take Him seriously enough in reference to the warnings He has already given us and take action to repent, pray and begin living as becomes our Lord and Savior, our Standard-Bearer, Jesus Christ. Then, maybe, just maybe, the greatest days of our nation may yet be ahead of her. 

Commitment Shown Through Attendance

            Just recently, I read a very interesting article in World magazine. Indeed, it seems like there are a number of us who are “on the same page” in regard to the subject at hand. The following is an excerpt from the work entitled, “Lament for a bride”:

On Sunday morning I practice with the praise team and then sit in the front waiting for my husband, the pastor, and our three children. I listen. I listen to hear the ethos of the  morning group…In more recent years I sit and listen, hopeful and longing for the sound of those entering. Where is everyone? Is it a holiday weekend? Is there an early football game or another soccer tournament? Did the Smiths go to their vacation home again or are they skiing this weekend? We don’t know and in some ways it doesn’t matter—for even our involved families often don’t make Sunday a priority of Sunday morning worship. I dream of people suddenly and eagerly streaming in the building with excitement to meet their Lord and maker. But they don’t come and it breaks my heart (Sutherland, 2013).

            How I can relate to her sentiments! I often look over the auditorium on Sundays and struggle with despair over the blocks of empty seating in front of me as I stand on the podium. I remember the days when we were running well over 200 in morning worship with folks feeling an excitement of the possibility of actually filling the sanctuary to the brim! What happened?

            Sutherland points to the problem squarely in the above excerpt. She notes it the use of one word, “priority”. God’s people have become complacent in their priorities. Other things have become more important than God in their lives. As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”. A person can say when questioned about his/her faith, “I believe in Jesus. He is my Lord and my Savior.” Yet, if the same person repeatedly and unashamedly finds other things to do on the one day set aside by God to worship Him, to show Him our allegiance and loyalty, then the words of that person are, in effect, meaningless. James revealed the same perspective in his diatribe on the relationship between faith and works (rf. Jas. 2:14-17). In the Lord’s own words of to His people,

Sanctify My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. But the children rebelled against Me; they did  not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My Sabbaths. So, I resolved to pour out My anger on them (Ezek. 20:20-21 New American Standard Version)…

Even though the Sabbath of the Old Testament changed to the Lord’s Day, Sunday, by virtue of the Resurrection of Jesus as of the New Testament, the principle of recognizing the Lord’s Day as holy and worshipful remains the same. We are to join together as believers on that day (rf. Hebrews 10:25) to lift up the Name of Jesus in praise, honor and adoration for who He is and what He has accomplished on our behalf, using the day for rest and for acts of service in His Name. It is also the day in which we have the honor and privilege to give back to Him that which is His to begin with—namely, the tithe of our income, a tenth of the amount in our paychecks. This action is an overt recognition that all of our possessions as well as our lives are His. If we are able to give above the tithe, this sacrificial giving is our opportunity to show Him just how much we appreciate the blessings He has given us.

So, with all of this stated, it may be that you have read this and realized that your priorities are out of sorts since your church attendance has been far less than consistent and much less than desired by God’s pleasure. You may also know that your giving hasn’t measured up to the tithing standard of God’s Word. What should you do at this point? Give up altogether? Surely not!

The God that we serve is a loving and gracious God to those who are sincere in sharing their hearts and shortcomings with Him. If you wish to rectify your present deficiencies, be honest with the Lord about the past sins and mistakes, the faulty priorities and such. Then, ask Him for the strength and grace to take the necessary measures to correct these errors in your life. You will find the answers to these prayers and the ability to return to the place of obedience and blessing once again.

Then as God’s people respond to His call to return, His churches will fill once more. His sanctuaries will ring out with His praises and His people will be strengthened anew with the power of His Spirit and His Word. May the day of such a renewal be close at hand for us all.

Sutherland, Christy. (2013, March 23). Lament for a bride. World, 28(6), 62.

Grace Unto Righteousness: The Meaning of Easter

            As we contemplate the wonder of the Easter season and all that Jesus has accomplished on our behalf in His sacrifice for us, the topic of grace can never be far from our minds. Indeed, we would be remiss to think that Jesus died on the cross for us because He looked through time and saw that we were such good folk, worthy of the profuse dispersion of His life’s blood.

Yet, one would think by our actions and attitudes that this is exactly our perspective. Many today would say, “Surely grace means that Jesus died so that I could go on doing the things I want to do in this life. It is, after all, my life to live. He created me to live it. His death only enables me not to suffer after this life is over, providing me an ever better place to retire to at the end of my days. Indeed, Jesus is even more generous to me in some respects than the government. He provides me “abundant life” in that I am free by His grace to live as I desire, while insuring me “eternal life” when my final breath escapes my lips so I can truly experience heaven forever. Mine is the ultimate “win-win” situation.”

The above paragraph does not exhibit my beliefs at all, but, rather, is quite reflective of a vast group within our churches today as based on a growing belief in the redefinition of God’s grace. For them, grace is God sending Jesus to die on the cross thus enabling them leave to continue in the sins that they so love and with which they are so comfortable. It is a message that resonates with many today because, not only do they not want to be accountable for their own actions, but, in our politically correct culture, they also do not want to be offended for actions they do not feel are wrong. We are surrounded by a society devoid of the standard of absolute values of good and evil. This societal cancer has grossly infected the church in America to the extent that masses can lift up their hands and sing praise songs while at the same time lusting over sexual images on their computers, participating in adulterous relationships, drinking themselves into dysfunctional oblivion, etc. without feeling a modicum of guilt. Why, you say? They believe themselves covered by the grace of God! How mistaken!

The grace of God, according to Scripture, does not give us license to sin once we have professed our faith in Christ nor does it provide covering for us to continue in sin. The Apostle Paul harshly condemns such false assertions in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” The grace of God is literally His favor toward us not based on anything that we have done to deserve it. He gives it to us simply because He wants to do so. Our response should be one of pure gratitude and obedience. We should see the treasure of what He has given to us and desire to be devoted to Him in humility, love and loyalty. We should want to serve Him wholeheartedly because of the great cost, His Son, that has gone into the placement of this grace upon us. Thus, the result of grace in the life of a true Christian should be a life inclined toward the pursuit of holiness. This is the essence of what the Apostle Paul shares in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship,  created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

So, as we recall the glory of Easter, may we do so in the light of the true meaning of God’s grace. May we appreciate the sacrifice that God made on our behalf that we might “have life and have it abundantly” (rf. John 10:10). Then, as we praise the Lord, we can do it with a right spirit, knowing that our hearts and thoughts are, in fact, Biblical and pleasing to God.

God's Morality of Sex and Sexuality

As we assess the moral direction of our country over the last generation or so, it is easily apparent that we have moved away from the directives God teaches so clearly in His Word. Marriages are crumbling at a rate for Christians much the same, if not more frequently, than our unbelieving counterparts. Living together and premarital sex is rapidly becoming an acceptable norm among those who call themselves by the name of Christ. Because of the efforts of the growth of liberalism within the country as a whole, the level of comfort with homosexuality and same-sex marriage/unions is likewise growing within the ranks of Christendom as is the perception that one can be both gay and Christian at the same time with no conflict of interests.

For some, they believe that the Christian community has lost the argument when it comes to morality, especially as applied to sexual issues. When one realizes that the culture has lost its bearings and no longer has an objective standard by which it operates, there may be a modicum of truth in that belief. The culture (and by extension, much of the Christian church as well) view the issues of life and of sexuality, in particular, from the perspective of fairness rather than right or wrong (because of that lack of a moral compass). Thus, when one points out, for instance, that adultery is wrong, such a statement falls on the deaf ears of this culture since the present society sees its actions only in the light of what it wants or desires. In other words, if one’s mate does not satisfy, it is only fair that one finds another to take up the slack in need. This accounts for the high divorce rate, broken families, single-parent homes, and the many children raised in dysfunctional situations. Where did we go wrong?

The answer would take at least one book to write to do it justice. However, in regards to the issue at hand, morals and sexuality, the Bible has much to say. Indeed, the Scriptures are the standard by which we are to operate in every area of life, but, especially, in this important one. We find ourselves at the bottom of the moral high ground on the issue of sexuality largely because our approach to the subject has been one of timidity and fear. We knew what was right, good and correct as far as God was concerned, but we promoted it wrongly, thus sending mixed signals, not only into the marketplace of ideas, but, more importantly, to our own constituency. In so doing, we sowed the seeds of our own failure to build a solid fortress against which the Enemy could not successfully assail with perverted concepts and twisted versions of the truth. We allowed him to take what was beautiful in God’s Word and make it nasty, marketing it as tempting and something good that God was purposefully keeping from us (the same lie used in the Garden of Eden).

What we should have promoted all along was the truth. God created sex and sexuality (rf. Gen. 1:27; 2:24). He gave it purpose and beauty, intending for it not to be just an act, but a bonding experience between the husband and wife that He had joined together in marriage (rf. Gen. 2:24; 4:1). These parameters, He put into place so that they could spend a lifetime getting to know each other emotionally, spiritually and physically (rf. Heb. 13:4a). The opportunities for such were to be limited only on rare occasions by mutual prayer and fasting (rf. I Cor. 7:3-5). As God specified, no one else beyond the two of them was allowed into this most intimate of relationships because it was considered holy unto God (rf. I Cor. 6:9; Heb. 13:4b), and because He had blessed it as good. Indeed, the Song of Solomon in total is a love story exhibiting in graphic detail what this relationship should like as both husband and wife pursue each other with passion, enjoying the blessing of each other’s God-given sexuality.

When viewed from this perspective, we see these issues in a whole new light. Sex and our sexuality have nothing whatsoever to do with the idea of fairness. God established the moral precepts of proper sexuality as a means of protecting its beauty and goodness as well as those experiencing it. We would be wise to uphold the parameters He has put into place and teach those around us, especially our children, to do likewise. If we as believers in Christ follow His directives, rather than the example of the culture around us, we will again take the moral high ground and be able to lead folks down better paths, not just in regards to this issue, but also touching every issue of life as addressed by God’s holy Word.

Trusting Solely in the Lord

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.

(rf. Prov. 3:5-6, NASB)

　

As we enter into another year with its possibilities and uncertainties, we desperately need a rock upon which to stand, a rope to which we can hold tightly, a wall upon which to lean. Thankfully, we have the Lord and His Word at all times to provide solid ground in the midst of a world and a culture that seems intent on being as dependable as shifting sand. The encouragement that we can gain from Him is far more beneficial and needful; may we heed His wisdom now and for the time to come.

He tells us to "trust Him with all (our) heart". Indeed, as this is in the imperative, He puts it in more of the command sense than as a suggestion. As we approach this new year, we must ask the question of ourselves, "Do I really trust the Lord fully?" Or am I making contingency plans upon which I am relying just in case the future doesn’t work out the way that I hope?

This leads us to the second part of Solomon’s admonition, "And do not lean on your own understanding." Those "contingency plans" fall squarely in the category of our own reasoning, rather than following after God’s directive for us. The Scriptures tell us explicitly that we are to "walk by faith, not by sight" (rf. II Corinthians 5:7). Faith seeks the Lord first, listens for His voice and then makes plans according to what he/she hears from Him. Sight makes plans on the basis of circumstances, then prays only when the circumstances "go south" in the hopes the Lord will redeem his/her plans for the better. Where is your heart as the new year begins?

Solomon would have us to look to the Lord for direction in every area of our lives, not just in those particularly "religious" ones. Solomon understood that God rules over all of the universe, thus there is no arena over which He is not in control. Therefore, when he states, "In all your ways acknowledge Him", Solomon is encouraging the reader to submit to this reality and let God’s sovereignty be one’s greatest ally. Better to bow the knee before the King of kings, asking for His direction, wisdom and conditions of service, guaranteeing that person of the King’s pleasure, than to strike out on one’s own, securing both failure in the enterprise as well as risking the displeasure of one’s Lord.

In conclusion, Solomon states as if in a simple formula, that if one accomplishes A, B, and C, then D will be the result. In other words, for the mathematically inclined among us, A+B+C=D. For the non-mathematical reader, Solomon is saying that if (A) one "trusts in the Lord", (B) "do(es) not lean on (his/her) own understanding", and does (C) "acknowledge Him" in everything, then the Lord will "make (one’s) path straight". Be sure not to misread what is being stated. It is not a promise by the Lord through Solomon to make one’s path easy. The reference to "straight" in Scripture often has connotations to salvation and righteousness as seen in its attachment to the prophecies of Messiah (rf. Matthew 3:3). Therefore, rather than being an easy path, the "straight" way may prove to make us more like Jesus in the long run as we trust in the Lord, relying on Him and His Word to guide us rightly, instead on seeking our own way and desires.

So, as we face the challenges ahead, standing on the precipice of this new year, which direction will we take? Will we accept the wisdom of Solomon, seeking out the Lord, waiting to hear from Him before we press onward? Or will we go with our best instincts and hope for the best? My prayer is that we will take the correct action on the basis of the input given from His Word. If so, we will be blessed in the doing as well as in whatever happens as a result.