Life Principle #2: Remember God's Commands and Teachings

William Hearst is known for building the largest newspaper and periodicals chain in the country. His empire at one time included the Chicago Examiner, Boston America, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar. Hearst also became an avid collector of priceless art. Once, he sent his agent overseas to search and acquire a masterpiece which he dearly wanted to acquire. Many months passed by before his agent told Hearst that he had finally found this masterpiece and getting it would cost him nothing… because the piece had already been purchased by Hearst and was stored in his warehouse, forgotten.
When life gets busy, it is easy to remember the immediate and forget the lasting. So from the book of Proverbs, the next Life Principle that we have circled for us is from Proverbs 3:1. It follows very closely to the first principle - just seek God.

Proverbs 3:1 says, My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart; for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity (NIV). This verse starts as a series of verses that urge us to hold strong to what we consider essentials for life.

In Proverbs 3:1 the writer is not talking about forgetting God’s teachings due to physical difficulties. God tells us that His Holy Spirit will remind us of His teaching (John 14:26). Here the writer is talking about the condition of our heart. If we keep the legalities of religion but forget to love the Lord then we have forgotten His teachings and have not kept His commands. The teacher of the law in Mark 14:33 understood this verse very well when he replied to Jesus, “To love Him with all your heart... is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

The second part of this verse is the promise of long life and prosperity to those who keep God’s teaching. But often we see wicked or folks with evil intent and schemes live a comfortable and long life while those who love God have troubled lives or even their lives cut short. Author Charles Brigg’s puts it correctly. He says, length of days is a promise to the righteous; whether for earth or for heaven as their Father deems fit for them. The most important thing is that while difficulties and troubles rock a believer’s life, we can come to God and in Him we see that we stand and not fall through the storms in our life. This is what Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:25 where he says, "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock" (NIV).

Please remember, storms come in everyone's lives. There is not a single human being in the whole world who has not faced a storm in their life. But when we hide His teachings and His commands in our heart and hold on to them then we will stand and not fall when storms rock our world.

Today, if your world is being blown apart by storms beyond your control, please remember that God will not let you be destroyed... and I urge you to hold on to Him.

Reference: Today in the Word, Dec 13
Proverbs by Charles Briggs, 1995, page 20

Written by Vinay and Shalini
© Vinay and Shalini Patras