Proverbs 21

God is the One and only. There are powerful men, and every man has a self to contend with, but if you were able to satisfy the most powerful leaders in the world, and if you had the highest self-esteem and personal happiness of anyone on the planet, but did not have peace with God, your situation would be perilous.

The Lord weighs the heart. His judgment of any person or situation is far more important than that of anyone else. Secret lies and perfectly executed violence do not escape His notice. He knows what is in your soul. He understands what makes a women contend against her husband, even when she and her husband cannot figure out why their marriage is unhappy.

God has established ways for everyone to grow in wisdom and in favor with others. There are systems of discipline among mankind, and if we will take correction to heart, it will be a benefit to us. God has given all of us the ability to learn by observation and testing. We can even study history and philosophy and learn much about the ways of the world in order to avoid patterns of thought and life that are destructive. But if we do not find a solution to the problem of the Lord's righteous wrath coming against us for our sin, how can we rationally face death with peace? But now we have heard the news of the death and resurrection of the Son of God, and we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

With that secure foundation, we can put off the old man of self-preoccupation and secret scheming, and put on the new man which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator and Redeemer. We can give gifts in secret for the pleasure of the Lord rather than having to promote ourselves to others. We can seek justice with the confidence that the Judge of all the earth will make all things right in season.

In many ways we who believe are just like everyone else. We can study the world that God has made and consider the pathways of time past. We can use our reasoning and aim for righteousness and kindness alongside our neighbors all around us. But we can also seek the mind of the Lord as those who believe the Word of God and have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us. We can pray to God. We can hope in Him. We can hear His Word. We can rejoice in the Lord.

That Spirit that He has given us enables us not only to make progress in knowing but also in speaking and doing. He grants us restraint and modesty by His grace. He brings us new diligence and generosity. More than any other way that we can make progress in who we are and what we do, God grants to us the blessing of true eternal worship, giving us the privilege even now of offering our bodies to Him as living sacrifices.

All of these blessings are worthy of our most sincere expressions of thanks to God through His Son Jesus Christ. The victory belongs to the Lord. The One and only has loved us with an everlasting love.