Commit It

Read Proverbs 16:1-33

1. We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.
2. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
3. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
4. The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
5. The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.
6. Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.
7. When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.
8. Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.
9. We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:1-9

Many people fear getting married. Marriage changes everything—for the rest of your life. No one should blame a bride or groom for being nervous. Uncertainty over the future is the most nerve-racking kind of all. How do they know this will work? So many marriages don’t last. Will theirs?

Predicting the future has many hazards. A better approach would be to consider the advice in Proverbs 16 about committing your way (or future) to God.

In this chapter you will also learn about making plans; dealing with pride; being fair in business; using pleasant words; and strengthening the bond between friends.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” What does this mean? To “commit your work to the Lord” means to dedicate everything you do to God’s purposes through prayer—turning it over to him. It also means doing your best for God’s glory and depending on him for the results.

What work should you commit to God? Any plan, task, or endeavor that you want to succeed: buying a car, starting school, initiating a new church program, getting engaged or married, going on vacation, changing jobs, entering retirement—these all qualify.

Think of a specific effort in which you are involved right now—how might you commit it to the Lord?