To Fear and To Commit

A born again believer has a unique relationship with God the Father. Unlike other relationships, we are told to fear Him and to commit our works to Him, and in return our Heavenly Father promises to guide us with His love. 

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(This is a computer generated transcript of this podcast.  This is NOT a typed transcript and it has not been edited. Expect grammatical and syntactical errors.)

Hello and good day to you. I am B. R. Maul and this is the podcast Living God's Way in an Ungodly World, and this is where the conversation revolves around the truth of the living God. For those who are born again believers, the truth of our Heavenly Father, and for those who are not yet born again, but are searching for the truth, this is the place to be because here the discussion is all around God's word. Only that. Now, what I mean by that is it's not a lot of talk about what others say, what other philosophies are telling us to do. But we take a hard look into God's word and what we are supposed to do as his children. And so for those who are searching for the truth, well, you'll know what is expected of you, but not just what's expected of us, more importantly, what it is to have a relationship with Yahweh, what it means beyond just our salvation, which alone, if it was just that, if he was a hands-off God and once we were born again, he had nothing else to do with us until eternity, personally, I think that would still be magnificent because we would have eternity to look forward to. But you know what? He's a loving God. He's a loving father, and he doesn't want us to wait until eternity to have a relationship with him.

Open your Bibles to Proverbs 16. Proverbs is written mostly by King Solomon, the most wisest man to have ever lived. God certainly granted Solomon some extreme wisdom. We would be wise to extract from that wisdom. So we will use Proverbs 16. Let's take a look at what some of these verses say about living God's way in an ungodly world. The relationship with God is like any other relationship. We also have to put our effort into that relationship. Many people believe, for whatever reason, that it's all about God just loving me, but it's also about us loving Him.

That's very important. So look with me, if you will, in Proverbs 16:3, I'm reading from the new King James version and it reads, commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. That's one of my favorite proverbs, and the reason I love it so much is because God has revealed so much of himself to me through this very process so I can witness to this very verse before recommitting myself to the Lord.

I was very lost. My direction, well I didn't really have a direction. I suppose that would be part of being lost, right? Mammon or money, wealth was my God, that's what I followed. I dedicated my life into making money, collecting money, and hopefully obtaining and keeping my money, but it was very miserable.

And when I recommitted myself to the Lord and he told me, Bruce, read my Bible, nothing else, and I will teach you. For going on close to two decades. That's what I've been doing. And when I came across this at first, it didn't really hit me. It kind of seemed like an obvious like, well, okay, ask the Lord and he'll direct me.

Great. But as a writer, I realized that as I was seeking his guidance and praying for his guidance, I was able to look back when I would read Proverbs 16:3 and realize what it meant by my thoughts will be established because my creativity came so easy, and even pursuing my relationship with God by reading his word, the Holy Spirit was revealing to me what God's word was saying about me, and most importantly about my God. So he was revealing so much. So committing your works, commit your works to the Lord is just that in prayer, going to him and asking him for his guidance. With this very podcast, I rely on the Lord to guide me and he does that often by establishing my thoughts.

So I can attest to that, that indeed he does establish our thoughts and not just in the intellectual way. I can also point out that it's amazing how he has shown me things like operating equipment, for example. It didn't take long and I became a very good skid steer operator. Now, why do I share that? Well, because I'm not one for construction. I am more of a writer, a teacher. I'm not one who goes out and handles big road projects or construction projects. But the thing is, in recent times, in recent years, I have had need of using a skid steer. I have owned a skid steer and have become very good at using it.

See, the thing is I committed even that work to the Lord and my thoughts were established. It's amazing how clear things become when we look to our God for that guidance and not try to just do it our ourself. Which I have to admit is difficult for me. I want to just be able to take it upon myself to do whatever it is, and I, maybe that's because in part I wanna take credit for that, but God has continued to teach me throughout the years.

It benefits me far more if I just turn to him and really realize that through him I can do anything. But without him, I can do nothing. So, 16:3, commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. 

The next verse 5, still in Proverbs 16:5 reads, everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. When I see that word abomination, it really grabs my attention because the last thing I wanna do is to be an abomination to the Lord. And in my Bible, I underline the word everyone. Cause everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Now think about that. Pride seems to easily be the foundational work to all sin. And the reason I say that is because sin we do for ourselves. It is for our benefit. It is for our own gratification. When we sin, it isn't because we're thinking of somebody else and doing the work of God. We are thinking of ourself and trying to benefit ourself.

So pride is something that we certainly ask the Lord to help us overcome as a Christian, because pride is the downfall of walking with the Lord. Think about it. It is an abomination to the Lord. He hates it. He loathes it and wants nothing to do with it. So when it comes to being in a relationship with God, if we are prideful, we are putting up this wall between us and our Heavenly Father, because ultimately with pride, we're saying, I can do it. I'm gonna do it my way, and I don't need you, God. Or I'll come to you when I need you. Even though it's his very will that my heart continues to beat and my lungs continue to expand and extract and to keep me alive. But at times, my human tendency says I can do this and I'm gonna do it my way. And that's where pride comes in.

So it's important to remember that everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. I do wanna point out when we're told that something is in the heart, So in this case, proud in heart. It's a sign that it's an ongoing thing. It's a characteristic. It's a part of the person. The reason I share that is it's important that we don't also get to the point where we feel that we need to please God. In order for him to love us, like many of our earthly relationships, if we displease somebody who loves us, their response alright, can often leave us feeling that they love us less. The reason I share this is because this is pointing out that somebody who it's proud in heart, A Christian who's been walking with the Lord for quite some time has learned that pride certainly separates them from God.

So they do everything they can to avoid that pride. But like everything, we still fall to our sin from time to time, cuz remember, as Born again believers, we are not sinners who from time to time do good work. In other words, who are saintly, who from time to time walk in God's will? No, no, no, no. It doesn't work that way. Born again, believers are saints, who from time to time sin, we are not sinless, but as we continue to be sanctified, we sin less. And so that pride can still pop up, right? And we make a decision based on pride. We do something out of pride, but then we quickly turn back to our Heavenly Father and repent and keep our eyes on him and not turn back to that pride.

The reason that's important is because that doesn't mean you as a child of God who have, who has done that is an abomination to the Lord. No, because he loves you so much. And remember, the blood of Christ is so powerful that if you are born again, he no longer sees you as you are in your dirty sin. He sees you through Jesus Christ.

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. The second part of that, though, they join forces, none will go unpunished. I won't spend too much time on that, but I think we can see that today because it's very evident in our world, in our modern time because people who are proud, the world is proud, the devil who is still ruling the world, thrives on making people very proud, very prideful. So we're told to do things in life, to make us feel more comfortable, to make us look better, to make us more rich. It's all about us. It's all about the person, and that's pride. But even though the world holds hands, they come together and agree on this and say, this is what's gonna make you more happy as Christians, we know better and say no. No, we are not doing that because although they join forces, these prideful people, none, it says, none will go unpunished. 

Verse 6, in mercy and truth, atonement is provided for iniquity and by the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil. Mercy, and truth. That's really big. We hear it a lot. So when it comes to our relationship with God, having mercy and having truth is detrimental.

Now in Proverbs three, starting in verse three, it reads, let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart. Let not mercy and truth forsake you. In other words, don't forsake mercy and truth. Have mercy and truth a part of who you are. Because as a born again believer, we understand that because of Jesus Christ, because of his blood, our sins are washed away.

He has had great mercy on us, and so we are to have mercy upon others. We are to be very patient and kind. We are to give freely of the resources that God has given us and to have mercy on those who are in pain. We get the gospel out to those who do not know the Lord. We spread the truth of the gospel, and it says in mercy and truth atonement is provided for inequity. Now that isn't saying that we are forgiven our sins, that's important because now we're jumping into works of salvation. Oh, if I'm merciful and if I'm truthful, well then my sins, I'm atone for my sins. No atonement is provided. For inequity when we do things wrong, when we live a life where we make mistakes, but we continue to look to the Lord for mercy, atonement is made and when we have mercy on others, atonement is provided for the iniquity that they may have caused us and for the pain and hurt that we may have been carrying against them if we weren't being merciful.

The second part of six, and by the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil. The fear of the Lord, as we have discussed before this podcast, is that reverent fear, the same reverence that a young child has towards his or her mom and dad, knowing that mom and dad have the ability to take away things from the child, that mom and dad are the resource for all good things that come to the child. Food and toys and warm clothes and blankies, all that good stuff. And a child quickly learns to have that reverent fear for mom and dad. It doesn't take long. And they learn, oh, if I get mom or dad angry, well I can get into trouble. I may have to sit in the corner. I may have a toy taken from me that I really want, whatever it might be, but that child quickly learns that reverent fear. But at the same time, that child loves mom and dad and the child understands that mom and dad love the child. So it's not the fear, like I'm afraid, like a scary movie type fear, but that reverent fear of knowing that this is who can and will discipline me, and by the fear the Lord one departs from evil.

As we read God's word and we go to God on a daily basis in prayer, in supplication and in Thanksgiving, what happens is we start to depart from our evil ways, our evil thoughts, our evil desires, and every born again believer should be able to look back in their life and be able to see the progress that's being made. Things at one point in their life that was evil and they just did it without really thinking twice about it. But in time as they grew in their Christian walk suddenly departing from evil, that same e evil that we see now we can look at and that Christian will think that really is ugly. I can't stand that. And no, I don't have the desire to do that anymore. That only comes by the fear of the Lord and is with the fear of the Lord, that we gain wisdom as we seek his relationship, as we seek him out. And the Holy Spirit grants us this wisdom through His word, and that is how we depart from evil. 

Are you saying in these verses, beloved, how we can easily go back and forth with a reciprocal relationship with God? It's not a one-way street like any relationship. If you're somebody who is married, you know that with a relationship with your spouse, if you don't communicate. If you don't do things together, if you don't offer up your time, your resources, your love, your compassion to one another, than that relationship hurts.

And not just in marriage. It's with every relationship, parents and children, friendships, relationships with our relatives, aunts and uncles, it's a two-way street. That's how relationships work. So hopefully you're seeing that connection with when we do this, how he naturally, his love pours into us and we are rewarded.

We are becoming stronger. 

Verse 7, this one here shows us just how beneficial it is when we are walking with Yahweh. When we are walking in his ways, when we are reading his word and abiding by his commands, cuz listen to this, when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

That is amazing. I'll read it again. Listen carefully: when a man's ways, of course man being mankind, male and female. When a man's ways, please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. So let's break this down. When a person's ways, so the, the path that we're walking, in other words, the choices that we make day to day, right? That's the path of life. We're all on a path, and that path is either leading to heaven or it's leading to hell. And in this path, even though there's two separate destinations, there are many things that can happen in between. And all those decisions that we make compile. Into what happens throughout the day, week, months, and years of our lives and when those ways, those decisions that we are making, please the Lord.

And what does that mean? Please the Lord. Well, to please the Lord. We're loving God. We are loving our Lord God, with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our might, and we are loving our neighbors. As ourself. The only way we can do that is first and foremost to be born again, because without being born again, we don't have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Without the Holy Spirit, the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked not to be trusted. And so without the Holy Spirit, a person will do everything to survive somehow or another, whatever they do. Is for their own benefit, whether instantly or in the long run, okay, we are out to please ourself, but when a person is born again, that is when they are born of the Spirit and God is Spirit.

So the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Then that person is able to please the Lord because now that person is able to truthfully love God. Because the Holy Spirit will show and give them the means, the ability to love God with their whole heart, with their whole soul and all their might, and the ability to love others, to love mankind as they do themselves.

And that's pleasing to the Lord. So when our decisions, please the Lord, when our ways please the Lord, he makes even. Our enemies to be at peace with us. Now, you may be thinking, well, that that sounds just stupid, because even Christians have enemies that are out to get them who can't stand them. So it doesn't mean God makes everybody like us, even our enemies to like us, but what it's saying is he makes even our enemies to be at peace with us.

What that looks like. I really don't know, but I can look back in my own life and what I see that as meaning to me. Is that as I've been following God as I have been walking with him, I can say I have a lot less enemies because I'm able to have compassion for others and even people that I disagree with, even people who we do not see eye to eye with, those who I'd just rather completely get away from them, in their presence, I'm still able to love them as I love myself because I start to see others as God sees them and I start to understand what it means that we are all made in God's image, even those that we don't like, even those who don't like us. So even those who would normally be our enemy. Before being born again, before walking with the Lord, I more than likely would have said something to offend them or maybe did something to try to better myself, or when it gets right down to it, that's how fights break out, right?

And you start punching and hitting or whatever it might be. There are many levels of an enemy that can even be a relative that you just completely disagree with. And you certainly don't get along. Now, you might not be hitting each other, but at the same time, you avoid one another. But without the Holy Spirit, it's so much easier to hurt other people, and then suddenly our enemies are not at peace with us and they want to strike back and cause us hurt and harm. But when we are walking with the Lord, our very actions make it so much more difficult for others. Our enemies, people who don't like us, to be aggressive towards us, to be violent towards us. As a Christian, I can look back and see how he has indeed made others, including my enemies, be at peace with me because even when I disagree with them, I can do it cordially and lovingly and they know that, that it's genuine and that I'm just not out there trying to belittle them or appease them. 

Verse 8: better is a little with righteousness, then vast revenues without justice. Verse 8 really shows us that doing the right thing is always better than doing something for our own benefit. So to have a little of something better is a little with righteousness doing the right thing. Maybe that just means with, for example, honesty. An honest person doesn't take money that isn't his or hers.

Where somebody who doesn't act righteously and has vast revenues making money by cheating. Or when money does come their way, that's not theirs, uh, the teller at the till gives back a $100 dollar bill instead of a $10 bill. The person without justice thinks, oh yes, I just got 90 more dollars.

Where the person acting out of righteousness realizes that that person's gonna have consequences when that till doesn't add up. And the right thing to do is say, you gave me the wrong change. Now, obviously, that person isn't going to have that extra $90, so they hadn't gained anything financially, but they're still better off because they are walking with the Lord. And like we just read, he makes even their enemies at peace in that we depart from evil by walking with him and that he establishes our thoughts when doing work. So we benefit far more by remaining righteous. Instead of trying to get gain by the quickest way possible, because having vast revenues, bringing in all kinds of stuff, bringing in all kinds of money, but doing it unjustly, there's no reward there.

That person has to look over their shoulder knowing they've cheated other people. That person who is acting unjustly is the one who continues to believe that others are out to cheat them as well. A cheater is the one who's always worried about being cheated, where somebody who is not a cheater, who is honest, doesn't worry about that.

And why is that? Have you ever thought of that? Do you know somebody who consistently is so worried about being cheated? Maybe that person isn't in somebody who is outwardly cheating other people, but I bet their thoughts, their desires, Do cheat. They're quick to wish somebody else. The misfortune, they're quick to want that prosperous job, that prosperous item before somebody else, and they're the ones who don't sleep at night.

So that's the benefit of being righteous. Better is a little with righteousness than vast revenues without justice. Got three more verses. We're gonna skip all the way in Proverbs 16, all the way down to verse 24. Now this verse shows us and teaches us the power of our tongue. And as we are walking with the Lord, following his ways, receiving his blessings, his guidance, we also benefit in other ways as well.

Here's verse 24. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul, and health to the bones. I just love that it's very poetic. First of all, I love the word pleasant. Even just saying it, try it pleasant. Who doesn't like pleasant? I like pleasant things. I like pleasant settings. I like pleasant people.

I like pleasant music. Pleasant scenery. Just the word pleasant. It's up there with cozy. So pleasant words are like a honeycomb when we speak. Words that are kind, that are pleasant. When we speak words that are uplifting to other people, it is sweet. It is sweetness to our soul, and it is sweetness to their soul. It brightens the spirits. It really can change somebody's day. It's amazing what a kind word can do and a kind word that is honest, sincere, and pleasant. It is sweetness to the soul. What I also like though is how our words that are kind, that are loving, they're not just sweetness to our soul and to others, but think about it. It also says, and health to the bones. The bones. That's our physical being. Now, I know running around saying nice things to people isn't healing people. Otherwise, we wouldn't need hospitals. We wouldn't need clinics. Right. If somebody got injured, we'd sit down and start saying nice things to them, being very pleasant to them, and it would heal them. It would cure the cancer. It would mend their wound. Okay. It doesn't do that, but it sure can give somebody this added energy that's needed for that day. And when somebody speaks in pleasant words, a person that. Goes around being pleasant to others who is quick to offer up compliments, who are quick to point out a person's strengths, a person's beauty. You know what? That person who speaks those pleasant words, it's gonna be interesting to see just how much they themselves. Well, perhaps a cold they got didn't get near as bad as it would perhaps. Wounds that they get do heal faster, and I think in heaven we are gonna learn a lot more about that.

Because yes, science touches on it, but they don't spend a whole lot of time because. It's more profitable to talk about pharmaceuticals than it is about positive attitudes. But even for those studies that from time to time you do hear about how somebody with a positive attitude is far more likely to live longer and to feel better, even if perhaps statistically going by their numbers. If you were to test their blood, they might not be as healthy as the next person. I know people in my life like that who, because of their attitude, They get through each day, even though they are riddled with pain from this or that, and yet others who are healthier than them physically struggle just because of their point of view. So pleasant words are like a honeycomb. They are sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. And what a wonderful blessing the Lord has given us by just speaking kind words with our tongue. 

Verse 25. This one here should make everyone do a double take, whether you're born again or not, and I'll tell you why in a moment. Proverbs 16:25. There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death. Let me read that again. There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death. Hmm. The reason we should do a double take with that is because the church man's church is filled with people who are on the wrong path, who are skipping down what they think is the narrow path, but it's wide and easy, and they're skipping all the way to hell because they're not born again.

I think of when Jesus says in Matthew seven, when the day comes, there will be those who say, Lord, Lord, had we not prophesied in your name, did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not do great works in your name? And he will say, depart from me. You evil doers. I never knew you. These are people who their way seems right. Going to worship and following all the traditions of man seems right. It feels good, baptizing, babies feels right. It seems good. And in the sight of these individuals, they truly do believe they're doing the right thing, cuz there's that word way again. And that represents the path that a person's walking, the decisions that we make. There is a way that seems right to a man, and that's why everyone, we need to know what path we are walking on and we are told that we can know for certain, so you don't have to question that. But for those who are banking on themselves being baptized as a baby or attending church on a regular basis and being affirmed by other members of the church that they're good people and that surely they're going to be going to heaven.

They do all the rituals, they attend all of the services. They do everything right in their own eyes, but its end is the way of death. It leads to hell powerful. But if you're walking with the Lord, you're reading his word every day and you're praying to him and you're asking for that guidance as a born again believer, he will show you the truth and you will know.

Now I want to end with the last one, which is the last verse of Proverbs 16:33 reads, the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. Well, let me break that down for you. Now, the lot is referring to in Old Testament times, what they would often do, and we know this because in the story of Jonah, They cast lots to see whose God was angry, and it turns out that the lot fell on Jonah. So it kind of like rolling the dice and that determines a decision. So the lot is cast into the lap. In other words, we as people have that control. We cast our lot, we put in our 2 cents. We, we put in our effort, we plan things. We say we're gonna do this or that. But even rolling the dice, it's every decision is from the Lord. Brothers and sisters, that means there is no such thing as coincidence. There is no such thing as luck because our God is sovereign. Our heavenly Father knows everything. He is never surprised. He never has to think twice about it. He never regrets a decision. Because even what we think is random is decided by God.

And I know it's easy to think that a decision that I'm gonna make is gonna really mess up God's plan, but no, it doesn't. It doesn't. It's so interesting how the relationship with God, he wants us and demands us to participate. For someone to say, I'm not gonna do anything because, well, God's gonna do it all anyway. No, because he does everything through his creation and for believers, we are the hands and feet and mouth for Jesus Christ until his return. So he works through us. He works through his people, but he also works through his enemies. He works through everything to His glory, to his will. And isn't it wonderful beloved, that you and I get to participate and be a part of this great creation, this great story of his, it should be.

I do pray that you are indeed receiving the joy you so get with walking with our Heavenly Father by letting Jesus Christ be the center of your life. And that you're loving him with all your heart, even when you don't feel like it. Hmm. That's something, huh? Well, I care for you and I care for you because you are made in God's image.

And if you are born again, oh how He loves you so much and has already given you far more than we can ever fathom. And if you're not born again, well right now at this very moment. He is knocking at your heart. The Holy Spirit is tugging at you because he loves you and he doesn't want you to perish. He wants you to claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and to believe in your heart that God the Father, raised Jesus from the dead.

He's there, he's waiting. You're welcome to get ahold of me with any questions or comments. Go to my website, click on contact, and email me. I also invite you to pray for me, my family, and this ministry, pray for everyone who is listening to this podcast, that their hearts are opened up, that they receive the message, and that most importantly, they respond to it.

And if you can, please support this ministry. Just go to brmaul.com. That is brmaul.com. Click on donate, and there's three different ways you can give to this ministry, through PayPal, using credit card, or there's a post office box. You can send your gift through the mail. Well, thank you so much for joining me today.

I look forward to next week as well. God willing, and until next time, God bless.

Songs

“Heroes Inspire Hope” and “Mountainscape” by Humans Win

“Technology Corporate Light and Uplifting” by Media Music Group

“A Morning Breeze” by Boris Skalsky 

“Retro 80s Movie Synth Vibe” by Nick Battle

Sound Effects from Storyblocks.com