Key Verse: Proverbs 10:17 “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.” There have been many times where I have taken a test, put something together or filled out paper work and did a poor job because I didn’t fully read the directions. I skimmed through them and assumed I knew how to do the job before me and because of this I failed to do the job before me in the way in which it was meant to be done. I feel like this is how many Christians are. I feel that many of us go to church, many of us listen to sermons from our favorite pastors throughout the week, and many of us read our Bible to some extent. Some of us have a problem with reading and knowing the instructions, but others of us have an issue with following the instructions. The difference is some of us care but don’t know what God desires of us. Others know what God desires of us but struggle to follow the directions He has laid out in front of us. Here in Proverbs 10:17 the author reminds us of the importance of following the instructions. He says that those who keep instruction are on the way of life. They are headed in the right direction. The flip side of that is that those who refuse to follow the instructions are those who go astray. It’s as if they wander from the path that God desires them to be on. How can we stay on the right path? By simply following the instructions God has give us. However this is not as easy as it seems. Our flesh often desires that which God forbids. God forbids it because He knows how it will negatively effect our lives and how it will cause us to grow more and more distant from him. Our job is to stay close with God by following His instructions. How can we follow the instructions when it often seems the opposite of what we want? We do it through the power of the Holy Spirit. If it were up to us to follow the instructions and live a godly life we would fail because we are weak. But thank God that the Holy Spirit lives in me! He who lives in me is stronger than He who is in the world! We need to spend time with the Holy Spirit by studying the instruction manual (the Bible) that God has given us. When we do this He works in us to strengthen with His might to overcome the temptation that lies before us and we find new energy from God to follow the instructions!
