Nothing just happens by chance. All human experiences can be traced to some related roots, with a particular story attached to it. Most mental health challenges are technically a result of trauma that individuals have had in the past. On the other hand, everyone who is experiencing a significantly successful and influential life today has been in a place of hard work and has invested a significant number of resources to make this happen. No good thing just comes by luck! So, it means life is transactional, which means we reap what we sow and receive a return on whatever we have invested in. Does this leave God out of this equation?
Proverbs 3:1-10, 13-18 NKJV
[1] My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; [2] For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. [3] Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, [4] And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. [5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. [8] It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. [9] Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; [10] So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. [13] Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; [14] For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. [15] She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. [16] Length of days is in her right hand, In her left-hand riches and honor. [17] Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. [18] She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.
When we decide to follow Jesus, the reality of our human life changes because the old man is dead and we have just been made new, born again by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is therefore a requirement by Faith to begin to walk by the commands of God. We want to love the way Jesus loves; we want to forgive the way Jesus forgives, and we want to leave the way He lives. This means a lot of things must change! In fact, everything must change, and we cannot do this by our own strength but by our dependence on the grace which can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-4 categorically stated that grace is not a ticket for us to live and dwell in sin. โWhat shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of lifeโ.
What the great apostle says here is that we cannot continue to live in sin and ask God for more of His grace. We live in a generation that capitalizes on grace and we want to live based on our biases, living on our own opinions and terms which are against what was written in Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6 โ[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your pathsโ. Rather than using grace as a ticket to live a lawless and foolish lifestyle, why don’t we seek God and is grace to help us to live a life that is meaningful, a life that brings glory and honour to Him as ambassadors of the Kingdom in our generation.
The proverb of Solomon in chapter 3 of Proverbs, from verse 1 to 18, was a recount of what we gain when we follow the commands of God. As much as we are in the dispensation of grace, we are to live a life that is in alignment with the commands of God. Solomon recorded what we get when we invest our time in seeking the wisdom of God and His understanding of how to live. He says if we put the law of God in our hearts and keep our hearts to the commandments, living the way He wants us to live by His grace, we will live Long, and the peace of God will be the reward. Solomon added in his admonition, if we do not forsake mercy and truth, we shall find favour in the sight of God and man.
Another aspect of the transactional relationship that God has with us is proven if we trust Him with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. This means we will not be lost in the wilderness of life because we have chosen to seek His wisdom in everything that we do and to seek His counsel in all decisions that we make. If we fear God and depend on His wisdom, it will be health to our flesh and strength to our bones. If we give towards the work of the Lord (missions), we shall be blessed in return.
As much as we want to truly serve God with our lives, our soul, our substance, our time and with all our heart because we love Him without expecting anything in return, God is a transactional Father who rewards those who seek Him with all that they have. โhe is a rewarder of them that diligently seek himโ (Hebrews 11:6b). However, the only way to live for God as He desires is to be intentional about this daily and be dependent on His grace and His mercy. By the guidance and promptings of the Holy Spirit, you and I can continue to live in alignment with the pattern that God has set for us in the scriptures, and as long as we submit to Him wholeheartedly, Jesus will sustain and keep us!
