Proverbs 3
1My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; 2for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. 3Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man. 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. 9Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest; 10then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. 11My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; 12for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights. 13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, 14for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. 15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her. 16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. 18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed. 19The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. 20By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew. 21My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment. 22They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. 23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. 25Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare. 27Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. 28Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”— when you already have the means. 29Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he trustfully dwells beside you. 30Do not accuse a man without cause, when he has done you no harm. 31Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; 32for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright. 33The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous. 34He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble. 35The wise will inherit honor, but fools are held up to shame.
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.