One must always do their best, whatever it is they are asked to do, or choose to do. To do any less, is to offend the God of all power.”

We never taken a trust lightly. It was a matter of deep honor, and a debt owed was a debt to be paid.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (Galloway)

       “It’s a dangerous thing to guarantee payment for someone’s debts. Don’t do it!”
                    –Proverbs 11:15 (CEV)
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Chapter 6 of Proverbs has more instructions and warnings from a father.  So much of life, for better or worse, has to do with money and finances.  Let me give a word of warning as we read these verses.  Some may take it that it means never to give aid to a friend.  That is not the case.  This does not mean we should never be generous or helpful if we have the means, but we need to be careful and not promise what we cannot deliver.  I might add here, that this does not only include financial agreements, but also rash promises that cannot be carried out.

          1 — My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
          2 — You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.
          3 — So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; for you have come into the hand of your friend:  God and humble yourself; plead with your friend.
          4 — Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.
          5 — Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.  (NKJV)

     First and foremost, know what you’re pledging and all the downsides.  We should think the transaction through very carefully.  “To be a surety for a friend is to take upon thee the charge of looking to another’s soul.” (Gregory)  One of the surest ways to destroy a friendship is through this sort of transaction.  Hopefully a friend will work with you if you find yourself in this situation, but a stranger–that is a different story.  We should not, except for exceptional occasions, assume the debt for someone else.  Flores says that this is “self-imposed bondage.”  In other words, do not make rash decisions or ignorantly co-sign, and do not put yourself in the hands of someone who is a bad risk…unless you are willing to lose your investment.
     Paul took upon himself on a specific occasion the debt of Onesimous.  He wrote to Philemon regarding this, “But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.  I, Paul, am writing with my own hand.  I will repay–not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides.” (18-19, NKJV)  The lesson to learn is not that co-signing is wrong, but to understand that God is our surety.  There is a difference between giving and not being entrenched with another’s debt.  If there is a problem with this person or transaction, get it straightened out.  Don’t wait around.  If you have bound yourself to everything you can to get out of it.
     One more thought–watch out for credit debt.  This can also enslave you.  This kind of debt can keep you bound for many years and cost you dearly.  Remember, gifts that the world has to offer always has strings attached.  This debt is subtle, similar to what used to be called a “loan-shark.”  You want more, so you go deeper in debt not realizing the situation you are putting yourself into.  Dan Dick states, “It is never wise to live beyond our means to the point where we become a slave to our transactions.”  Perhaps the best way to look at this situation is to recognize that we are to be good stewards of what God has given us.  We are to be good stewards of Christ, not binding ourselves to man. (Flores)

She was discovering the blessedness of solitude, the something leveling in loveliness, the elevating power of the naked sheer walls with their inscrutable meaning.”
                    –Zane Grey  (Lost Pueblo)

       “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”
                    –1 Corinthians 4:20 (ESV)
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          “The decisive things of life come not through our powers of intelligence but through God, the highest power.”
                         –Wilhelm Schmidt

     Psalm 147, a wonderful psalm that speaks to the power of God.  Nothing can compare to Him, and in His sight we are all the same “puny.”  But because of who He is and His gracious love toward man we should sing His praises no matter our condition in life.  This is a psalm that reminds us how good God is and how good it is to worship Him.

          1 — Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
          2 — The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
          3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
          4 — He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
          5 — Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
          6 — The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
          7 — Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp to our God,
          8 — Who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
          9 — He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry.
        10 — He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
        11 — The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.  (NKJV)

To fear God is to be properly responsive to Him in awe and wonder.  Not only is He great and gracious, but He is loving and caring.  Know this–He is good!  Therefore we should sing praises to God for that is our appropriate response.  Think for a moment:  has the enemy ever broken into your life attempting and maybe succeeding to demolish what you held close and dear?  The Lord will build you up again (i.e., the life of Job).  Perhaps you have failed God–did He forsake you, or has He lovingly taken you back in His arms?  He will now wash His hands of you, for you belong to Him, despite the failures and the mishaps of life.  George Wood puts it this way, “Consider His great patience and grace.  He’s not desirous of your remaining in ruins.  He’s committed to helping you get back on your feet, wounds healed, and heart no longer broken.”
     Man tries to compete with God and utterly fails.  It is God who builds, while man tears down.  Man attempts to figure out the immensity of space, but God tracks all the stars and knows them by their name.  It is no harder for God to bring the sun into existence than for any of us to light up a match. (Wood)  But then, with all His infinite power He still takes the time to care for each of us.
     I read a little about Wilhelm Schmidt, who was known as “Hot Steam Schmidt.”  During his life he received patents for twelve hundred inventions.  He believed that every invention was a gift from God and he would write in his diary over his drawings and thoughts:  “I thank you, O God, I thank you.”  Because of his inventions and genius he often was visited by dignitaries and leaders.  He would seat them in his house alongside the poor at his table. (William J. Petersen)  He was never overawed by human abilities because of his knowledge of the Almighty.  He understood the wonder of God.  The NLT translates vs 10, “The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man.”
     Verse 11 should be a Scripture that we can add to the building of our lives.  Look at whom the Lord takes pleasure in–those that fear Him.  From the NLT, “the LORD’s delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.”  Honor–something that is truly missing, not only from our society, but also from our worship of Him.  Someone said this of worry, “Worry is a cycle of ineffective thoughts and emotions whirling around a thick center of fear.”  Just reading this portion of Psalm 147, what is there to worry about?  “God’s greatest delight is when His people revere Him, serve Him, and hope in Him.” (Steven Lawson)

               “I sing the mighty power of God
               That made the mountains rise,
               That spread the flowing seas abroad
               And built the lofty skies.
               I sing the wisdom that ordained
               The sun to rule the day;
               The moon shines full at his command.”
                       –Isaac Watts

A stressed mind will imagine what the eyes can’t see.”
                    –Nathan Wright  (The Pursuit)

       “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”
                    –Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
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Perhaps the most common question I received from youth when I was teaching was:  how do I know God’s will?  A very good and important question, one that we should be asking ourselves continually.  Those who questioned were asking in regard to their future, their careers, college and other things.  How does one know the will of God?  Let’s take a brief look at Acts 16:6-10.

          6 — Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
          7 — After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
          8 — So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
          9 — And a vision appeared to Paul in the night.  A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
        10 — Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.  (NKJV)

     Paul was “forbidden” to preach in Asia, and the Spirit would not “permit” them to go into Bithynia.  How was this done?  By what means did the Spirit use?  Paul knew for sure that the door was closed to Asia.  Richard H. Longnecker reminds us that, “The missionary journeys of Paul reveal an extraordinary combination of strategic planning and sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in working out the details of the main goals.”  The problems come when man tries to do all the planning and doesn’t rely upon the Holy Spirit or he sits back waiting for the Spirit to move.  We train, read, study, plan and move with the guidance of the Spirit.  When Asia was closed, Paul did not sit around moaning and groaning.  The Spirit said, “No,” so he looked for another opportunity–an open door.
     “God communicates His will through needs, through circumstances, through relationships,, and through open doors.” (Bill Wilson)  I would add that He also uses the inner conviction from the Holy Spirit, through a time of prayer, through the gifts of the Spirit, and most often through His Word.  But what if the decision is not expressly written in the Bible, what then?  We see in verse 9 that Paul had a vision.  Wouldn’t it be nice if God would give us visions or write in the sky His will for our lives?  Usually, and more often than not, He uses other means.
     Yesterday I wrote about the “open door,” and going through it into tomorrow or whatever God has planned for you, but we must never forget the “closed door.”  This is what happened to Paul.  Twice, the door was closed.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, “I am profoundly grateful to God that He did not grant me certain things for which I asked, and that He shut certain doors in my face.”  Some of you may remember a song by Garth Brooks a few years back where he sang, “thank God for unanswered prayers.”
     It has been my experience that the most common way that God shows us His will for answers that are not directly found in the Scripture is through open and closed doors.  We cry, “Oh, I wish I knew what the Spirit is telling me to do.”  Instead we need to look at our surroundings, get rid of “self” and our own personal desires, wishes, and wants.  “Paul was a Spirit-sensitized man…  He was prayer-saturated; all of life was communication with the Spirit.  He took it as part of the Spirit-filled life that his thoughts and feelings were marshaled in service to his Lord.” (Lloyd Ogilvie)  So much of the time we let our feelings decide for us.  “This is what I want and the Lord should give it to me.”
     Look at the circumstances to see if the door(s) are closed, then go on with the Spirit.  Don’t try to knock down a door that the Lord has closed.  And I would add this, be willing to accept a closed door and enter the one the Lord has opened.  Let me give an example.  When I was principal and organizing classes there was a student who was late in registering and most of the classes she wanted were full.  I was speaking to the student when her mother began to pray claiming that these classes would open up for her child to be in them with her friends. (Get the picture?  There was a lot of “self” going on).  I broke into the prayer, reminding the mother and child that there was a reason that there was not an opening–poor scheduling of their priorities, and that perhaps (to keep it spiritual) God had other plans.  “Oh, no,” the mother cried, “my child needs to be in those classes with her friends.”  
     Another situation, I was offered an early-out when I was in the Air Force.  It seemed like a good opportunity so I put in the required paperwork on a Friday.  The sergeant who was doing the processing said it would go right through.  All weekend I felt a heaviness; it was as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders.  I agonized over the weekend and as soon as the offices opened on Monday I called to ask if my request had gone through.  The sergeant looked down on his desk, “Why no, I didn’t send it out.  The orders are on my desk.”  I told him to tear up the request and as soon as I said that the heaviness was gone.  
     I used those examples to remind us that we should prepare ourselves, then look at the doors.  If they are closed it most likely is for a purpose, and we then should look for the open door.  We should be like Paul and let the Holy Spirit guide our minds, feelings, emotions, and reactions to situations and then accept the decisions that are not ours and follow the Holy Spirit.  If a door is closed, no matter how bad you want it to be open, accept it, but don’t wait around feeling glum, look for the open door.  Let me also add, this is true in regard to relationships as well.  Do not let a relationship keep you from doing what the Spirit is calling you to do.