Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Proverbs 16:3

When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Proverbs 16:7

Explanation:
In studying this passage the last few days we have begun to recognize God’s sovereignty. Once we acknowledge God’s sovereignty it naturally follows that we are accountable to him. When we live as people who believe that we are accountable to God, the outcome is a life lived with integrity.
Living with integrity is a theme in this week’s passage. The passage references 5 benefits of living with integrity. We’ll look at the first two benefits today.

1. Foundation for right thinking. v. 3
   The writer pleads with the reader to “commit” their “works unto the Lord.” To do this we must have a mindset that everything we do is “unto the Lord.” Every task, big or small, ought to be done knowing that God is watching and that God will be either honored or dishonored by what is done.
   At our camp the theme verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says,

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

A similar mindset was expressed by Paul in Ephesians 6 as he instructed servants on how to serve their masters.

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; (6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; (7) With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men…

Ephesians 6:5-7

This proverb states that when we commit our works unto the Lord, our thoughts shall be established. This means that our plans, ideas and actions will work out the way they ought to when our motivation is to honor the Lord with our actions. If we have the right motivation, our planning will be “established.” Again, remember this is a probability and not a promise. It doesn’t mean that if we have the right heart that we will always be 100% effective and accurate. It does not mean we can’t make mistakes in our thinking. The probability that we will be thinking right goes way up when we are doing what we are doing as unto the Lord.

2. Peace with God and others. v.7
   Another benefit of integrity is the possibility of peace with God and those around us. Verse 7 says that when we are doing what pleases God it creates peace with even our enemies. This makes sense. When we live with integrity we are honest, kind, self-less, honoring to God and to others. Even our enemies love being treated this way. Again, do not take this as a promise but as a probability. People with integrity still can be at odds with their enemies. The probability is that people who aim at pleasing God are way more likely to be at peace with those around them.

Application:
There are two obvious application questions from the two verses today.
What does it look like to commit your way to God? What does it look like to “please God?”

• A commitment to worship. The inner motivation of our souls is to ascribe worth to our God.
• A commitment to praise. The fruit of our lips giving praise and thanksgiving to God for what He has done.
• A commitment to integrity. The commitment to do what is right no matter the cost, regardless of who is watching.
• A commitment to truth. The commitment to prioritize what God has said over what anyone else thinks.
• A commitment to relationship. The commitment to rightly prioritize God and others in my life, and to look to Him for guidance.
• A commitment to prayer. The commitment to go to God in prayer about everything.

We need a move of God in our hearts to be able to have these commitments, but when we do we will live in the benefits of a life lived with integrity.

Response:
What tangible action can you take today to commit your ways to the Lord?
What tangible action can you do today to please God?