Obtaining the Good Life

“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:7-8).
God gives three spiritual keys to the proverbial “good life” in this passage. These three keys will bring: “Health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones.” The first key is not to be wise in our own eyes. Because God is truth and wisdom, we must trust and rely on Him and seek truth from Him alone. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5). It is so easy to lean on our own understanding and to think more highly of ourselves than we should. The second key is to fear the Lord. We need a holy, healthy respect and reverence for Almighty God. “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23). Fear of God helps us to rely on Him. It draws us closer to Him- not push us away. When we fear God, we see Him in the fullness of his awesomeness and power. The third key is to depart from evil. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the ways of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2). If we follow these three keys, we will be able to walk circumspectly before the Lord and we will have the “good life”.