Introduction

Until now, I have been a bit on the right track when we study the book of Proverbs. I felt a little uncertain when I first read Proverbs. How can I study it? For example, it is easy to study the book of Genesis, Samuel, or the four Gospels because there are many stories in them. How can we study the books if there are no stories? The book of Proverbs is similar to philosophy, making it quite challenging to study.

Later, I discovered that if people did not understand philosophy, it would be a really big problem because philosophy is a powerful thing. If people cannot learn, think, and observe, it will be troublesome. If a person does not view things from a philosophical perspective, they usually see things in biology. So I worked hard to teach everyone how to learn and think. I was eager to find a book related to philosophy to teach everyone how to learn and think. Later, I searched around and decided to use the book of Proverbs.

This book is very good, but very difficult to explain. The content is very deep. But looking at Chapter 16, I found that the content in this book is very straightforward. I have the character of being able to simplify complex things. The most important feature and fundamental principle of our Bible study is this: after reading God's word, we must put it into practice. Matthew 7:24 says something similar

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24. NIV)

If everyone keeps learning from me, they will learn a lot about how to put God's words into practice. I am not just making empty claims. I work hard to lead everyone to read the Bible and apply God's words in their lives. I won't just tell you that this is God's word, and then not tell you which one can be applied. If you don't comprehend something, it becomes challenging to apply it. Ultimately, you won't know how to implement it in your life.

After reading chapter 16, I found that this chapter is all about how to please God with one's heart, being loved by the king, and finding favor with the Lord. It emphasizes relying on God. There are many verses like this. So I gave this chapter a title: My heart should seek only to please God. Let's center our discussion on this topic.

Should your heart please yourself or should it please God? This is a very easy question, how can people not understand? Someone said, "I don't know how to please God." In Matthew 19:21, Jesus said this to a young rich man:

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21, NIV)

As a result, the young rich man left with sadness after listening. Because he had a lot of wealth, which was his beloved treasure. This experiment revealed that his heart was on his treasures on earth. people's hearts become greedy for money. They feel that money is very important and they cannot survive without it. They think it is unrealistic to please God.

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. (Proverbs 16:1, NIV)

I told people that being able to speak is very important. Some people quickly learn Shan Tianfang's storytelling, and some learn Guo Degang's storytelling. This becomes troublesome because they forget the most important thing is not to learn how to speak, it is how to please God. What if one day, you need to go for a job interview and your speaking doesn’t work? Then you are going to think, "God helps me, today I have an interview." As a result, when you are asked questions, your tongue becomes tied, and you don't know what to say.

Speaking can be practiced. But the most important thing is whether your heart pleases God or not. God will let you say something appropriate in that situation. Don't forget the most important thing. I'm surprised that many people often misunderstand what I'm trying to preach. For example, when I said I wanted to honor God through my work, someone heard and worked overtime and thought it was glorifying God. This is also a misunderstanding. When you don't have God to help you in your job position, what you honor is yourself.

To please God, one must deal with the laziness of the flesh

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. (Proverbs 16:2, NIV)

People feel that they have good reasons, even for hating others and getting sick. When encountering problems, they always think crookedly. What are our hearts thinking? What God measures is the human heart. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all pleased God, but what were their hearts thinking? Many people don't care about these things and only look at what they did and what they got.

People observe others based on their actions, but God looks into the heart of people. It is common for people to praise someone's exemplary life. But what they see is just based on his outside actions. What everyone saw was that he came to set up tables before the worship, and cleaned up after the worship. It looked like he loved God very much. But later on, it was discovered that when measured by God, it showed that his heart was to please people. Instead of pleasing God, moving stools around is all for the people to see.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

Learn to please God. At this point, I want to boast that I know only one person who pleases God, and that is me. I used the Spirit of God as a witness to me. You will see that much of what I have done has truly been accomplished. I used to work at a company and all the projects I was responsible for were completed. The reason was simple, I took God's words very seriously. I also knew that I hadn't been doing well. I never considered my actions to be holy before God.

From the first day, I became a Christian, I knew in my heart that I had to please God. This sentence is very important because I have a very simple logic in my head: If you are an engineer, be a good engineer, and if you are a Christian, be a good Christian. Striving for excellence is essential in every aspect of life.

If, as a Christian, what I am doing is not to please God, but rather to make God angry. Then what am I doing? Later on, I thanked God that what we did with our hands was the best proof of our desire to gain God’s joy.

We must reflect on whether we love God or not in our hearts. It depends on how we do things. God doesn't like lazy people. So being lazy is not pleasing to God. The Bible is full of God's words, and you will find that many people who read the Bible without passion and do not want to establish a complete system of faith, always do things randomly. If you sweep and wipe the floor like this, you will not be able to clean it thoroughly, let alone learn theology. We all need to adopt an attitude like mine, seeking clarity and understanding, and do things properly.

I’m going to give everyone some confidence, as long as you adjust your methods and attitude correctly, you can also become a smart person. Some people developed this timid personality ever since they were young, and when they encountered difficulties, they fell back. In the end, they became a pastor who is timid when they encounter difficulties, and then lead their church members to be timid too when they encounter difficulties. I would like to encourage our brothers and sisters, there is nothing wrong with our mental hardware. The issue lies in not installing the software or knowledge over these past years. Today is the day to start installing them inside.

Now you will become smarter because your software has been upgraded to the MingDing theology and you have begun to become a person who seeks only to please God. Your plan will be fulfilled. Whatever you do, you will be blessed and achieve success. Your boss will see that you are a capable person because you consistently accomplish your tasks effectively.

The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. (Proverbs 16:4, NIV)

Sometimes you will see a pastor working hard, diligently preaching on stage, and wholeheartedly loving the Lord. However, he often experiences many strange disasters, then, you should begin to realize that what he has in his heart is not pleasing to God. The price he paid was not for the kingdom of God but for the sake of pleasing himself or others.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. (Proverbs 16:2, NIV)

I am well aware that there are things people can talk about but can't do, and there are things that they can do but can't talk about. At the time of the election, many politicians are like this.

To please God, you must deal with the jealousy in your heart.

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 16:5, NIV)

If the things in your heart are hated by God, it will be troublesome. Many people are proud of their wealth and power because they feel that these things can make them look better. I rarely see anyone that is proud because he loves God.

You need to know that God rules over the heavens and the earth, and no matter how the wicked disguise themselves, God will always send disaster to them. As long as you observe, you will come to the same conclusion as me. That many things that happen in this world are deserved consequences. Some people show pity for those whom God hates. Aren't they political prisoners in the kingdom of God?

Through love and faithfulness, sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord, evil is avoided. When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them. (Proverbs 16:6-7, NIV)

Make peace with God because He rules over the heaven and the earth. This phrase must be deeply engraved in our hearts. If our actions please God, He will reconcile us with our enemies. We need to know if we please God or not. A person who lives according to the flesh, catering to his desires, is someone who angers God.

We need to know that everything we do is to please God. Abraham begged God for mercy because of Sodom. That pleased God. We need to know that if we seek God's will, it will please God. If you are someone who pleases God, God will make your enemies reconcile with you, and even those around you will give you a thumbs up to praise you, and you will become a noble prince.

Pleasing God cannot be blocked by money.

Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. (Proverbs 16:8, NIV)

If a person's heart is dedicated to seeking wealth and strength, it would be a bit troublesome. Money has a profound impact on people's hearts, and many people value it very much. Since the reform of the hospital, the goal has been to make money. There is a hospital that says it earns around 400 million yuan a day, and there are still people lining up to deliver money to it. If a person's heart is full of money, then they must be an evil person.

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9, NIV)

Don't assume this is a favorable talk. What are humans planning? They are planning how much money they can earn. If someone is planning to go on public, then their 500 million will change to 5 billion. How easy it is to make money. However, the outcome will not be expected. If the IPO fails, it won't be 500 million anymore. Why? Because the Lord established their steps and leads them to prison.

God can lead you to the path of life, or the path of death. God can direct you to the path of prosperity, or the path of prison. It depends on your destiny. The key is whether the path you go to is the one that pleases God or the one that pleases money. If the things in your heart don’t please God, they will attract demons.

To please God, we must honor and respect the authority

The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth does not betray justice. (Proverbs 16:10, NIV)

Even kings are in the hands of God, and the rulers of all nations are under His control. Don't engage in conflicts with them. I don't encourage people to confront the government. If you walk on the path of righteousness, what would the government try to do to you? Just be a good citizen, work hard, and do business well. And if you don't love money and seek only to please God and create value, what could go wrong?

“Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness. Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks what is right. A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but the wise will appease it. When a king’s face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.” Proverbs 16:11-15

Power and authority all come from God. And whoever God appoints as king is good. In ancient China, the emperors called themselves "Taizi" (the Son of Heaven) because even those who were emperors dared not to compete with God. What do we have to be proud of? In history, many people who planned finances and loved money have been killed. What can love money do? The only pleasing God is wisdom.

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver. The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives. (Proverbs 16:16-17, NIV)

Is the path that God guides you on the path of destruction or the path of life? Will God keep you or will He destroy you? It all depends on what you have in your heart.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools. The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction. Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:18-24, NIV)

If you please God in your heart and then God gives you some wisdom, won't you become a wise person? Brothers and sisters, you should think about whether you rely on money or God, whether you are seeking God's wishes or your own, or others' happiness. Whatever is in a person's heart, they will speak it out of their mouth.

“The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on. A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips, it is like a scorching fire. A perverse person stirs up conflict, and gossip separates close friends. A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good. Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.” Proverbs 16:26-30

Do you know why your lips need to be tightly closed? Because saying it out loud is very low, speaking it out is also very embarrassing. So, sisters, if you plan for your food and drink and your body all day long, but you don't have wisdom in your heart, you will be in trouble. If your heart is filled with the path of life, the path of eternal life, and you seek to please God every day. What you speak pleases God and will help to build up people, it will make the heart feel sweet, and it will heal their bones.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. (Proverbs 16:31, NIV)

When you walk the path of life, although you are old and your hair is also white, your heart is full of wisdom.

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32, NIV)

Either go on this path or that path, don't make a mistake. If you make a mistake, your body will be gone before your hair turns white.If you are a person who is full of wisdom, you will become smarter every day and please God every day.

You can please God from the age of twenty until you reach the age of ninety. Although you might have white hair, you will share stories with others about how God is with you, how he protected you, how he treated you kindly, and how he made covenants with you, displaying miracles and wonders in your life. How wonderful it would be! However, if your hair grows white, but your heart does not grow, your life would be a tragedy.

So, brothers and sisters, we should control our hearts and change our hearts so that we please God. Then you will tell yourself that your heart must only please God. Do not be foolish, do not be led to the path of destruction. Rely only on God.

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. (Proverbs 16:20, NIV)

Your emotions need to be stable, but to what degree?

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:32-33

If you read the news, everything is about murder and fighting, there is nothing on the news that pleases God. If you seek those things, then you will end up realizing it is all worthless. God’s words are our path, and our ultimate goal is to please Him.

Summary

What can you guys summarise from this? Don’t say, “Oh it's fine, what he and I seek are quite similar.” Let me tell you, God has eyes, remember this. Your heart must only please God, we must know that God is in control of everything, he sees everything, and he will lead our steps. If you please God, then even your enemies will reconcile with you. Don’t go on your path, only God’s words are the right path. Don’t put a worldly logic in your mind, instead put a logic that pleases God, and aim for eternal life in your heart.

May God bless you all!