Prov. 22:20 - 21

"Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?" Prov. 22:20 - 21

There are some things I am certain of:

- The sun will come up tomorrow, even if I don't and unless the Lord returns.
- The government will continue to collect taxes.
- My wife loves me.
- Jesus loves me more.
- The Father loves me so much He sent His Son to die for me.
- When I do die, I will see Jesus face to face, and I will not be afraid.

I like certainties. They are things "a man can hang his hat on." I like knowing that I have a job to go to. I like knowing that my wife loves me, bad points and all. I like knowing that there is something beyond this life, and it is far better than what I have now.

I don't like uncertainties. I don't like being made to wait for the outcome of something I have no control over. I don't like owning a car that may or may not start in the morning. I don't like the feeling I get when I know I have done something wrong and anticipate the possibility of discipline.

Uncertainties are like quicksand. It looks like solid ground, but it will not support his weight. Solomon has spent the past twenty-one chapters of his book of wisdom telling us things of certainty. His words are like solid stones quarried from bedrock. We can use them to lay a solid foundation. We can use them to build beautiful walls. We can use them to provide a solid roof to protect us from the elements. His words of wisdom direct us in the paths of righteousness. They guide us through the legal morass of the Law.

They provide a laugh from time to time and always direct our paths in God's ways. There is another certainty that I am aware of: Unless the Lord returns, I will eventually die. It may not happen tomorrow or next week or next year or ten years from now, but my body will eventually give up and I will cease to exist on this earth. What's more, it is a certainty that if we study the words of Solomon and know Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we will be able to stand before the Father without fearing death but with certainty that we are able to enter into the reward He has for us.

That's what Solomon means by the last line of today's verses, "that you may be able to correctly answer him who sent you." On that day, the Father will ask us one question: "What have you done with my Son?" We will answer honestly, for that is the only way to respond when we stand face-to-face with the God who holds our future in His hands. Most of us who read this will be able to say, "I have made Jesus my Savior and serve Him as my Lord." God will proudly say "well done" and we will enter into the place God has for us. A few may bow their heads in shame and say, "I denied Him, many times." God will utter a "depart from me" and cast those into the eternal reward for evildoers.

Perhaps you are one of the few who will stand in shame before God, if you were to die today. You don't have to. Yes, you have denied Jesus in the past, but you don't have to live in that denial. There is still time to change that decision. Accept Jesus as your Savior right now. Tell Him that you are a sinner and are sorry for your sins. Ask Him to forgive you, He longs to do that. If you accept Him, He will not deny you on the Day of Judgment. Don't delay. Respond right now... before it is too late. Amen and Amen.