Proverbs 22

Thank you for your prayers for me and our church.  What a week!  Yesterday afternoon and early this morning God allowed me to complete the message for Sunday.  You might remember what I taught last Sunday about waiting for wisdom.  God was checking to make sure I practice what I preach.

Wise is the man or woman who remembers the teaching of verse 1 during a compromising situation.  How sad that so many have sacrificed their good name for riches.  Sitting in a jail cell or going through a bankruptcy, they realize the wisdom of this verse.

Many of us are living the fulfillment of verse 6.  We sowed our wild oats but couldn’t run from the training and truth of the Gospel we received as a child.

I’m so proud to be a part of GC.  You are living verse 9.  We asked you to help needy families in our church and in the area, to date you have donated over $500 in gift cards and cash.  We’ve also collected a ton of can goods.  We hope to deliver them this week to 4 families in our church who are having a hard time buying a Thanksgiving meal.  Anything left over will be given to the local food pantry.  Thank you for your generosity.  You will be blessed.

In this economy, we need to remember and obey verse 7 and verses 26-27.  The failure to obey these verses is one of the reasons our country and our economy is in such disarray.  I don’t want to be an “I told you so” guy, and I certainly don’t think God is one.  Instead, let’s put the past behind us and make a commitment to be financially wise in the future.  Let’s make a commitment to get out of debt and stay out of debt.

Have a great day.  I look forward to worshipping with you tomorrow.

Special Request

I apologize that I have no wisdom or commentary to share with you today. Instead I want to ask you for prayer. It has been an unusually busy, stressful week for me. A lot of unexpected counseling and difficult conversations. It is Thursday morning and I have yet to start writing my sermon for Sunday. I know your life is busy as well, but would you mind stopping and saying a prayer for me? Pray that God will give me wisdom as a husband, father, pastor, and preacher. Pray that God will multiply my time, bless my message preparation, and allow me to rest and be ready for Sunday. Thanks for your love and prayers.

Proverbs 19

Verse 1 must have been a painful verse for Solomon to write.  He wasn’t poor and he certainly wasn’t blameless.  He had chosen the way of perversity and lived to regret it.  Perhaps he penned this Proverb while watching a poor man whose walk was blameless.  Sitting in his palace walls, having chosen the way of a fool, he would have traded it all to be blameless.  Doing the right thing, whether it be telling the truth, paying our tithe, paying our taxes, staying faithful to our vows, whatever, seems so hard initially.  But in the end... life is good.

How typical of the human race.  God gives us a choice, we reject His way (v.3), then we blame Him for our pain.

The Proverbs were written over 3,000 years ago, yet what was true of people then, is still true today.  The wealthy have plenty of friends and the poor struggle to keep them (v.4 & 7).

It is encouraging to know that as we grow in wisdom, we also grow in patience (v.11).  I need patience.  Patience with God.  Patience with my kids.  Patience with my finances.  It’s so easy to react without thinking.

Speaking of reacting, verse 19 teaches us to let the hot-tempered man pay the penalty for his anger.  If we keep bailing him out, he will never learn.

Proverbs 18

This morning I overslept and don’t have the time to read the entire chapter.  That’s okay, remember it’s quality over quantity.  There’s so much wealth in the first few verses.  If we spend a few minutes reflecting on those, it’s better than hurrying through the whole chapter just to say that we read it.

Verse 1 reminds me that the unfriendly man is the epitome of self-destruction and selfishness.  To be unfriendly toward others defies all sound judgment.  When we are unfriendly we only hurt ourselves.  No one wants to hire, marry, or even hang around with an unfriendly person.

In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey points us to habit 5, which is, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”  Not only does it show value to other person, according to verse 2, it keeps us from behaving like a fool.  Autobiographical listening doesn’t accomplish anything other than airing our own opinions.  It doesn’t help us understand the person we are trying to help.

I hope you a great day full of God’s Wisdom!

Proverbs 17

I love the hope of verse 2.  No matter where we start in life, if we are wise, we will be successful.

If I want to purify silver or gold, I use heat.  When God wants to purify me, He does the same (v.3).  Pain will reveal the motives of my heart faster than anything else.

Solomon is not condoning bribery (v.8).  In verse 23, he actually condemns it as a perversion of justice.  He is simply saying it works.   In some parts of the world, it’s how things get done.

One of the things we read about frequently in Proverbs are the situations and people that we should avoid.  Wise people avoid fools bent on folly (v.12),repaying evil for good (v.13), quarrels (v.14 & 19), co-signing loans (v.18), deception (v.19), and too many words (v.28).  Do you find yourself frequently engaging in something the Proverbs teach us to avoid?  What has been the result of your behavior?

Proverbs 15

I was asked a great question this week about the Proverbs.  Are we supposed to do all the things that the Proverbs teaches?  In other words, some of the recommendations that Proverbs makes seem wrong or foolish.  Are we supposed to put them into practice?  The Proverbs are observations and truisms about life.  Sometimes we put them into practice.  Verse 1 is an example of this.  If we want to calm people down and settle a dispute, nothing is better than a gentle answer.  We’ve all seen this.  If someone will reply in a soft voice, they can calm the angriest of people.  Other Proverbs don’t require direct action from us, they are simply observations about life or God.  Verse 11 is an example of this kind of Proverb.  It reminds us that God knows our hearts, the good, bad, and ugly.  This kind of Proverb may cause us to make changes in our life, but no recommendations are directly given.  We simply obey what God’s Spirit is leading us to do.   Still other Proverbs are observations that we are not supposed to practice.  Verse 12 is an example.  Obviously the wise person will live contrary to the mocker.  Verses like this also help us to discern people’s character.  If you have a friend who resents correction, keep your distance, they are a mocker.  You don’t have to read many chapters of Proverbs to realize that the way of the mocker is filled with pain.  

I hope this helps on your Qwest for Wisdom.

Proverbs 13

The Proverbs give us a great deal of wisdom in raising our children.  Verse 24 is an obvious example of that.  I never thought of a parent who doesn’t discipline their child as a parent who hates, but it’s true.  The ultimate act of selfishness is to set your child up for failure by failing to discipline them.  They will struggle their entire lives with authority.  

We’ve all seen the fulfillment of verse 20 in kids as well as adults.  Praying that our kids find wise friends who have wise parents is one of the best prayers we can pray.  Even if our child lacks wisdom, they will grow wiser by walking with the right friends.

Father, help us to be wise parents who raise wise children.

Proverbs 12

The difference between being a person of knowledge and a person of stupidity is how we receive correction.  The word discipline in verse 1 could be translated correction or chastisement.  Those who receive correction gain a hunger for knowledge, those who don’t stay in the dark.  We see this in our church.  The people who have listened to a rebuke, repented of their sin, and found healing for their brokenness are the ones who are the most hungry for God and for knowledge.  When someone confronts you, are you an open book, a listening ear, or do you have your fists up ready to fight?

Verse 15 has a similar thought.  In addition to being stupid, we also learn that those who close their ears to others are fools.  Wow, what a contrast.  Today, I can be a stupid fool or a wise man full of knowledge, all depending on how I listen to others advise and counsel.  

Father, please give us the humility and openness to receive the advise and rebuke of a friend.  Thank you for honest friends.

Proverbs 11

One of the words that you see often in the Proverbs, especially in contrast with wickedness, is the word righteousness.  There are few things that are important to understand about righteousness.  First of all, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you are righteous.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  In God’s eyes, you are forgiven, clean, holy, and righteous.  He doesn’t see sinful Troy Knight.  He chooses to see me through the blood of Jesus.  We are righteous!  Thank God!

However, though we are righteous, we still live in a sinful body and a sinful world.  Every day we are tempted to do wicked things.  Therefore we need and depend on God’s Spirit to help us live righteously.  Proverbs 11 gives us the motivation and desire to live righteously.  The blessings of living righteously are astounding.  Righteousness makes a straight way for us (v.5), delivers us (v.6), rescues us from trouble (v.8), gives us the knowledge to escape destruction (v.9), cause the city to rejoice (v.10 & 11)... You get the idea.  When we see the big picture, the blessings of living righteously and the pain of wickedness,  it makes doing the right thing seem like a no-brainer.

Proverbs 10

Today we start the individual Proverbs of Solomon.  They are shorter sayings full of wisdom and truth.  Remember what we said last month, quality is more important than quantity.  It’s better to meditate on an individual Proverb and put it into practice than read the whole chapter and forget what you read.  Take your time and have a conversation today about one of the verses.  Let’s start the conversation now.  What is your favorite verse or verses from Chapter 10?  Why is it significant for you right now?  How do you plan on “putting it into practice” in your life today?

Proverbs 9

I think we all start out simple.  By the way, when Proverbs refers to the simple, its not a compliment.  It means simple-minded, naïve, easily fooled.  Two different voices call, both cry out from “the highest point of the city” (v.3 & 14)  One voice is wisdom.  She has set her table and prepared a great meal for us to eat.  Those who eat her food and drink her drink will be blessed beyond measure.  The other voice is Folly.  Her food also taste good, at least for a season.  But the meal is a short one, because her guests end up “in the depths of the grave” (v.18).

I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject of today’s message.  Did you realize how many blessings were associated with the Fear of the Lord?  What changes are you going to make in your life to live in the Fear of the Lord?

Proverbs 8

Wow!  What incredible blessings await those who find wisdom.  I’m so glad we’re on this Wisdom Quest together.  When you find something as great as wisdom, you don’t want to keep it to yourself.  Can you imagine the blessings that await Generations Church and Brunswick County if a large number of us began to “watch daily” at the doors of wisdom.  Her fruit is better than fine gold and her yield surpasses choice silver.

The Proverb seems to build like a crescendo in a musical.  It begins with wisdom’s call, moves to the blessings she bestows on those who find her, then recounts her role in the creation of the world.  I see the climax in verses 32-36.  “Now then, my sons, listen to me.”  She is about to say something very important, listen.  My prayer is that our Quest for Wisdom will not end on November 30.  I pray that we will become lifetime students in the school of wisdom.

What are you doing to gain wisdom?  What does it look like to live out verse 34?  Next Sunday I’m talking about how to obtain wisdom.  I would love to hear how you have obtained it.

Proverbs 7

In this Proverb we get to sit with Solomon while he describes the snaring of a naïve young man.  We feel, smell, and see the allure of sexual temptation.  Which, in reality, is exactly how sexual temptation works.  However, because this was written for our wisdom, we get the added advantage of knowing the end of the story.  In real life, sexual sin never reveals the end of the story.  If she did, who would choose that “highway to the grave” (v. 27)?  

Verse 14 is interesting.  In the middle of the wayward wife’s persuasion, she mentions fellowship offerings and the fulfillment of her vows to God.  The offerings simply mean she has food leftover at home.  The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so the food had some appeal, but there’s something even more sinister at work.  By stating that she fulfilled her vows, she’s attempting to pacify the guilt that they both are possibly feeling at this moment.  In other words, “we’ve done our duty to God, we’ve gone to church, we’ve satisfied God...now let’s go satisfy ourselves.”  Be careful when someone uses God or religion to justify their actions.  Sin is probably creeping in the background.

The punch line of the Proverb and the image that God has used in my life to keep me from sin is verses 22-23.  Take some time to imagine an ox blindly lumbering to the slaughter, an arrow violently piercing the liver of a deer, and a bird naively darting into a snare.  These are images that foster a healthy fear of the Lord.  These are images that keep us from double-clicking the wrong thing, making the inappropriate phone call, driving to the wrong residence...  These are images that protect our family, our future, and our integrity.

Do you agree with Solomon’s, ultimately God’s, perspective on the consequences of sexual sin?  Have you felt the temptation and the pain personally?  How do you protect yourself from the slaughter?

Proverbs 6

This is one of my favorite Proverbs because of its incredible use of images.  This one is meant to be read slow with deep reflection.  Close your eyes and picture what Solomon is teaching us through the gazelle, ant, villain, loaf of bread, and angry husband.  When those images are implanted in our minds, God uses them to motivate us for righteousness and warn us of evil.  

If you’ve never taken Financial Peace University, I highly recommend it.  Dave Ramsey has a great explanation of verse 5 in the video on dumping debt.  You’ll never look at a gazelle the same again.  O that our country would live verses 6-8 again.  We used to live like the ant.  We used to store savings at harvest for the leaner times that were sure to come.  I pray it doesn’t take another Great Depression to teach us to do so again.  I’ve always been fascinated by the list of things that God hates.  Does the list surprise you?  Is there anything missing from the list that you thought should have been there?

Because I know so many men, and even women, who struggle with pornography, verse 25 is especially poignant.  It’s easy to be captivated with the fantasy world of internet porn.  Verse 26 and following bring us back to the truth of reality.  It’s not a free ride.  There is a price to be paid.  We can’t scoop fire into our lap and not be burned (another great image or rather a painful one, ouch).  If you struggle in any area of sexual addiction, please don’t struggle alone.  You will not beat it alone.  There are people at GC who have been there and can help you overcome.  There is software that can protect you and your family from going there.  I know, it’s shameful and embarrassing.  But not near as shameful as being reduced to a “loaf of bread.”

Some Thoughts On Our new President

All over America today, people are either waking up with glee or disgust.  Very few have been neutral about the candidates.  It was either a historic election, or a shocking one, depending on which party you supported.  But the election is over.  America has spoken and it’s time, hopefully, for us to work together.  I personally disagree with our new President on several issues.  His stance on the life of an unborn baby being the primary one.  I believe, because Psalm 139 teaches, that the life of a baby begins at the moment of conception.  I also believe that we as Americans should do everything in our power to defend those who are defenseless.  This includes the unborn, but also the elderly, mentally disabled, and the poor.  At the same time, I agree with Obama on the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.  It’s not a moral or national defense issue with me.  It’s a biblical stewardship issue.  We are ten trillion dollars in debt.  Spending money we don’t have to fight a war that we started seems like a dead end road.  We could continue discussing the issues.  And we would find ideas in which there is agreement and disagreement with our new leadership and with each other.   But the bottom line is this.  The election is over.  We have a new President.  God has called us to pray for and support our new President.  Romans 13:1-2 teaches, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”  That means even when we disagree, we don’t dishonor or slander the man.  (Our country owes George W. Bush an apology is this regard.  It’s shameful they way people have slandered him).  The command also means that we submit to the laws of the land.  The only exception to this is when they contradict the Word of God.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the election.  Do you agree with my thoughts?

Proverbs 5
Today we start the first of 3 Proverbs that discuss the folly of an adulteress woman.  At first glance you may wonder why Proverbs spends an inordinate amount of time discussing the dangers of adultery.  Those of us who have struggled with fornication, adultery, pornography, lust, or any kind of sexual sins know exactly why.  Sexual sins are different than other kinds of sins.  Paul said, “they are a sin against our own body.”  They leave scars and the consequences can last a lifetime.  Or as v.11 warns, “At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.”  

Verses 15-20 gives a beautiful picture of a one woman man.  “Your springs” are your seed.  Why should you spread your seed around so that other men and women share your children.  “Let them yours alone, never to be shared with strangers” (v.17).  May you ever be captivated by the love of your husband or wife.  Life is too short and too complicated to love more than one woman or one man.  Invest your time, energy, and love into the person with whom God has called you to spend a lifetime.  Marital love is diluted when we invite others to the party.

Proverbs 4

No wonder Solomon was so wise.  He sat at the feet of his father David and learned wisdom (4:3).  King David made many mistakes (read 1 & 2 Samuel to learn more), teaching his son wisdom was not one of them.  As parents, the greatest gift we can give our children is to teach them the wisdom of God.  Or to repeat verse 7, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.”
 
Verse 23 is an often quoted verse that will protect us from pain.  Guarding our heart means guarding what we desire.  Our heart is the wellspring of life.  If we allow our heart to pursue the wrong things, our heart will be broken and life will spring a leak.  Can anyone attest to the truth of this Proverb? I would love to hear from you. How do you guard your heart while still being open to the blessings God has for you?
 
As you know, today is a big day for our country.  I want to close this devotion with a proverb prayer for the United States of America.  Please join me in the prayer.  Heavenly Father, I pray that the leadership of our county, our state, and our country would look straight ahead.  I pray that they would take level paths for their feet and take only ways that are firm.  Keep them from swerving to the right or the left and keep their feet from evil.

Proverbs 3

One of the things you’ll notice about the Proverbs are the frequency in which the author uses cause and effect. If you do this, then God will do this. Sometimes it’s a warning, most of the time a blessing. Proverbs 3 could be called the “chapter of blessing.” The first 10 verses alone promise long life, a good name, straight paths, good health, and a healthy checking account. Of course, the blessings are not automatic. They require action, possibly a lifestyle change, from us.

One of the things that helps me implement the teachings of Proverbs is to take the advise of verse 1. “Keep my commands in your heart” means to memorize the Bible. If you find a verse that you want to put into practice, write it on an index card and keep it in your pocket or purse. Think about the verse throughout the day, put it into practice and own it.

What’s your favorite promise from Proverbs 3? What are you doing today to put yourself in a place of blessing? Comment below and let me know. I would love to pray for you.

Father, thank you for the promises and warnings of your Word. Write them on our heart that we may walk before you in wisdom.

Proverbs 2

Today’s Proverb is an incredible promise and teaching of how to attain wisdom. Verses 1-3 contain 8 action verbs that say it all. They are: accept, store, turn, apply, call, cry, look, search. If we get serious on our quest for wisdom and start doing what those verbs suggest, then the blessings are too numerous to count. The remainder of chapter 2 contains many of those blessings. I especially love verse 10. “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” Have you ever had wisdom enter your heart? It’s kinda like a “light bulb” moment. We start seeing the world differently. We see it through the eyes of wisdom. I would love to hear the story of a time when wisdom entered your heart.

Lord, make us serious seekers of wisdom.

November 1, 2008 - Proverbs 1

Welcome to the WISDOM QUEST. I’m so glad you’ve chosen to make the wisdom of God a part of your day. Remember, this is a conversation, not a monologue. I want to hear from you this month. Click on the comment below and send me your thoughts about the daily Proverb. What did you think about the sermon? Did you agree/disagree? What do you think about the election? Do you have questions about the daily Proverb or about the subject of wisdom? I will try to answer them through this blog or through the message on Sunday. I would also love to hear your story. What is God teaching you about wisdom?

Proverbs 1
Two things stand out to me as I read the Proverb. First of all, wisdom wants to be found. She is not hiding from us. “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public square…” (v.20) Wisdom has been around our whole life. She has been in the words of our parents, the sermons of our preachers, and the honesty of a good friend. Unfortunately we haven’t always been looking for her or heeded her counsel. But today is a new day. We’re on a quest for Wisdom and we’re determined to find and obey her. Many blessings await those who do.

That brings up the second thing that stands out to me. The consequences of rejecting wisdom are not pretty. “But since you rejected me when I called…I in turn will laugh at your disaster, I will mock when calamity overtakes you like a storm.” (v.24, 26) Have you ever experienced the consequences of ignoring wisdom? I sure have and I never want to again. It leaves scars!

O Father, please give Generations Church your wisdom and give us hearts to receive it.

Welcome!

Troy will be posting discussions about the Proverbs of the day. Please leave us comments and questions!