Prov 14 by Ann

Proverbs for December 14

Prov 14:1 (NRSV) I have been guilty of tearing down my house. I want to be faithful to build it up instead.

Prov 14:2 (NRSV) Devious – departing from the correct or accepted way; erring.

Let's truly compare our way to Scripture. Are we upright or devious?

Prov 14:6 (NRSV) How do we react to the input – direct or indirect – of others? Do we accept and ponder or do we automatically begin to poke holes in their ideas by pumping in our own thoughts? If we want to truly gain knowledge, we have to consider that others have knowledge to add!

Prov 14:7 (NRSV) In light of verse six, however, we also have to be discerning about who we listen to.

Prov 14:9 (NRSV) How do we respond to an acknowledgment of guilt? This is a thought I really want to chew on for a while – I think there is some depth of relevance to this, but I just can't put it into words yet. Maybe next month...

Prov 14:10 (NRSV) Can we acknowledge that we can never truly know how another person feels, yet still be there with them through both pain and joy?

Prov 14:15 (NRSV) Points back to verses six and seven – discernment in crucial.

Prov 14:20-21 (NRSV) So, where do I fall in all of this? What kind of neighbor am I?

Prov 14:23 (NRSV) I like to talk up a good plan, but so often I back away from implementation, talking myself out of it. Talk is only good if it leads to action.

Prov 14:33 (NRSV) “Wisdom is at home...” I love the idea of wisdom being comfortable in my mind. Is it?

Prov 12 by Ann

Proverbs for December 12

Prov 12:5 (NRSV) I know my thoughts. I know what they are versus what I (and the Lord!) want them to be. I want to be one of the righteous whose thoughts are just. So, I must be diligent to put aside anything that stands in opposition to the Lord, take those thoughts captive continually (1 Cor 10:5), and think on the things of God (Phil 4:8).

Prov 12:6 (NRSV) Seems to me that the upright shouldn't be having to put their feet in their mouths.

Prov 12:14 (NRSV) What we say matters as much as what we do when it comes to bearing fruit. Our actions and words have to line up, and we can't just speak without the actions nor act without the words.

Prov 12:15-16 (NRSV) So many believers act the fool in these areas. How much more effective would we be if we would stand out by heeding advice and ignoring insults? How much more credible would we be?

Prov 12:25 (NRSV) This brings me back again to Phil 4, this time Phil 4:4-5. Praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving are definitely good words. No wonder the Lord instructs us clearly to make use of them!

Prov 9 by Ann

Proverbs for December 9

Prov 9:1-3 (NRSV) Wisdom not only puts a great deal of effort into drawing people in – she makes it her life. Her house is built for this. She has planned for people to come in, not just for a visit but to live. She has even raised her animals and planted her vineyards to support not just her household but all she can bring in. This is not just gearing up for a one-time event. This is making sure her life is suited to the task. It is her life's purpose.

We are called to reach the lost just as wisdom's goal is to reach the simple-minded. Is the very foundation of our lives orchestrated to accomplish that goal? Does everything we do revolve around accomplishing that task?

Prov 9:7-9 (NRSV) I have to look at this from the flip side today. How do I respond when rebuked? Like the scoffer or the wise?

Prov 9:9-11 (NRSV) I want to grow in knowledge! These verses make me excited about it!

Prov 9:12 (NRSV) I cannot carry anyone else's responsibility, nor can they carry mine.

Prov 8 by Ann

Proverbs for December 8

Prov 8:1-5 (NRSV) I frequently hear people talk about their insecurities about teaching or sharing the Gospel. Frequently it comes down to the idea that they feel they do not know enough about God or His Word to teach or witness. Consequently, they are crippled.

According to these verses and others in Scripture, the wisdom and knowledge needed to conquer these inadequacies are readily available to us. Wisdom practically seeks us out, and knowledge goes hand in hand with wisdom.

So, why don't we see more people overcoming their insecurities? Because we as believers don't truly want to step out of our comfort zones enough to teach or to share the Gospel. So, “I don't know enough” is a great excuse. After all, who wants to be unable to answer someone's question!

Wisdom is there. Knowledge is there. We have ready access. Let's stop making excuses and get busy learning!!

Prov 8:6-9 (NRSV) Oh, how I would love this to be said about my words! We can be so assured of the wisdom of God. It is alwaysright!

Prov 8:10-11 (NRSV) What things do I chase after? The wisdom and things of God, or the beautifully alluring wealth of the world that quickly loses its luster?

Prov 8:18-21 (NRSV) If we seek after wisdom, what we desire – and more – is given to us.

December 8 by Doug

Reflections on Proverbs

December 8 2009

by Doug

Proverbs 8:9 (NRSV) →True wisdom is completely pure before God, not devious at all.

Proverbs 8:10 (NRSV) →Instead of---not first, not to get riches, but instead of the riches. We should pursue wisdom rather than wealth, and be satisfied to live with the wisdom.

Proverbs 8:22-31 (NRSV) →Here is your grand unified theory of everything: behind the strings, chaos, and quantums, behind the quarks and photons, behind relativity and gravity, is the Wisdom of God.

Prov 7 by Ann

Proverbs for December 7

Prov 7:1-3 (NRSV) How closely to I cherish godly teaching?

Prov 7:4 (NRSV) What about wisdom? Do I cherish wisdom?

Prov 7:6-9 (NRSV) So often we are like this young man in our interaction with the world. We walk down the world's street, thinking it will do no harm. But, before we know it, we're sucked in until our lives are no longer distinguishable from the world's.

Like in the verses following these about the seductive woman, the world beckons strongly and we offer little resistance.

But, even if we ourselves do not go down the world's path, we do something just as bad. We stand at our own windows and watch others walk down that path. But, we stay safely behind our closed doors and do nothing about it. Let's get out there, stay off the world's street, and try to reach those who are walking down it!

Proverbs 7 by Doug for December

Reflections on Proverbs

December 7 2009

Proverbs 7:1 (NRSV) →It's really not enough to know where to find knowledge and wisdom. You need to commit it to memory, to carry it in your mind and heart. There is no substitute for that, as sometimes you cannot look it up.

Proverbs 7:4-5 (NRSV) →A trustworthy, intimate sister. The kind that warns you about the girls that can't be trusted. This is wisdom...because the deceptive danger is hard to separate.

Proverbs 7:7 (NRSV) →Look at the parallelism. Without engaging in parallelomania (with apologies to both D.A. Carson and Samuel Sandmel, where Carson got the term), there is a fairly clear parallelism here showing youth and simplicity as essentially the same. The young are simple. It's not a fault, but a reality. Are we providing them the path to wisdom in God or are we leaving them to be simple later?

Proverbs 7:10 (NRSV) →She's not a prostitute, but she's dressed as one....there are times and ways that we should distinctly avoid certain fashions and choices because they are blatant marks of sinful behavior. In Jordan, for example, when my wife was growing up, having multiple earrings was the mark of a woman with loose morals. Why pick the fight and say you can have multiple earrings and not be loose? Would it not be better to hold back? Not that this sign applies in America, but we have other indicators. There are certain fashions that communicate desires and intentions...why bother with them? Why not stay away from displaying things that show blatant materialism?

Because we don't want to follow wisdom. That's why, and it's killing us.

Doug