Today I am starting to read through the book of Proverbs, one chapter at a time. Thanks for joining me if you are!
Here is a little background about the book...
-It is a book about wisdom
-It was mainly written by Solomon, but there are other authors who contributed to the book, they were known as a circle of wise men
-Proverbs are short, little sayings that have BIG meanings behind them
-The book was written to help guide the young, to help them be wise
*For more about the background behind the book you can go here and check it out, or read the introduction in your Bible, that's what I did.
Proverbs-Chapter One
After reading through the first chapter here is what stood out to me...
1. Verse 7..."The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Once you truly give your life to God, you begin to fear his laws, his commands, you live differently. Fear here is not supposed to be like horror movie scary, rather fear out of respect, out of awe for him. So once you fully respect God, you begin to live out his wisdom. Now don't think just because you fear God, or you call yourself a Christian, you can not still be a fool. We all have foolish moments. We all disobey, break the rules, and need disciplined. But the wonderful thing about God is that once you ask for forgiveness, he gives it to you, and you can start all over again.
2. Verses 8,9- What are some instructions your parents gave you growing up, that you did not listen to, but wished you would have? My parents did not really give me advice unless I asked for it, so they were not hovering over me or my every move. But there were some things with friendships that I wish I would have listened to my mom about. Instead, I tried to solve problems my way, and ended up getting hurt worse, or ending the relationship.
3. Verse 9- I loved what my NIV Study Bible said in the footnote about this verse..."Those who follow wisdom add beauty and honor to their lives." Think about the people you most admire, whether you know them, or they are someone you have never met before, but you still admire them. Aren't they beautiful? Wouldn't you describe them as beautiful, respectful, you want to be just like them. I am obviously not talking about super model beauty here, but true, real beauty that glows on the outside because their heart on the inside is burning so bright with a love for God. It's like it is overflowing them, and they are beautiful. Would people describe you as beautiful in this context?
4. Verses 10-19- When has evil enticed you? When did you turn your back on wisdom? When was the last time you allowed evil to reign and not God? Was it when you gossiped, thought something bad, watched something you shouldn't of, talked disrespectful to your husband, didn't spend as much time with your kids because of selfish reasons? We all have been there, the important thing is to recognize that evil has taken over your tongue, mind, and heart. Replace evil with wisdom.
5. Verses 20-33- This section talks about when you have turned your back against wisdom, then find yourself in trouble, and you start calling out for help. Lady Wisdom here seems a little mean saying that she "will laugh at your disaster", she will "mock your calamity", and the "waywardness of the simple will kill them." Pretty tough words! *This is my personal opinion *-I think the fools she is talking about are the people who do not believe in God, the ones who live for themselves. I think these fools will find themselves in trouble more than once and wonder why. Do you know a fool? What are some characteristics of these fools? How would their life be different right now if they chose wisdom instead of foolishness?
6. Verse 31- In Galatians 6 verse 7, Paul talks about reaping what you sow. Think about wisdom as a fruit, think about God as the water you would use to feed it, and think about your life, your heart as the soil and the planting grounds for this fruit. Are you watering your fruit everyday?
Basically...does wisdom live in your heart? Do you fear God and his wisdom? If not, what's holding you back? If you do, are you watering your heart everyday with God's word, with his wisdom? If not, just remember "the complacency of fools will destroy them."
What are your thoughts?
I think God is going to do some great things through you all, and the wisdom he is bestowing on you. See you all tomorrow!
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4 comments:
This will be fun to read through this book! I needed motivation to start somewhere!
Today reminded me of the world and schools and government in general these days....they don't want anything to do with God, yet they cry out when everything falls apart and want to know what happened!
I definitely know people in my life like that.......that are frantically searching for wisdom from every place they can find, except from the most obvious place, which is God. And they wonder why nothing ever goes their way and why they can't deal with things. The answer is so simple, yet so many people are so adamant about not believing it. I don't understand it and it frustrates me!
I'm so glad to be doing this with you! I've been intending to read Proverbs in 31 days, but I never follow through. This will *hopefully* keep me accountable.
I loved how it says right off the bat that Proverbs is "for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight".
I'm so looking forward to attaining Godly wisdom!
Thanks Kate, you have given me lots to think about and will start reading.
Ok, some I'm a day or two late. I totally forgot about reading but I'm catching up!!! I'm plan on reading all of Proverbs from The Message. Might help me understand better.
My understand is that we should open up to wisdom, especially when it comes from God. It doesn't matter if we are young or old, we all need it.
Listen to your parents because they can teach you a lot. Don't go off with people who only seem to want to make trouble. They will only lead you down the wrong road. I listened more to what my dad said than what my mom said. Dad just had a better way of getting things across IMO.
People who reject God's wisdom are living in the dark and are truly lost. I do know people who would be considered a 'fool'. While they are good people they are not righteous in God's eyes. I pray for them often. Evil entices me on a daily basis. Sometimes I give in to it and sometimes I reject it. I am working on not letting evil entice me.
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