Proverbs 15 - 1.25.23
Scripture
Proverbs 15:33
Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.
Observation-What does it say?
King Solomon shares his wisdom in the book of Proverbs. In this verse, he shares where his wisdom originates from.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Wisdom starts with respecting the Lord.
Solomon knows a thing or two about wisdom. If you have also been following along in the book of Ecclesiastes (which point to the author as King Solomon-David’s son, as well), he was the wisest King who had ever lived!
1 Kings 4:29-34 describes Solomon’s wisdom like this:
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
With all the wisdom King Solomon had, he states 2 things about it in this verse: (1) Fear the Lord. (2) Stay humble.
Life Application
Want to be wise? Fear the Lord and stay humble.
One of my favorite Scriptures growing up was, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)
A popular prayer of many Christians (that I have prayed as well) is, “Lord, please give me Your wisdom.” However, the first step in obtaining that is through respecting Him, obeying Him and staying humble to what He wants us to do, not what we want.
Dear Lord, King Solomon has taught me that the pursuits of this world is meaningless. He has also taught me where true wisdom originated from and it’s not from having the most training or the highest degree or getting a bunch of knowledge from self help books. It’s through fearing and respecting You! I pray that my life would display reverence to You alone and humility of heart to move where You lead, not where I want to go. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Acts 20 - 1.24.23
SCRIPTURE: Acts 20:36 - 38 "After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There was a great deal of weeping by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving most of all over his statements that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship."
OBSERVATION: There is no doubt that Paul loved his brothers and sisters in Christ. He cared for them, prayed with them, comforted them, encouraged them, cried over their needs, and rejoiced with them. The entire time he was with them in the province of Asia, he had served the Lord with humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of his Jewish opponents. He never hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to them as he taught them publicly and from house to house. When it was time for Paul to move on and head for Jerusalem as he followed the lead of the Holy Spirit, he told the Ephesian elders that his only aim was to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus had given him - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.
UNDERSTANDING: As Paul prepared to set sail, he knew they would never see his face again. He had poured his heart and soul into their lives. He left them with powerful words that the Lord Jesus had given him, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." All that Paul had learned from the Lord was passed down to the leaders and elders of the church. Then Paul committed them to God and to the word of His grace.
LIFE APPLICATION: Paul taught the importance of developing close relationships within the body of Christ. He showed family affection to one another with brotherly love. (Romans 12:10a), He taught how to outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10b). And he demonstrated how to accept one another. (Romans 15:7).
I pray the body of Christ will see the value in developing deep and lasting relationships with one another, and that it won't be just practiced by the leaders of the Church, but among all the believers.
- Robin Orefice
Proverbs 13 - 1.23.23
Scripture
Proverbs 13:20 NLT
“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”
Observation-What does it say?
King Solomon is considered to be one of the wisest people in the Bible. He was said to be the wisest of all the kings. His wisdom was given to him by God. He uses the book of Proverbs to pass along this wisdom he was blessed with to future generations and to anyone who is willing to listen and take heed to it. Here is another one of Solomon’s wise truths.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.
It’s a saying we have all heard before. I think it derived from this verse too. King Solomon knew the troubles that would arise if you hung out with the wrong people. He also knew the benefits that associating with the right people can bring.
I can tell you from experience that this saying holds true. When I was younger, I hung out with knuckleheads. Needless to say, I was a knucklehead. I found myself doing things that I really shouldn’t have been doing. I was pretty much a sheep, following the lead of even dumber sheep. It was a life that probably would have had me ending up in trouble with the law, working dead-end jobs barely making ends meet, or even dead! I am glad that God got a hold of me before it was too late! It’s because of God, I was able to get my life together. He surrounded me with the right people, wise people; people in my life who would stick with me no matter what. He put people in my life who would challenge me to be a better person, a better Christ Follower. And let me tell you, because of these people God surrounded me with, (people I hang out with and call my friends), I am who I am today.
In order to be that person God wants you to be, you gotta have that great supporting cast around you. What kind of people are you choosing to surround yourself with?
Life Application
Are you being discipled or discipling someone?
If you are not, I highly recommend that you do. It is a great way to hold each other accountable in living a godly lifestyle. Life is hard enough. There is no need to do it all alone. Surround yourself with good, godly people that can help encourage you, and pray for you as you do this thing called life. Challenge one another to grow in your relationship with Jesus. See where you can serve and use your God-given talents to help others. Cheer on one another to be a light for Jesus in this dark world. I know that this type of experience will deepen our friendships, and our relationship with God as we continue to seek growth in our faith.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”-Proverbs 27:17
-Moses Gaddi