Proverbs 2 - 1.2.25
S - Proverbs 2:1-8
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
O – Proverbs begins with a clear statement of its purpose - to impart wisdom for godly living. The first few chapters are Solomen’s fatherly advice to young people. However, this is also where anyone can discover the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom and the benefits of wisdom. Wisdom is a complex psychological quality that involves using knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments. It’s more than a collection of information, but rather the ability to USE that information to improve well-being. Wisdom is a God-given gift, as well as the result of an energetic search. Wisdom’s starting point IS GOD and His revealed Word. God’s wisdom is hidden from the foolish and rebellious, so it takes effort to find it and use it. When we are on the right path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that He will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search. We gain wisdom through a constant process of growing. It doesn’t come upon us all at once. We need to trust and honor God, know that the Bible reveals His wisdom to us, and study His Word! We need to strive to make a lifelong series of right choices, learning from our sinful or mistaken choices along the way.
A – Life is certainly a JOURNEY! I look back at where I came from, who I was, the things I was doing, and I am ALWAYS so grateful God picked me up out of that mess and began to work in, and through my life. I can look back and actually see the wisdom He has imparted on me over the years. I am always still a work in progress, but His wisdom has changed the trajectory of my life forever and it is good. We should always be seeking HIS wisdom in everything we do, and in every decision. Rich and I have had a couple of years of seeking wisdom and discernment for a very specific area in our lives. God has been walking us through this one step at a time (His time not ours LOL) and I can honestly say we have been ENERGETICALLY seeking Him and His wisdom. We have grown so much in our walk with Him over these past two years and I attribute that all to Him revealing Himself to us through the ongoing seeking of His wisdom in our lives. As we were wrapping up these last couple days of the year, He literally just hit us with some knowledge, peace, healing and discernment in a big way! These scriptures are promises from God and what I am actively doing now:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding…
Side note - my son had to go to Urgent Care on Monday, almost needing a wheelchair to get in from the car due to pain, and he was healed without any medical intervention before we left the building! In addition, we saw a sweet friend who was there feeling very ill and got to put him on the prayer chain immediately. Feel free to ask me for more details.
As we begin 2025, our family has no doubts that God is with us, imparting His wisdom in us for big decisions and we feel so much peace and joy! And gratitude!
P - Lord, I pray that we, as a church family, will begin 2025 and our 28-days of prayer and fasting earnestly, energetically seeking you for wisdom in all areas of our lives! For marriages, finances, healings, to know who to speak to, when to speak to them, and what to speak into their lives; wisdom for where you want to use us, for what ministries to get involved in. Wisdom to trust you with our tithes and offerings, our health, our families. May we do nothing on our own this year, without asking you for wisdom first! Amen!
- Crystal Flory
Proverbs 1 - 1.1.25
Scripture
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Observation
God loves each one of us so much that he was willing to send his son to die in order to wash away our sin and make us clean. But that great love does give us a free pass to do whatever we want. He is a mighty and powerful God, deserving of our honor, respect, and obedience.
Application
The fear of the Lord can be explained as extreme respect. We show respect for things like fire or vehicles at high speeds – things that come with consequences if the rules aren’t followed. Likewise, although God loves us so much (or maybe even because he loves us so much), even though sin is forgiven, there are still consequences that follow our decisions or actions. We need to understand that we serve a holy and mighty God.
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – the first thing or the best thing. We must give priority to the things of God.
“The fear of the Lord is the principal virtue that keeps you on the wisdom journey after you have begun. This counters the idea that wisdom is about being a smart, savvy, and skillful person. Wisdom is not about what you can do, but about how you live your life before the Lord.” Ryan Patrick O’Doud
Prayer
Thank you for the reminder this morning that you are a holy and righteous God, deserving of my adoration and respect. If I want to grow in relationship with you, I must keep you as my highest priority – listening to your voice, learning from your word, and accepting correction when I stray. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Help me to honor you with my thoughts and actions today.
- Debbie Dunn
1 Thessalonians 4 - 12.31.24
SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:13 - 18
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
OBSERVATION
This scripture is a great encouragement and source of hope to anyone who has lost a loved one that knew Jesus as their Savior but is no longer on this earth.
APPLICATION
This specific scripture highlights the difference between how believers and the world handle the death of someone – because the world has no hope. They have no hope because death, by the world’s standards, is final with no future.
Paul addresses the reality that we all grieve yet says “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” We can cry, mourn their loss on this earth, yet believers need to grieve WITH HOPE. We have hope for the future of being together again for eternity. In 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, we read that as believers our perishable bodies are clothed with an imperishable body, mortal with immortality, and that death no longer has its grip on us:
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[a]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[b]
Through Jesus, his sacrifice, and our acceptance and faith in Him, death is no longer final. There is no victory in death, no sting, all because of Jesus!!
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Grieving with hope is when we remember 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18. When we miss our loved ones, visualize the Lord’s return as He gathers those who have “fallen asleep” with those alive – to be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” We have hope in Jesus to be with our faithful and saved loved ones again for eternity. Hallelujah!!!
PRAYER
Lord, the holidays can be a painful reminder in missing those who have passed from this earth. I pray your comfort and mercy surround all who grieve and miss a loved one. Help us all grieve with hope – not without hope. Having lost my mother, both of my precious in-law’s, and many friends in Jesus, I anxiously await the moment we’ll be together again. Oh what a sweet reunion! Thank you Lord!!
This is also a reminder to reach out to those who don’t know you yet so they, too, can have your hope. As the new year begins tonight, help us all have a deeper heart and yearning to reach the lost so no one lives life on this earth with no hope. Help me have the words to share your saving grace and hope for eternity. Give me your boldness to speak up when my flesh is feeling weak. Help me spread your Good News and saving grace so everyone can hope – so death will no longer sting and will no longer be final. In Jesus name! Amen
- Mary Oberg