Good Morning Everyone,
This past Sunday I was blessed to preach during our Sunday evening worship service. The title of my sermon was simply "Stand". As a congregation we looked at three Biblical examples of people who failed to take a stand and three Biblical example of people who did take a stand. One of the positive examples we looked at was the Biblical character of Solomon. Solomon was the son of King David who took his Father's place as King at a young age. As he was about to become King Solomon asked God for a discerning heart and wisdom. God blessed him with this wisdom and much more. Much of the wisdom of King Solomon is recorded for us in the book of Proverbs.
In my sermon on Sunday evening I challenged the congregation to take the 31 days of March to read the book of Proverbs. It's actually not a difficult task. Provers has 31 chapters so it breaks down to only one chapter per day. If you have ever preached or spoken to a large group of people you sometimes wonder if anyone is listening. When I issued the challenge to take a stand and be in the word for the month of March I really didn't think anyone was listening. God proved me wrong yet again though, one of our sweet sisters sent me a message and told me she was taking up the challenge.
I was so impressed by this young lady that I have decided to not only spend 31 days in Proverbs but to allow you to follow along in my journey. Here is how this is going to work. You are going to have to read the actual chapters yourself just like I am going to do but I am going to share my thoughts on particular verses that are special to me. It is my hope that these passages will mean something to you and I also hope that you might share some thoughts as well. So let's get started. You get two today since this idea came to me late last night
March 1st Proverbs Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:7
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
At night as I read to my little girl and we have our little heart to heart conversations I sometimes tell her that she never has to be afraid of anything because her Daddy will always be there for her. The fear that is being spoken of in Proverbs is not the kind of fear that I am trying to help Emma to understand, rather this fear could better be characterized as a healthy respect. There have been times in my life when I have not respected God in the way I should. When I read the words of possibly the wisest man who ever lived and his admonition to me is to have that respect I know that I need to have it without question. I love my earthly father and I respect him and I should treat my Heavenly Father no different.
Proverbs 1:8-9
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
The older I get the wiser my parents seem to get, okay that's not true, they have always been very wise it's just that I am getting old enough to respect their wisdom more. As I already mentioned I love and respect my Earthly Father but I didn't mention my Mom. I hope that all of you are as blessed as I am to have a Mom who loves you and cared enough to make sure that you are raised right. I would encourage you to live your life aspiring to make the difference in the life of a child in hopes that they will want to serve God every day.
Proverbs 1:32-33
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Does anyone else have trouble with written instructions? I sure do. Whenever we buy something that has to be put together I promise you that I will find some way to misread the directions and spend twice as long putting it together than it should take. Life is a lot like that if you think about it. In the Bible we are given very explicit instructions for how we should live our lives and yet we ignore them. To call God's inspired word written instructions might seem like an oversimplification but in essence they are instructions and they have been written down for us. If you ant to live your life in safety...follow instructions.
March 2nd Proverbs Chapter 2
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
Last night I watched the 20/20 Interview with Charlie Sheen. I think it is safe to say that this guy is the King of indiscretion. Between the women, alcohol and drugs this man seems to have no understanding of discretion. It would be easy to sit back and say that this guy is the victim of growing up in Hollywood or some other excuse but when it comes right down to it Mr. Sheen chooses not to observe discretion in his personal life and now he is paying the price. The sad reality is that if we choose to not observe discretion and understanding that there is a good chance we will end up much like Charlie. So let's do out best to live a life that has these qualities.
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
If you turn on the news it seems as if the wicked are winning. The afore mentioned interview with Charlie Sheen, the situation our government is in and the mess that is our national finances would make you think that the wicked are in control. Over and over again in scripture we are reminded that God is faithful. Now more than ever we must remember that God is faithful and that he is in control. While it is easier to cast our lot with the wicked now ,more than ever, we need to take the moral high ground.
I hope these thoughts in Proverbs help you some today. Don't be afraid to comment and to share your own thoughts. Take a stand in March to grow closer to God by studying Proverbs!
Be Strong and Courageous,
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