Alright! Day one of the proverbs project! I'm so excited to be blessed by these wise words. here we go!
Solomon starts here with a purpose for the book, saying that it is "To teach people wisdom and discipline....To help them to do what is just and fair......To bring knowledge and discipline to the young."
Even just from this I'm blown away by the wisdom and understanding God gave to Solomon. I can already feel the blood rushing through me with Godly Godness!
"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline"
Solomon asks us to abandon our simple lives, and yet this concept is so simple and 1 stepped. If we turn our eyes to God, and strive to follow in his ways, we will be blessed with knowledge, or atleast a good foundation.
A Father's Exhortation:
One thing about the bible that still amazes me everytime I read it, is how relevant and still appliable it is to us today, as much as it was when it was written. Here, Solomon warns us to listen to our parents when they correct us, and instruct us. Even though, we don't always do a good job of this, we understand the importance of the teachings our parents have for us as we grow. Without the wisdom of our parents, who would teach us right and wrong? How would we know anything at all?
"What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck"
This is something I forget so much, and that I think we all should become better about. Our parents are here for our own good, to help us, and teach us, and keep us on the right path. I'll remember this next time mom tells me the stove is still hot.
"My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them....My child don't go along with them, stay far away from their paths....These people set an ambush for themselves, they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money, it robs them of life."
As we have people in our lives to help us grow, we also have as many people that would do anything to tear us down. It is our duty as christians to run from this evil, but I find it is our tendency as humans to find it, and get pulled right into it. When the demons in people find our weaknesses, they can taunt us, and hurt us, and change us, and make us doubt what we know. This is where a solid relationship with God is key. When you have the spirit in you, you see everything in a different light. Those evils become less enticing in the first place, and you can run without any doubts in the opposite direction of them.
It's hard not to want money. We have to have money to have food, and shelter, and water to drink. But, how much do we neglect those who don't have any of that, in order to buy a 7 dollar cup of coffee or the new Black Eyed Peas CD? I know this is hard. I don't often have much money, but whenever I do come by some, I'm off to the store to get whatever CD I didn't get for christmas. What can we do with out good fortune to further the kingdom of God? I want to be a light to the lost instead of being corrupted by money. This is one of the greatest evils in our world, and one we don't often think of, or much less take a moment to be thankful for whatever money we DO have. Be wise with your wealth, and use it for the glory of God.
Wisdom Shouts In The Streets:
"Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street..."
Wisdom is all around us. Wisdom is in the people we learn from the most. The world is full of wisdom, but are we full of wisdom ourselves? This isn't the kind of knowledge like math, or history, or science, but a Godly knowledge. Thoughts, ideas, actions, and decisions straight from the mouth of God to us. A wisdom of things to say, and things to do, and where to go, and when. Fools hate wisdom, and thus making them foolish, leading them to a life of sin, and destruction for they do not know how to do what is right anymore. they are lost. "Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm." We are not the ones who will be destroyed by our complacency. We should always be striving to improve our hearts and our lives. Wisdom is all around us, but it is meaningless untill we embrace it, embrace God and his wisdom, and make it our own.
-Evan
This is a good reflection brotha. Just one question for ya; in regard to the whole "if sinner try to entice you.." section. Don't you think there's a tension there? Aren't we supposed to be near in some ways to the sinners around us so we can share the Gospel with them?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point Jamal, and one that I've been struggling with while at school. There's a difference between being with sinners and letting them entice you. Like many freshman, my first semester of College was confusing. Only spending roughly 10 hours in actual classes each day, I found myself with more free time than I knew how to handle. A group of people that I had befriended would meet up in a room and play videogames all day, only stopping to do the bare minimum of homework and to go to class. I found myself slowly being taken in by that rhythm. This semester, knowing that the trap is there, I haven't played videogames at all this semester, and have only stepped in a few minutes a day to say hi. I'm still not sure if this is the sort of relationship that God wants me to have with these guys (who are really pretty cool, all things considered), but I know that for this exact moment it is the wise thing for me to do.
ReplyDeleteI know that this didn't really clear things up, but that's where I'm at right now.
I agree with you completely! I should've made that a bit more clear. I was mainly thinking about how we need to avoid becoming the evil ourselves. Running from the evil, helping the people who are stuck in it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Wisdom Shouts in the Streets section, I find it interesting that if wisdom is all around us, and yet the world is swamped with fools. It's so unfortunate that we miss the wisdom that is right in front of us. I know that, for me, wisdom is something that I not on my mind like it should be. I think we should be seeking the wisdom of the Lord all through out the day. In all of our circumstances, there is wisdom to seek out. Jesus told us that if we seek, we will find. All that it takes to gain wisdom in any situation is to seek it whole heartily. I wish it were as easy as it is to type it out. But Solomon didn't said attaining wisdom was easy!
ReplyDeleteGood insight, Evan. I can't wait to learn from everyone!
Wow, Evan... I love your thoughts. I love that you're taking the time to think about what God has to say to you... through His word, through your parents, through wisdom shouting at you in the streets! Just the fact that you are seeking HIM is beautiful... embracing... even better. You seem, to me, to be growing in wisdom! I found your blog through Nicole's blog, and I'm so excited about the Proverbs challenge. Thanks for the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing you guys! I'm loving this!
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