Proverbs: A Book of Wisdom
In my personal time in the Word, I am reading through the book of Proverbs. Over the next several days, I will be writing about some of the nuggets of wisdom that have challenged me, as I believe they will be edifying to you as well.
Proverbs 1:1–7 (NLT)
1 These are the proverbs (wise teachings) of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
At the beginning of this book of wisdom, Solomon starts by giving us his purpose: that we may learn from and live in response to these wise words. Wisdom is not static; it is active. Wisdom is not meant merely to build our intellect but to change our everyday lives.
In this collection of wisdom, we are hearing from a man who was gifted with wisdom directly from God. When Solomon became king at a young age, his prayer was not for power, prominence, or prestige. His prayer was simply that God would give him the wisdom to lead the people because the task was beyond his capacity.
I bet there are places in your life that feel beyond your capacity. Is it your work, which has become a tremendous burden and created uncertainty? Is it your finances, which have tightened and left you unsure of the way forward? Is it parenting, which continues to throw you curveballs you cannot hit? Is it a relationship that is deeply broken? Is it a calling or question you cannot answer?
God, the author of wisdom, is showing us in His Word that wisdom is to be found in Him. By listening to the Proverbs—and to the greater scope of Scripture—we can attain wisdom that will buoy us in the crashing waves of life.
Read through the passage again today. Consider how you are actively seeking wisdom from God and how you are applying it to your life.
No Days Off!
“Christianity is so hard because it forces me to live in two worlds!”
That is the complaint of many believers.
Do you feel that divide?
The divide between trying to be productive and prayerful.
The divide between trying to honor God and trying to get all your hours in.
The divide between handling the responsibilities of the spiritual world and the secular world.
I should be praying, reading Scripture, and attending church, but I also have to eat, sleep, work, mow the grass, and wash the dishes.
It can feel as though these two worlds are opposed to one another and that every choice we make with our time is a choice between the sacred and the secular.
“The sacred-secular [divide] has no foundation in the New Testament.”
—A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 113
Colossians 3:17 says:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
First Corinthians 10:31 says:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
If even eating and drinking can be done for the glory of God, then nearly every part of our lives can be lived for His glory.
We must not separate our lives into secular moments and sacred moments. Your attitude at work, the compassion you show a coworker, the effort you give to a project, the responsibility you take for your tasks, and even your reliability can all become expressions of worship.
In your “secular” job, you can and should see a sacred opportunity to live for God and shine His light.
Certainly, some activities feel more purposeful or spiritual, but that does not mean they are the only things that can be done for God. Worship in church feels different from a Monday meeting, but our gaze can remain fixed on God in both places.
In fact, we may sometimes be more distracted during a worship service than during a workday, and God’s goodness may sometimes be especially visible in a boardroom.
The challenge today is not to divide your life, but to understand that God desires to be Lord of all of it, not merely part of it.
God has called you to Himself, but He has also called you to work the job you have, love the spouse He has given you, train the children entrusted to you, care for the yard around you, and serve the community where He has placed you.
We do not clock in and clock out of godly living.
Every moment can become an act of worship.
“Lord, I would trust Thee completely; I would be altogether Thine; I would exalt Thee above all. I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee. I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing Presence and to hear Thy speaking Voice. I long to live in restful sincerity of heart. I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thought may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship. Therefore I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old, "I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee." And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.”
Drop the Mask
Admit Your Need
Recently, we discussed Matthew 11:28–30, where Jesus calls those who are weary to find rest in Him.
Yet, if we are honest, few of us want to take Jesus up on that offer because we do not want to admit that we are tired, burdened, or needy. We would rather keep working than admit weakness.
This is where the good news of Jesus meets us: the first step is admitting our need.
We must learn to admit that we need help.
Jesus commends faith like that of a child. Children are not ashamed of needing help, nor are they embarrassed to ask for it.
Yet we are often ashamed and embarrassed to receive anything from anyone, including God. We spend our lives propping up an image of ourselves that communicates power, competence, and clarity. We seek prominence and positions that declare that we are good, great, and completely put together.
Early in His ministry, Jesus explained whom He came to save:
“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
—Mark 2:17
While we seek to save face, Jesus calls us to come honestly to Him. His offer allows us to drop the charade, remove the mask, and admit our flaws, failures, insecurities, and inadequacies.
Jesus says, “I love you as you are. Quit trying to be who you are not.”
Will you embrace the rest offered to the sick rather than pretend to be well?
Will you admit your need, or will you try to conceal it all the more?
“Lord, make me childlike. Deliver me from the urge to compete with another for place or prestige or position. I would be simple and artless as a little child. Deliver me from pose and pretense. Forgive me for thinking of myself. Help me to forget myself and find my true peace in beholding Thee. That Thou mayest answer this prayer I humble myself before Thee. Lay upon me Thy easy yoke of self-forgetfulness that through it I may find rest. Amen.”
The Creator and the Creature
Psalm 51:1-2
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
If faith is continually setting our minds on God and believing Him, then what is salvation?
According to Tozer, “salvation is the restoration of a right relationship between man and his Creator, a bring back to normal of the Creator-creature relation.”
One thing we must remind ourselves of is this: The expectation is not perfection, but holy intention.
God is above us.
Where we are finite, He is infinite.
Where we are learning, He possesses all knowledge.
Where we are still trying, He has already completed His work.
Where we are growing, He remains the same—and He is perfect.
Think about this for a moment:
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.”
—Psalm 147:5
When we come to the place of salvation, we realize that we—the lesser—have broken our relationship with the Greater. Yet God is so gracious that He pays the price to restore that relationship with us!
The choice before us is this: Will we accept God’s offer of restoration by surrendering to His leading?
Will we give up self-rule in order to follow the God who has been pursuing us?
Are we willing to embrace the truth that nothing is better, greater, more valuable, or more lasting than our God and the salvation He offers us?
Today, may we be reminded that we are the creatures and He is the Creator. He holds the world in which we live.
As you consider that truth today, may it give you peace and confidence to trust the God who knows all things and can handle everything!
“O God, be thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me if only thou art glorified in my life. Be thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses, I shall keep my vow made this day before thee. Be thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health, and even my life itself. Let me decrease that thou mayest increase; let me sink that thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to thee, “Hosanna in the highest.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
What is Faith?
What is faith?
For as much as we talk about it in Christian circles, you would think we would all have a clear definition. The challenge is that the Bible only once gives us something close to a direct definition of faith, and even then, faith is largely described by how it acts.
Hebrews 11:1 says:
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Rather than simply explaining faith in abstract terms, God, through His Word, defines faith through examples. Faith is actively living in response to the belief that God is good, His promises are sure, His way is right, and His forgiveness is real.
Faith is more than a word. It is a way of life.
Tozer speaks of faith in a simple way: placing our gaze upon God. This is not so much a literal act of looking as it is an inward turning toward God and His ways. It is choosing to make God the focus of our lives and allowing everything else to fall into place after that.
Faith is not a one-time action. We speak of being saved and placing our faith in Jesus, but faith is also the continual act of fixing our gaze on God.
The beauty of faith is that it does not require anything extra. No special tools, locations, or expenses are required. The rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the old and the young can all turn their gaze and attention toward God.
Do you have faith?
Do you have assurance in the things of God?
Do you trust His promises and lean into His mercies?
Do you live out this faith by turning your gaze toward your gracious God?
Do you live with God as the focus, or is He on the periphery?
“O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon Thee all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be prepared to behold Thee in full splendor in the day when Thou shalt appear to be glorified in Thy saints and admired in all them that believe. Amen.”