Tag: Christian living

Archaeologist studying a map beside a coastal excavation trench

No Quest Required

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“Doesn’t wisdom call out? Doesn’t understanding make her voice heard? At the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads, she takes her stand. Beside the gates leading into the city, at the main entrance, she cries out.” (Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

There are some things that take a lot of effort to accomplish. If you want to run a marathon, for instance, you are going to need to spend weeks training for it. Maybe months. You’ll have to commit to running every single day, and not just a little bit. You may start small, but you will gradually run further and further distances until you can accomplish the whole thing. It will likely be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done in your life. Finding godly wisdom…isn’t like that. Let me explain.

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Woman holding books while a masked guest offers a goblet in a library

Are You Paying Attention Yet?

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“My son, obey my words, and treasure my commands. Keep my commands and live, and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your relative. She will keep you from a forbidden woman, a wayward woman with her flattering talk.” (Proverbs‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

With three chapters now left in this opening section of Proverbs, one of the themes we have seen over and over again is this strong exhortation for the reader to heed the counsel and command of the writer; for the son to heed his father. Inasmuch as this is Solomon writing to his own children, though, we can receive all of this as our heavenly Father’s attempt to pass along His divine wisdom to us. So then, how can we actually receive His wisdom? Let’s talk about some ways.

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Older woman and man walking with young girl hand in hand on a forest path at sunset

The Worth of Wise Counsel

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“My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life.” (Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

I once saw a magnet on somebody’s fridge that made me chuckle. It said, “Ask a teenager while they still know everything.” The idea is one that is certainly familiar to anybody who has navigated the journey of parenting. The confidence of ignorance that youth invites is a potent draught. Nobody at that age wants to listen to the counsel of their parents. Even as we grow, though, we don’t get much better at taking sound advice. To do that means acknowledging that we don’t know everything, and for most of us we are loathe to do that. Solomon’s wisdom here is something all of us could benefit from. Let’s talk about it.

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Doing Makes All the Difference

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This week we are finally wrapping up our journey through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. For the last two and a half months we have been working our way through the incredible vision of God’s kingdom Jesus gave us in these words. Here at the end Jesus doesn’t add any new teaching to the pile. Rather, He offers us a warning and an encouragement. Both are focused on making the same point: If we don’t put all of these things into practice, they won’t do us any good both now and when all things finally come to an end. Let’s dive into these words together as we are reminded that doing really does make all the difference.

Doing Makes All the Difference

I spent three years in seminary. While I was there, I took classes on all sorts of things you might expect a preacher to learn. We studied Greek and Hebrew. We learned various approaches to interpreting the Scriptures. We took classes on theology and church history. We learned how to defend the faith and to make strong, rational arguments in its favor. There were preaching classes, of course. Toward the end, there were even a couple of practical ministry classes and leadership classes. It was a robust program in which I learned a ton. Or at least, I felt like I did. But it’s hard to know how much you have really learned until you have the opportunity to actually put it into practice. 

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A balance scale held by a hand with dark and light elements on each side, glowing sword and book labeled 'JUSTITIA' in background

Love and Hate in God’s Good World

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“The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.” (Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

I’ve been reading back through a book lately called, Gentle and Lowly, that makes the case for the gentleness and passion God has for people, and especially His people. Drawing on both New Testament and Old Testament sources alike, it’s a powerful exploration of the deep and passionate love of God—a love far deeper and more passionate than we can really imagine. Yet as great as God’s love for us is, as much as He is love, there are some things He hates. Solomon gives us a list of some of them here. Let’s take a look.

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