Making Life Work

The book of Proverbs sets out with a series of simple goals:
for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young
Prov. 1:1-4

So, wisdom, discipline, understanding, discretion etc. all add up to a wise life. But where d o we begin?

Making Life Work: The Value of Wisdom

Foundations

1. True wisdom is built on the foundation of a relationship with God (1:7; 9:10)
2:6 tells us that The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding

2. Wisdom is available to all of us. She cries out in the streets

3. Wisdom rescues us

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, (2:12)

4. Nothing is of greater value than wisdom (8:11) (3:15 also)

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (4:7)

Outcomes of wisdom:

• Knowledge and discretion
• Understanding and power
• Riches and honour (but remember wisdom is of more value than gold, silver and rubies)
• Righteousness and justice
• Patience (19:11)
• Solid families
  By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established (24:3)
  More that just talking about bricks and mortar, there is also the sense of building a household, a family. (Ps.127: Unless the Lord builds the house)
• A future
  Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (24:14)

Proverbs 3:1-8-Learning to trust God

At the heart of this portion of Proverbs are two verses that are beloved of those who encourage us to memorise scripture. They are of course verses 5 and 6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Love, faithfulness, trusting God, honest self-evaluation (don’t be wise in your own eyes), honouring God, accepting God’s discipline, and of course wisdom are all characteristics of the life of those who want to follow God. You can almost hear Paul telling the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But core to these qualities is our decision to trust God. Without this, how are we going to make right choices? If we do not trust God, how are we going to follow him, how are we going to submit ourselves to his guidance, his discipline and his wisdom rather than ours?

When the author tells us to trust God so implicitly as he does in verses 5-6, it must simply mean that he believes God to be trustworthy. So, here’s a simple question: How do we know that God can be trusted?

Trusting God because

#1 Experience

If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for any length of time, you are almost certainly going to have a story to tell about God’s trustworthiness. Something of your personal experience will remind you that God answers prayers, that he intervenes in situation and that he makes a difference to your life. It may not be your current experience, it may not be your current situation, but somewhere there will be a story.

If you’re struggling at the moment, then search your history for that reminder of God’s trustworthiness.

But it’s not just about your experience, there’s the experience of others too.

So often when we listen to the stories of others, we think, “It will never happen for me.” It may not, but be careful that your self-assessment doesn’t become a denial of their experience.
Perhaps, when the going is tough, it’s helpful too to remember God’s trustworthiness to others.

One last thing about experience. It’s not always in what God does do for us that we see his trustworthiness demonstrated. Sometimes it’s in the things he doesn’t do. Confusing as it can be at the time, that God doesn’t do a thing for us is just as much evidence that he can be trusted than when he does. Why? How? Because, as Proverbs hints, our self-wisdom isn’t always that wise.

#2 His character

Our trust in God is not just about what he does for us or how he answers our prayers, it’s also about what we know of his character.

Here are eight characteristics of God that point us towards his trustworthiness:

• He knows it all

• He is always there

• He is in control

• He can laugh and cry (God does emotions)

• He is always gracious

• He is committed to you

• He always guides

• He never changes

If you want to read more about these, and other characteristics of God, then pick up Bill Hybels book The God you're looking for

#3 By faith

Knowing his character, remembering our history and the history of others, we choose, by faith, to trust him.

This trust is not only about our future, but it’s about our present too.

Learning to trust God now helps us to learn what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

Where was June

I realise I haven't posted anything since May on this blog. To be honest, I haven't done much blogging through June at all.

I will try to catch up over the summer and post some thoughts and outlines.