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Training Day 5 Just Being

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Training Day 5 Just Being

Anxious, Fear, God, Healing, Jesus, Regret

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 139
Luke 5:15–16
Luke 6:12-16
Mark 1:35–39
Matthew 11:28–30

As disciples, we often learn about the works of Jesus. We study what He did. 

We also notice the words of Jesus. Many of us have Bibles with His words in red, highlighting their importance. 

In a recent discipleship seminar, I was encouraged to notice the ways of Jesus, learning not just from His public ministry and message, but also from the way Jesus lived His life. With this idea in mind as I read the gospels, I’ve discovered truth I hadn’t noticed before.

For instance, a little verse at the beginning of Matthew 13 caught my attention. The preceding verses describe Jesus teaching crowds of people and confronting the religious leaders. The following verses talk about Jesus teaching such a large crowd, He used a boat as a platform while the people listened from the shore. But between these big ministry moments, Jesus stole time to sit by the lake, alone. (Matthew 13:1)

In fact, Jesus often made time to be alone, even though He was busy and crowds constantly followed Him.

“Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

It was His way. Jesus spent time in solitude.

When was the last time you sat alone, without distraction? The television off, the radio silent, the kids with a babysitter, your phone out of reach. Alone with God, to work through your thoughts, feelings, and memories. It can be a very uncomfortable place.

We don’t make space for solitude very often; life is too busy, right? There is always something to do: good, meaningful, and important things. As soon as the house is clean, the laundry done, and a meal prepared, someone has made a mess, gotten dirty, and is hungry again. Between home, work, and church, the responsibilities of life are relentless. But Jesus didn’t use this as an excuse.

I did.

Early last year I had a significant mental health event. That’s hard to admit. I think of myself as a strong, capable person. I was very busy, but I had everything under control. At least, I thought I did. I developed chest pain and was admitted to coronary care. After four days of uncomfortable tests, my heart was given a clean bill of health and I was diagnosed with vicarious trauma.

I worked in my church as a pastoral carer, supporting those who were sick and grieving. I spent my days visiting, making phone calls, and praying with people. It was a wonderful privilege to represent the comfort of Jesus to those who were walking through life’s most difficult circumstances. I was good at my job, and I loved it. Yet over time, as I was exposed to the trauma of others without giving myself the time to process what I was witnessing, I began to develop trauma symptoms myself.

My Christian counselor prescribed a powerful therapy for my recovery: solitude. Seriously, that was her recovery plan. She told me to spend time alone with Jesus. Not busy time “doing” my devotions. But “wasted” time, just sitting, being with Jesus. It was difficult.

As I sat in silence, the thoughts that emerged were ugly: memories of pain, feelings of guilt and regret, fear and anxiety. It was hard work. But, inviting Jesus to shine a light into the dark corners of my heart in the quietness of my pain was the best medicine. In time, the knot in my chest unraveled as I submitted all to Christ, and He healed my weary soul.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What a wonderful invitation. If only we weren’t too busy to accept.

Solitude is a discipline. It doesn’t come easily to many of us. Our modern world is full of distractions and interruptions. We are constantly bombarded with cries for our attention. It honestly feels irresponsible to take time to sit quietly and appear to do nothing. Yet, this is where healing comes. This is where we find the rest our souls so desperately seek.

I now have a practice of having a morning coffee with Jesus. It takes around ten to fifteen minutes. Often, it is after I’ve read my Bible and prayed through my list, but sometimes, I sit with Jesus first.

I find it easier when I have a cup of coffee in my hands. I’m less likely to reach for my phone. I also try to be outside or by a window where I can see the sky and the beauty of creation so I don’t get distracted by dirty dishes or the dusty floor.

I often use the end of Psalm 139 as a prayer. 

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

I allow God to sift through my thoughts, good and bad. Somehow, I walk away from solitude lighter, more joyful, and with the best creative ideas.

I hope you are able to “waste” some time alone with Jesus today.

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Sketched VII Day 2 Being His: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Being His!

The Questions

1) What is the building from God and how does it relate to being naked and clothed? (verses 1-5)

2) How do tents and buildings relate to being clothed and naked?

3) How does the discussion of tents, buildings, naked, and clothed relate to God’s “purposes”? (verses 5-15)

2 Corinthians 5:1-15

For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. 2 Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 since, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked. 4 Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

6 So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

Original Intent

1) What is the building from God versus the earthly tent? (verses 1-5)
The citizens of Corinth were well known for their incredible architecture. Their magnificent acropolis, the most popular of all then-current city-states, towered over 2000 feet tall and had access to inexhaustible springs, making it a prime location for safety during times of battle. Corinth also boasted several sprawling temples to false gods like Apollo and Poseidon, but the most popular temple was reserved for Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility. Ancient Corinthians had much to boast of regarding their advanced architecture, all built by their own hands. To live in a tent at the time of the Paul and his Corinthian friends meant one thing, you weren’t staying here long. No one would consider living in a makeshift tent in the magnificent city of Corinth; it only meant you were traveling through with no plans to take up residency for long. Paul recognized these realities to the Corinthian citizens, and used these cultural relevancies to point to the greatest architect, God. When Paul speaks of our “earthly tent”, he’s referring to our bodies while we live here on earth. These are the bodies we live and breathe in; we use our bodies to eat, drink, run, and laugh, but these are temporary and will one day be destroyed by physical death.

2) How do tents and buildings relate to being clothed and naked?
When this “tent” of a body is destroyed, one would get the picture that the “soul” of the person would be naked with no housing to protect it and dwell within. Paul says when the tent of the believer is destroyed by physical death, we have no fear of being naked without a dwelling, for God has provided an eternal building. This building, standing in contrast to the ornate Corinthian temples, is not made by human hands at all, rather, this building will last for eternity and is made by God Himself. This “building” isn’t a literal brick and mortar structure, rather it carries the idea of “a place to dwell and call home”. This is the Christian’s dwelling place forever after our earthly bodies die. The main focus on this eternal home is not what the structure looks like, but rather its incorruptible, everlasting quality that stands in sharp contrast to the temporary, sufferable, and half-clothed “tent” of our physical bodies as we live out our days on earth. Paul takes his metaphor a step farther by telling the Corinthians, that even in our earthly “tents” we are still naked, at least partially, even though it looks like we have a dwelling place. While we live in our “tents”, we experience grief, loss, pain, sickness, suffering, and persecution, all of which make the believer long to be fully clothed. We long for home, the eternal dwelling that is incorruptible and made by God rather than flawed human hands. This idea would have been easy for Corinthians to connect with because they viewed someone who lived in a tent as only having a temporary dwelling. Who wouldn’t rather live in strong, sturdy Corinthian-like structure than a flimsy, temporary tent?! A tent may be adequate most of the time, but the longing for a permanent dwelling would be strong! Paul says when the believer’s tent is destroyed it’s as if Life itself has swallowed up Death entirely in one fell swoop. For the Christian, the one who is safe in the salvation of Christ, there is no real “death”, only a physical changing of dwelling places.

3) How does the discussion of tents, buildings, naked, and clothed relate to God’s “purposes”? (verses 5-8)
While it’s deeply comforting to know God not only sees we are “partially clothed” on earth while we live in our earthly bodies, but has prepared a permanent, loving solution to our movement from physical bodies to eternal dwelling, there is so much more to this passage. Verse 5 serves as a transition point for Paul as he describes that this loving forethought of God is anchored in one mind-blowing reality. He purposefully crafted our bodies to die and our souls to transition to our forever home, to fulfill His purpose of dwelling with us for eternity! His heart passion is to be with us! Just as a dear friend or loving, passionate spouse deeply desires to spend time with us simply because they love us and enjoy the company of our presence, so is this the case with the God of the universe except on an infinitely grander scale! In the Garden of Eden at the very beginning of time, God’s intentional design was to dwell with His creation, especially Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:8) Sin made that impossible, so He has been pursuing us ever since with His grand plan of restoring a relationship with us so we can once again experience what it is to dwell with Him in pure delight. (Ezekiel 37:27-26)While we are in the tent of our bodies, while we are partially clothed, while we are waiting for our forever home, He graciously gives us the “down payment” of all that is yet to come when we go Home by giving us the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us. (Ephesians 1:13-14) God is dwelling within every believing heart who has fully surrendered their will to Christ’s. This is the proof that we are His. His Spirit is our mark of being eternally adopted (Ephesians 1:5) and is our constant reminder that this painfully broken tent will one day be swallowed up by the fullness of Life With God, never again to be interrupted by sin and its devastating effects. Praise God for this indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Everyday Application

1) What is the building from God and how does it relate to being naked and clothed? (verses 1-5)
It’s easy to forget that this life is only the precursor for the life that will never end. It’s easy to put our trust in our everyday successes, and point to what we can build with our own hands as being the summit peak of our existence. The cute outfit, the well-behaved child, the flawless performance of a business deal, strong relationships, or amazing life-experiences can all distract us, keeping our eyes on the fleeting, temporary, and very quickly fading moments of now. What might shift in your actions, thoughts, words, and how you viewed the opportunities around you in relationships if you were looking through the lens of “eternity is coming, now is fleeting”? Would you invest more deeply? Where would you choose to eliminate activities because they are meaningless? Where would you slow down and create more space even at the expense of something else “important”? Take time this week to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you train your eyes, mind, heart, and hands to live for eternity rather than the temporary!

2) How do tents and buildings relate to being clothed and naked?
To have our brokenness, our shame, and all of our pain, emotional, physical, and relational, swallowed up and cast away, only to be replaced by a life more full and complete and never ending than we could possible comprehend….what a true gift!!! Where is the brokenness around you threatening to overwhelm you? Where are you tempted to believe that “now” is all we have? Don’t give up!! All of eternity is coming! Yes, we groan, just as Paul said we do, because this tent of a physical body and physical life brings disappointment deep and wide, but this is not as good as it gets! Fix your eyes not on what is seen around you, but on what is unseen. Anchor your heart in the unshakeable truths of Christ and all that is to come, and keep pressing onward. Connect with another trusted Christ-following friend this week and commit to encouraging one another to specifically keep following Jesus and focus on the eternal rather than the temporal!

3) How does the discussion of tents, buildings, naked, and clothed relate to God’s “purposes”? (verses 5-8)
Paul makes it clear in this passage that God’s intended purpose is to live with us perfectly for eternity. He longs to dwell with us so we can mutually delight in having fellowship with Him and with others who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. (1 John 1:3) As absolutely remarkable as this truth is, Paul calls the attention of the Corinthians to another strong reality in verses 10-11, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore….we persuade others”! The precious gift of eternal life in a “building” that will never be destroyed and the richness of literally dwelling with the God of the Universe forever is meant to motivate us to t e l l  o t h e r s of this radical love! We are meant to persuade others by our love for them, our love for Jesus, and our bold willingness to share the gospel with our words so all can experience this dwelling with God for eternity. It is His love for us, and for all people, that motivates us to engage with everyone in our circle of influence about the freedom and rich love of knowing and living with God forever! (verses 14-15) Who have you told? Who will you tell? Who will you intentionally begin cultivating a relationship with so they can know God like you do? Eternity is at stake! Go, friend, SHARE truth with grace!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Being His!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VII Week One!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Sketched VII Day 1 Being His

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:1-15
Exodus 3:1-15
Isaiah 43:1-7

Sketched VII, Day 1

It was January of 2016.
My heart was learning to love Jesus more each day, but the road was full of potholes with a constant up and down scaling of mountainous terrain. My marriage of 14 years was equally as roller-coaster-like. We still hadn’t found a rhythm of love and communication since walking down the aisle, giving birth to 6 children, and holding the ashes of our baby.

I loved writing with a passion so great it hurt my heart not to write, but again, I couldn’t find the rhythm to do what I dreamed. Kids, babies, laundry, dishes, homeschooling, church, marriage, tension, h a r d.

Raw footage from my journal in December of 2015…
So now, I’m curling into bed in the room where we’ve spent the last 52+ hours fighting.
Lost.
Alone.
Unknown.
Feeling as if I’ve aged 10 years in 2 days.

Tomorrow will come. I just don’t know how to face it.
how to look in their eyes.
how to look at the mess
in the kitchen
in our marriage
how to fix any of it…

Backing up farther to November of 2014, my marriage thick with perpetual conflict, God whispered, calling me to know Him better. Deeper. Every Single Day.
I had emphasized to others about regular, daily quiet time with God for years, but I was terribly inconsistent myself. A couple days here followed by weeks without reading my Bible. I blamed it on everyone and everything else except me. God called me out of my aimlessness, asking if I truly wanted to follow.

Did I?
Did I really want to follow Jesus?

His Spirit moved my heart to YES, so with blank journal pages before me and Bible open, I tentatively stepped forward in surrender.
Every Day. No more room for apathy.

It was horribly awkward at first, but inexplicably, as days turned to weeks and months, the Lord became everything to me. I was alive, despite the brokenness around me. It thrilled me! A few weeks in, the Lord’s voice came again, “Pray for your husband and write it down, every day.” I remember the moment clearly, and my heart seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for God to recant. Of course, He didn’t, He only waited for my response.

Would I follow?
Did I even want to say yes?

Before I could begin telling God why I couldn’t, the Spirit within me moved me to YES. I opened a new journal, hesitant at first, writing casual and surface-level prayers, until the Spirit groaned within me, urging my heart into full transparency as I interceded on behalf of my husband, and asking God to change my heart.

I tell you these backstories because it would be easy to begin sharing stories of how God has used Gracefully Truthful to reach women, to encourage them, and to bring about depth and intimacy in their relationship with God.

In the telling, it could look like I had made this happen.
But, I did not.
I know the truth.
I know this journey, this ministry, is not, nor has it ever been, about me.
Because I am utterly broken without my Savior.

Even my Yes to follow has always been an act of God from inside me.

January 2016.
Disarray everywhere.
With the one exception of that solid ground space in my heart where
Jesus had become more necessary than breathing,
Here, Lord asked if I would follow again.

It came in a rush of ideas and dreams.
It was well after midnight and I was still jotting down ideas of what this next step could be as I huddled under blankets in my bed. My heart beat wildly as the Spirit leapt within me, opening my eyes to next steps. Journey Studies, women studying the Bible for themselves, truth being discovered and lived out, the Spirit calling women to life from the grave, equipping women, holding out the life of Scripture with gut-honest transparency, redemption stories, living in biblical community, and the thoughts kept spinning.

The next day, I pulled in three of my closest friends and asked if they would be in for this crazy ride, wherever it led and whatever it meant. They prayed with me, they gave wise counsel, we held hands, and when God asked if we would follow, He had already prepared our YES.

Saying yes isn’t glamorous.
And it really, truly isn’t about us.
It’s about obedient surrender.

Saying yes to following Jesus will always, always come with a price.
This particular yes has cost my countless nights of sleep, evenings lazily watching TV, precious time with my children, and space for hundreds of other activities. This follow has brought me to tears and frustration, tension in my marriage, and so many moments of wanting to walk away.

It has also cost me my apathy.
While following Jesus will always require sacrifice, it will also burn up the impurities in your life you never even recognized.
This is perhaps, God’s greatest goal in asking for our yes, because it means we will become more like Jesus in the process, bringing Him more glory.

With the apostle Paul, let it be said of me,
Since I know what it is to fear the Lord, I am trying to persuade you to follow Him as well. What I am on the inside is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to you.
I am nothing without Christ.
I am not commending myself to you, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of God’s work in me. For if I am out of my mind, it is for God. It is Christ’s love that is compelling me to follow Him because I know this above all else: Because Jesus died for all, all those who are alive should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised to give them life. (2 Corinthians 5:11-15, my paraphrase)

Let my story urge you forward, Daughter of the Most High.
Not into doing great things for God, but for being a delighted over daughter as you enjoy His presence. In that precious place, His own Spirit will teach you to follow,
and to rest while you trust Him in your obedience.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VII Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched VII!

Pause 3 Day 2 Intended For Rest

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Pause 3, Day 2

Rest.
We all need it, but most of us push back from it, not wanting to be found lazy, weak, or ineffective. We stay awake until the wee hours working, press ourselves to exhaustion during the day, or move from one activity to the next without a breath.
Yet, we were designed for resting.

Resting.
Pausing.
Breathing.
Being.

As often is the case, the physical realm mirrors the spiritual in order to accentuate it. Just as our physical bodies were made to literally live off of rest, so were our souls. This is the emphasis of chapter three in Hebrews. The only safe haven of rest for our souls is found in Christ Jesus, the author of our hearts.

Grab your Bible, a journal and pen,
and open your heart to bask in the presence of the Almighty!

Today's Challenge

1) Pull out your Bible and read Hebrews 3 fully through 3 times.

2) Each time, write down everything that pops out at you, makes you curious, or wonder “why?”. When you’re finished, go back through and you’ll be amazed at the new things the Spirit is leading you into knowing about Him!

3) Pay special attention to the kind of rest we are made for. Who is able to ensure we will be given the inheritance of rest? What kind of rest is the author wanting us to make sure we enter? How do we enter it? What keeps us from this specific rest?

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Hebrews 3

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. 3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. 4 Now every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers tested me, tried me,
and saw my works 10 for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation
and said, “They always go astray in their hearts,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.”

12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. 14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. 15 As it is said:
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause 3 Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Pause 3!

Focus Day 4 Wisdom’s Way: Digging Deeper

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Focus Day 4 Wisdom’s Way: Digging Deeper

Rebecca Adams

August 22, 2019

Digging Deeper,Focus,God,Gospel,Guidance,Jesus,Relationship,Wisdom

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Wisdom's Way"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Proverbs 4

Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2 for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, 4 he taught me and said: “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. 6 Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. 8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. 9 She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty.”

10 Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. 11 I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. 14 Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. 15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by. 16 For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. 19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. 24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. 25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. 26 Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why is there such an urgent tone in the writer’s word choices?

Listen! Pay attention! Don’t abandon my teaching! Whatever else you get, it must be wisdom above all else! Don’t forget it! These phrases of urgency are repeated within this chapter as well as the first nine chapters of Proverbs, a book themed with wisdom from beginning to end.

Proverbs was written by King Solomon, son of King David. God lavished Solomon with wisdom that went far beyond his own human capabilities and throughout the book, we can’t help but notice the intensity with which Solomon is impressing upon his sons.

As a child reaches for a hot burner, we intensely shout and push their hand away because wisdom protects. It is with this same intensity Solomon is writing to his sons. Wisdom would be the safeguard for them even after Solomon passed away. He wouldn’t always be there for be wise for his sons, so he urges them to personally own the process of seeking wisdom as well as living wisely.

The Everyday Application

1) Why is there such an urgent tone in the writer’s word choices?

The entire purpose of parenting is wrapped up in passing on wisdom from the tiny ages to the older ones. We want our children to see, understand, and process the world through the eyes of experience, able to make wise choices.

The thing about wisdom is that once you’ve held it and owned it for yourself, you want others to experience the same delight you have by embracing wisdom; the only logical step is to share it. The one who has taken wisdom in knows how precious it is, and the urgency to share it increases. We want others to experience this wisdom as we have. This is exactly like the gospel!

Jesus is the literal embodiment of wisdom as He, being fully God, took on our flesh while maintaining His deity, which includes all wisdom. The more we take in of Jesus Christ, the more we naturally are moved towards sharing how sweetly wonderful it is to know and experience Christ!

Is Jesus sweet to you? If so, you’ll want to share Him! Maybe you’d like this sweetness, but it just never seems to be a reality for you no matter how hard you try.

As Merry invited yesterday, “carve out a few moments and find a quiet space.
Talk to the Lord. Have a real conversation with Him. Tell Him where you are and ask Him to help you, then trust He is faithful and will respond to His beloved daughter!” Sweetness is available and He longs for you to experience Him!

The Original Intent

2) According to this passage, how does someone “be wise”?

Being wise first begins with seeking out wisdom, which means we need to define the reality of our current state of affairs. How wise are we truly? Do our everyday life choices reflect wisdom? Do our relationships demonstrate wisdom?

I’ll cut to the chase, we all, (yes A L L) need more wisdom. The starting line is realizing our need and seeking it out. Solomon teaches one way of attaining is simply by listening and learning as wisdom is spoken to you and modeled in front of you.

It’s a given that Solomon was wise, but wise people listen to wise people. When Solomon spoke these words, he intended them as a means of making his own sons wise, and all they had to do was define reality (their current need for wisdom), listen to wisdom spoken and written, and watch what it looks like to live out wisdom in real life. Wisdom was enacted for them, they just had to “pay attention!”. (verse 1)

The Everyday Application

2) According to this passage, how does someone “be wise”?

While Solomon wanted his sons to live wisely, this passion for pursuing and embracing wisdom was a precursor the coming Wisdom of Jesus Christ. There is no wisdom outside or beyond the Lord God.

We, as humans, may become really good people, treat others well, and take care of the planet, but until we have defined reality that we are stuck in our sin without a Savior and have humbly surrendered ourselves to Jesus as our only hope of rescue, we have entirely missed the boat on being wise. To truly embrace wisdom is to embrace the gracious gift of salvation Christ offers to us who are trapped by our inescapable punishment for sins. And that’s  A L L of us.

Once we have acknowledged the reality of our sin and asked Jesus to rescue us, we can choose to grow deeper in wisdom by listening to His words in Scripture and watching His wisdom modeled in others around us who have long chosen Christ as their own Rescuer. Apart from God, there is no wisdom. And no one can really become wise without Him!

The Original Intent

3) Is wisdom truly the difference between life and death?

Returning to the idea of urgency with which Solomon wrote, yes, wisdom is precisely the difference between life and death. We can see this in the obviously practical such as looking both ways before you cross a street to avoid being hit by a car. Here, wisdom avoids physical death, but we also see this truth at work in the less obvious.

When we listen well in tense arguments rather than push our viewpoint, wisdom brings life by allowing for deeper relationship and understanding to occur. To spout off our thoughts, letting anger control us, is not only unwise, it also is like a sword to our relationship. Wisdom brings life, reckless abandonment of wisdom brings death, no matter what scale you use to measure its affects or what scenarios are being lived out.

The Everyday Application

3) Is wisdom truly the difference between life and death?

When we become aware of wisdom’s influence in our lives and the gift of life it carries with it, we learn to walk more wisely because the reward of life is worth the cost of defining reality and then pursuing wisdom. When we understand that following Jesus, as the fullness of wisdom, brings life in both the mundane, the mediocre, and the magnificent, embracing His wisdom as rescuer of our souls is absolutely worth it.

The alternative to surrendering control to Jesus? Death. Eternal death and complete separation from the God of all wisdom and authority. The choice we are each faced with will result in either life or death, both on the grand scale for eternity, as well as the innumerable small ways as we live out our everyday lives.

With Jesus, we can live supremely wise lives, but without Him, we will bring death with us everywhere we go and into every relationship we have. Choose wisdom! Choose Jesus! And then urgently share this sweet gift with others!

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