March 29, 2008 6:58 AM
Sam wrote:
Ya know, just in general, I didn't get much reading this chapter this morning. Sometimes I look for Scriptures for certain events going on in my life, sometimes I look to see something new that the Holy Spirit has decided to make me see. Sometimes I just read and get nothing. Voila! This morning. Let's try again.
Well, there's one: verse 3. I must of 'skimmed' this one this morning. "...a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth." I have never 'been with a prostitute', but I understand the costs are a lot higher than the enjoyment received. People who do that sort of thing, DO throw away their money. But, this verse can also refer to other 'prostitutes' in our own lives...not the female (or male) to be used for sexual gratification, but rather other things of little value upon which we squander our wealth. Advertisements for products prostitute our billboards, radio and television. Most of these products we don't even need, but we buy them because we are enticed by their promises to make us feel better. I look around just in my office this morning, and see all the things I have squandered my money on since the house was rebuilt in 2005. Stuff everywhere! I am a companion of prostitutes of THINGS. Instead of sitting down to breakfast with friends for Bible Study and Prayer, I am eating my oatmeal sitting in an office filled with THINGS. I am squandering my money AND my life. I hope all of you can come by early today so we can pray together for a while about the prostitutes in our lives...the things that make us squander both our money and our lives. Reply to this
March 29, 2008 9:52 AM
Rich wrote:
I like the first part of verse 3 (the first part of what Mac writes about above). A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father. God is our father. If we truly love God and appreciate the gift and many blessings he has given to us, we should want to bring him joy. How do we do that? Love wisdom. Seek wisdom. Glean all that we can from Proverbs as well as from the rest of the Bible. The entire Bible is a book of wisdom. It tells us about life and relationships. It tells us how to live the way our creator made us to live. As Mac says above, there are many "prostitutes" in our world. I just heard today about a "pastor" who is being given a $1 million house as a retirement gift - to be paid for by his church. Is a $1 million house necessary? I am not trying to be a judge here, but it sure seems like some of this money could be put to better use to help people. Applying to myself, I thought about what Mac said above and I am wondering about many things around me this morning that are not really necessary. Things that I have accumulated that I could easily live without and things that hinder my pursuit of God and wisdom, not help it. What if I made decisions about what to buy on the basis of "will that help or hinder my pursuit of wisdom?" Many, many things that I own would not be here!
Verse 6. It never ceases to amaze me that how miserable I am when I am ensnared by sin and how happy I am when I am fighting the good fight, confessing sin, studying God's word, being the man that I am meant to be. It is so important to see sin for what it is - a grand deception. Songs of true gladness come from a righteous relationship with God. That is what I want in my life. True happiness and peace.
Verse 26. How often do I first go to the "law" to find cures and to get justice instead of God from whom justice comes. This is a good verse for me to keep in my mind for when things go against me. I should first turn to the Lord for justice and trust his ways as opposed to first trying to fix things myself. I did that one time this week about a very difficult situation. It made me stop and think and seek advice and I now feel at peace with the situation as opposed to what I often do which is run into the situation in a confrontational manner - the result is almost always harshness, hurt feelings and despair.
I hope that as we read and reread Proverbs some of these lessons I learn stick!!! Reply to this
Ya know, just in general, I didn't get much reading this chapter this morning. Sometimes I look for Scriptures for certain events going on in my life, sometimes I look to see something new that the Holy Spirit has decided to make me see. Sometimes I just read and get nothing. Voila! This morning. Let's try again.
Well, there's one: verse 3. I must of 'skimmed' this one this morning. "...a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth." I have never 'been with a prostitute', but I understand the costs are a lot higher than the enjoyment received. People who do that sort of thing, DO throw away their money. But, this verse can also refer to other 'prostitutes' in our own lives...not the female (or male) to be used for sexual gratification, but rather other things of little value upon which we squander our wealth. Advertisements for products prostitute our billboards, radio and television. Most of these products we don't even need, but we buy them because we are enticed by their promises to make us feel better. I look around just in my office this morning, and see all the things I have squandered my money on since the house was rebuilt in 2005. Stuff everywhere! I am a companion of prostitutes of THINGS. Instead of sitting down to breakfast with friends for Bible Study and Prayer, I am eating my oatmeal sitting in an office filled with THINGS. I am squandering my money AND my life. I hope all of you can come by early today so we can pray together for a while about the prostitutes in our lives...the things that make us squander both our money and our lives.
Reply to this
I like the first part of verse 3 (the first part of what Mac writes about above). A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father. God is our father. If we truly love God and appreciate the gift and many blessings he has given to us, we should want to bring him joy. How do we do that? Love wisdom. Seek wisdom. Glean all that we can from Proverbs as well as from the rest of the Bible. The entire Bible is a book of wisdom. It tells us about life and relationships. It tells us how to live the way our creator made us to live. As Mac says above, there are many "prostitutes" in our world. I just heard today about a "pastor" who is being given a $1 million house as a retirement gift - to be paid for by his church. Is a $1 million house necessary? I am not trying to be a judge here, but it sure seems like some of this money could be put to better use to help people. Applying to myself, I thought about what Mac said above and I am wondering about many things around me this morning that are not really necessary. Things that I have accumulated that I could easily live without and things that hinder my pursuit of God and wisdom, not help it. What if I made decisions about what to buy on the basis of "will that help or hinder my pursuit of wisdom?" Many, many things that I own would not be here!
Verse 6. It never ceases to amaze me that how miserable I am when I am ensnared by sin and how happy I am when I am fighting the good fight, confessing sin, studying God's word, being the man that I am meant to be. It is so important to see sin for what it is - a grand deception. Songs of true gladness come from a righteous relationship with God. That is what I want in my life. True happiness and peace.
Verse 26. How often do I first go to the "law" to find cures and to get justice instead of God from whom justice comes. This is a good verse for me to keep in my mind for when things go against me. I should first turn to the Lord for justice and trust his ways as opposed to first trying to fix things myself. I did that one time this week about a very difficult situation. It made me stop and think and seek advice and I now feel at peace with the situation as opposed to what I often do which is run into the situation in a confrontational manner - the result is almost always harshness, hurt feelings and despair.
I hope that as we read and reread Proverbs some of these lessons I learn stick!!!
Reply to this