begin with wisdom. begin with Proverbs

We need wisdom, the wisdom God. It is a new year with lots of opportunities, and that is why I remind us all of what God offers and where we can find it.

The key to living with significance and success is to trust God and the foundation He built. Go even deeper to find truth that this transcends us and own thinking on wisdom.

James 3:17-18 NLT

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Define real wisdom. Does your thought of what wisdom wisdom change you and the people around us? I need wisdom.

I have challenged our church family to choose 1. Choose one meal. Choose one hour. Choose one day. In doing those things through this month we will get closer to Jesus.

Some thing I have told you before … Read Proverbs every day. 31 chapters in this book and 31 days in most months. Read one chapter each day.

“God calls us to receive His wisdom and be skillful, so that we can make a life that will glorify Him. The important thing isn’t how long we live but how we live, not the length but the depth of life. Fools wade in the shallows, but wise people launch out into the deep and let God give them His very best.” - Warren Wiersbe, in his Proverbs Commentary

Proverbs has given me more and transformed my life more than any other. The book of Proverbs holds wisdom that goes beyond what I get on my own.

My life verse shares this truth:

James 1:5 NLT

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Proverbs is a compilations of truth and sayings that lead us to know God, know His truth and apply His truth. Doing those things makes us stronger and will give us a better life. The key to proverbs is this:

Proverbs 1:7 NLT

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Fear God. Not a fear that shows you are afraid of God. But fear God by recognizing who He is and that He loves you. We need Him. We need His wisdom. If we listen, life will be so much better.

In the first chapter of Proverbs we hear, as Wiersbe states, listen for the voice of instruction, the voice of temptation, and the voice of salvation. God is speaking. May we be listening and learning as we read. Why? Because we need the wisdom of God.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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