Focus on Scripture Resource (Week 4 recap)

Sunday night we changed up the teaching style a bit and welcomed four new ladies to our class! We missed a number of regulars and hope to see you next week.

If you've been reading along, you'll notice that from Chapter 10 forward (through Chapter 29) the layout of Proverbs changes considerably. From longer passages of Scripture that have a particular theme or focus (as seen in Ch. 1-9), we now get blips of wisdom on various topics. Many of these are repetitive subjects, which is great for utilizing in our Scripture resource (aka Scripture reference). Keep in mind we're now in the section of Proverbs called "The Wise Sayings of Solomon", hence the multi-subject blips. Not all of these sayings are specific promises, some are simply factual statements. As you are reading be sure to read each passage and pause to meditate on that one and it's theme or focus before moving to the next verse. I find that doing so helps me when I read these chapters. I can easily grasp the focus of that verse and jot down where I feel it best applies in my Scripture resource section of my journal. This comes in handy not just when I need it but also when I encounter someone going through a struggle. Knowing I can reference this resource to quickly find an applicable Scripture is wonderful. I hope you'll find someone this week you can minister to by referencing God's Word in this way.

For the next few weeks we will be sharing our topical references in class so as to encourage and admonish each other. This means your participation in class will be crucial. Your journal notes and Scripture reference entries will easily enable your participation and foster discussion during our large group class time. Please be sure to "be prepared" each week with something to share from your journal or reference.

This week we reviewed how the Scripture reference is laid out, various topics of wisdom and verses from our reading that related to those topics. As the group discussion was more in-depth, I'm going to simply record samples of the topics and a few verses so you can get a feel for how to lay out your reference if you have not started one already. For example, in the back of my journal I have designated a section for my reference (so it's all in one place, that's easier for me...you may wish to have a separate notebook for this and that's fine too). I have designated at least one front and back page of my journal to each of the various topics of wisdom. In class we shared our various topics and reviewed and discussed some of the verses we put in each topic. 

Some of the reference topics we came up with and corresponding verses were:

Righteous/Believers (Promises/Facts)
10:28, "hope vs perish"

Mouth (Practical)
10:19, "shut up"
10:31-32, "righteous"
11:13, "gossip
12:17, "speak truth"

Vocation
11:1, "integrity in sales"
12:11, "worker vs slacker"
12:14, "worker vs slacker"
13:4,  "worker vs slacker"

Family/Parenting
13:24, "discipline your kids"

Marital
12:4, "excellent wife"
12:16, "slow to anger"

Moral
11:17, "kindness"
13:14, "wisdom=life"

Financial
11:24, "generosity"
11:26, "don't withhold"
11:28, "don't trust wealth"

As we discussed in class, there are no "right and wrongs" per se...your topics may have different titles, which is fine. You may have chosen to put some verses under a different topic, which is also fine. So many verses are applicable to more than one topic. These are just some ideas to get you started. The descriptions beside the verses above are the ones I jotted down to jog my memory of the verse's point so I can easily reference it later. Your descriptions may be different...what ever makes sense to you as you'll be the one referencing your own resource in the future. I want to be sure this is something that will be of benefit to YOU so just lay it out as best suits you.  

Be sure to come Sunday for the review and discussion. Claudine Snyder will be leading the class in my absence. Be praying for her as she prepares and pray for me this week. Thank you ladies! 

**Remember to contact your accountability/small group members to encourage them this week too.** 

Commands and Blessings (Recap of Week 2)

Well this post has been a long time coming! It's been a busy two weeks for me...how about you? I know it seems every time I sat down to do this something came up so now I have a quiet moment at home to get this done. Ahhh.

The last week of June the class read Proverbs 1-4 and we had discussion after the various sections found within these Proverbs. The main theme I noticed in these four chapters is that of commands and blessings (the use of "if" and "then" statements were frequent). As you hear the parent or teacher urging the child/student in these chapters to "do this, not that" and "reap a blessing when you follow this command", we can begin to see the pictures of God the Father as well as Jesus the Shepherd.

There is Wisdom (in the person of a woman, interestingly enough) who calls out to anyone and everyone to hear her voice and heed her words so that we may find knowledge and thus gain understanding. As God alone is the one who gives wisdom (He is the author of wisdom) the "fear of the Lord" becomes the beginning of wisdom, which then grants knowledge. This isn't just head knowledge about Scripture. In James we read that the demons know of God and tremble (2:19). No! Wisdom is the knowledge AND understanding as a result of the fear of the Lord with regard to a reverent personal relationship (see prior post). Wisdom provides protection of the upright through spiritual discernment that no one can gain without their heart in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a spirit that is now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Wisdom offers many blessings for those who listen; however, for those who refuse, they will remain in their foolishness and ignorance. In turn, the naive ones, scorners and fools will not find wisdom and will have consequences to endure for the evil they seek and/or fall into due to their rejection of Wisdom's pleas.

In addition to responding to Wisdom, we are to learn to rely on and trust God. We are to go to Him with big AND small concerns. I know as women, we tend to be self-reliant. We need to be God-reliant. That's something as Christians we must work on and learn. Some of my favorite verses from these four chapters are Proverbs 3:5-7. It speaks of learning that God-trust and not relying on your own strength. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5b). This passage also highlights the reward that comes from trusting the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding in v.8.

God desires to bless His children! He not only shows His love by blessing but also by disciplining. That's the uncomfortable part! We want the love and blessings but not the correction that's often needed to keep us on the right path and out of danger that we may not see. One of the examples I shared was that of the shepherd. In the New Testament, the Bible often uses the analogy of the Shepherd (Jesus) and the sheep (believers). Even in the Old Testament this is especially evident in Psalm 23. Think about sheep...they are not the brightest creature created. They tend to be a little dumb. They'll wander into rushing water not thinking twice about how they will lose their footing and how their wool will absorb that water, quickly take them under to be drowned. They don't think about moving around a hole or not stepping on a rock, thus hurting themselves. They're just a bit dense in the noggin. That's why the Shepherd is needed!

The Shepherd is the one who walks the path and fields BEFORE the sheep to ensure they is nothing they will stumble upon or fall into. That is called "making the path straight" and He in turn "directs the path" (Prv. 3:6b) of the sheep. He seeks to lead the sheep to and beside "still waters" (Ps. 23:2b) so they don't lose their footing or fall into rivers of rushing water. He uses his shepherd's staff for defense as well as offense. The crook being used to pull a sheep from a ravine or water, the rod being used to beat off wolves or bears. This is what the psalmist (known to be David, who was a shepherd) meant by "thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (Ps. 23: 4c). When necessary the rod was also used for correction on the sheep. If a young sheep were to wander too frequently, the shepherd would break the leg of the lamb, place the injured creature on his shoulders for the days/weeks it would take the leg to heal. This was done so that the lamb would learn to trust the shepherd by feeling/hearing his heartbeat and learning his scent while upon his shoulders. The sheep know their shepherd by sound and smell more than sight. They learn to trust based on the work the shepherd does. We too can see Jesus' work evidenced on Calvary and in turn should trust Him implicitly! Sometimes we must be disciplined to get there. In fact, most of us have probably experienced God's discipline multiple times. I know I have! We can be dense, like sheep, hence the analogy. God knows what He's doing...LET HIM!

Finally, we learned of the security we have in Wisdom. There are warnings of temptations in v.14-17 that we should heed. We are even given the instructions on HOW to resist/avoid temptations in v. 24-27. To me that clearly parallels Eph. 6:10-18. Since sin easily enters our heart and mind via our body (eyes, ears, hands, feet--what we say/do, where we go, etc.), we need to carefully guard those areas! When you reflect upon what the "armor of God" protects, it is exactly those same areas of our body! The helmet of salvation (mind and head, eyes, ears), the breastplate of righteousness (heart), the sword of the Spirit (God's Word--the only defensive weapon by the way), the shield of faith (hands), the belt of truth (loins/lust) and the shoes of the gospel of peace (feet). Of course, as v.18 says, we need to cover this all (ourselves) in prayer so that we can stand in our evil world. So remember to pray God's armor upon yourself daily! Stay in His Word, seek His will and seek Wisdom. It is the most important thing! (Prv. 4:7)