MID AUGUST/MID SEPTEMBER SELECTION....The Book of Proverbs

[betnich]

Hasmonean1, appreciate your commentary on Proverbs....thanks.

[Hasmonean1]

Hasmonean1, appreciate your commentary on Proverbs....thanks.

Praise the Lord sister.


Overview of Proverbs

     Considering a book so rich in wisdom, extracting all of that wisdom would be impossible in the format we chose to study and read.  I praise God for what was gained in the process.  As with any study, much more was gained that which was shared.  This study has been a challenge to stay consistent with the ever emerging distractions that present themselves.  I have been truly blessed beyond the things I've learned and discovered in this book.  The Lord blessed me with some things that I've been missing from my early days of being saved.  I'll just say my spiritual growth got a significant boost during these days.
     Quite a bit of the book was devoted to warning men of strange women.  In general, it is proven that man has struggled throughout history and present times with women.  For that reason, I feel it would be a good idea to have the men in church leadership to do an exhaustive study on those first ten chapters and afterwards keep them prayed up and continuously fasting for strength.  This danger may not get the respect it deserves within the church. 
    Many other qualities of a true believer were also discussed, among them were humility, hard work, self-control, and a heart for neighbors/those who are not as fortunate.  Without being too wordy, for many words have already gone forth, I'd sum up the book the way Jesus summed up The Law; love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and love thy neighbor as thyself.

Be Blessed In Jesus Name

[blyempowered]

Proverbs 31

In the first part of Proverbs 31 vs 1-9, the mother of King Lemuel expresses two dangers that could hamper his effective reign.  She spoke of women and strong drink as being the chief adversaries.  The power that a woman possess is that which can sap the power of nearly any man.  Jezebel and the wife of Pharaoh are fitting examples of that power put to use.  Someone once stated in the lounge that some women don't know the power they possess and that's so very true.  We as Godly men should also be aware of that potential power and let it not have dominion over us.  To sum it up, a king or any other man should not let anything get into their head that would subvert quality decisions and Godly lifestyle.



The virtuous woman has been discussed in detail here on LGM in the past.  Therefore I did research and brought back to life some old posts that are beneficial to this section.




In our society where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned.  Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character.  The woman described in this chapter has outstanding abilities.  Her family's social position is high.  In fact, she may not be one woman at all - she may be a composite portrait of ideal womanhood.  Maybe we shouldn't see her as a model to imitate in every detail; our days are not long enough to do everything it says she does.  It would be a blessing to rather see her as an inspiration to be all you can be.

The book of Proverbs begins with the command to trust and reverence the Lord (1:7) and ends with the picture of a woman who fulfills this command.  Her qualities are mentioned throughout the book: hard work, fear of God, respect for spouse, foresight, encouragement, care for others, concern for the poor, wisdom in handling money.  These qualities, when coupled with fear of God, lead to enjoyment, success, honor, and worth.  Proverbs is very practical for our day because it shows us how to become wise, make good decisions, and live according to God's ideal.

I'll give my final thoughts and remarks later. 

Be blessed

Honestly, I don't have much to add to what's already been said about chapter 31, specifically the part about the virtuous woman (verses 10-31). All I'll add is that we as men should not be looking for a woman solely based on her looks; we should look at her character, attitude and passion for Jesus Christ. God is more concerned about our hearts than our physical features.

I just want to encourage all our LGM ladies to be virtuous in character and attitude. I believe LGM has a wonderful array of Godly woman trying to live out their convictions of Jesus Christ. Every lady has the capacity to be virtuous if they want to and are willing to follow the precepts of Jesus Christ. Be encouraged!

I will come back some time tomorrow with my final thoughts and prayer on the book of Proverbs. What an awesome study this has been!!

[blyempowered]

Final Thoughts

Of all the 66 books in the Bible, Proverbs is one of my favorite books. Why? Because Proverbs deals so much with life. One of the big things about this study of Proverbs is that I could see some things I'm dealing with in life right now in this book. Like I said, I've read this book before, but it was during a time when I was much younger. This study shows me that I have a lot to work on spiritually. Here are some mega-themes I got from Proverbs:

1. Our tongue. If I'm going to be the best Christian I can be, I must learn how to control my tongue. A lot of situations we get ourselves in because of our mouth. Everything that is said to us and about us does not require a response. Sometimes it's best to just let it go as long as they are not abusing us or causing physical harm to us. Sometimes not saying anything will confuse the person on the other side. When we control our mouths, we bring glory to God.

2. Proper use of wealth. God does not bless us for our own selfish purposes. God blesses us so that we can bless others. We've got it twisted and things will not change until we get back to the Bible as it relates to money. This is why I'm thankful for Rick Warren's series on financial health. The 21st century church (particularly the black church) must consider models that balance our cultural needs (encouragement, hope, empowerment, etc.) with the need of using our wealth for God's glory (social justice, dealing with poverty, etc.).

3. Reverencing God. If we are to live the life God wants us to live, we must have the fear/reverence of God. Too many of us are more worried about pleasing people than pleasing God. We must keep eternity in perspective as it relates to living our life. Life is too short for us to get more bogged down worrying about people's opinions than God. If we spend too much time worrying about people we will miss out on what God has called us to do. Life is short and the time for us to reverence God is now. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the call for those of us wanting healing in the church and the nation. We've got to get back to reverencing God in every aspect of life.

4. Application of what we learn. There is no need for us to go to church Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, read the Word whenever we do and yet not apply what we have learned. God is speaking and if we do not listen AND apply what God is saying, we will be miserable and then have nobody to blame but ourselves. When God speaks (via His Word or directly) we should take heed to listen.

5. Return to simplicity of Christian message. We've added far too much to the simple understanding of what it means to live a Christian life. Living a Christian life is simply glorifying God in every aspect of our lives. The church must return to this simplicity. Again, let's take the principles we learn and apply them to our lives. All of our bible study is wasted is nothing is applied.

Benediction: Now may the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and may the Lord give you His peace. May you take everything that has been taught in this series and apply it to your life. May God bless you as you bless others. This week, take the principles of the Proverbs and use them in your life for change, amen!

[Hasmonean1]

I respect your zeal and your transparency Chruchy.  You have been a blessing to me and I pray the blessing of God over your life as he orders your steps in his Word.

 In Jesus Name

[blyempowered]

Praise God! Thanks for your motivation! You know my flesh got weak in this study but Greater is He....SHONDO!