Posts with the category “wisdom-wednesday”

Put your outdoor work in order    and get your fields ready;    after that, build your house.Proverb 24:27How do you go with priorities? Are you someone who gets distracted and caught up in less important work/activities? Or are you laser focused?A big part of making godly decisions is about prioritising. One thing we can be sure of, there is always stuff. Stuff we want to do, stuff we need to do ...  Read More

Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.Proverbs 29:8Are you a stirrer? Do you escalate arguments? Or are you cool as a cucumber? Sometimes it depends on the situation (and the people!) doesn’t it?One thing I am continually encouraging my kids is to not escalate. Someone bites you (metaphorically speaking), you either respond calmly or you walk away until you can.There’s a principle a...  Read More

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;    I refused my heart no pleasure.My heart took delight in all my labor,    and this was the reward for all my toil.Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done    and what I had toiled to achieve,everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;    nothing was gained under the sun.Ecclesiastes 2:10-11I think all of us deep down suspect that if we had...  Read More

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,    but the folly of fools is deception.Proverbs 14:8“Know thyself” is one of the most ancient recorded philosophical maxims or sayings. It’s a timeliness saying in that it’s principle is timeless. As the writer of Proverbs says, the wisdom of the prudent is to reflect on themselves and their ways. Whereas the folly of fools is to deceive ...  Read More

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.James 1:19-20Have you ever read one of those Christian social media responses that just made you wince? Do you have a friend who just can’t help themselves from commenting on every social issue with an u...  Read More

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.Proverbs 16:18I think most of my greatest mistakes in life can either be pinned to laziness or pride. Pride can look like many things, an unwillingness to listen, pursuit of self-glory or a refusal to admit wrong. I think this last one is a killer.Is there anything more ugly than everyone knowing someone is wrong and yet they refuse to ...  Read More

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.Matthew 7:24-25A house built on the beach (literally that is) sounds like a nice idea if there were no such thing as tide...  Read More

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it?Jeremiah 17:9In the days of ‘follow your heart’, here is a sobering reminder. And Jeremiah knows from experience what God is revealing to Him. Israel has deceived themselves into thinking they could rely on their own martial arts or on the faithfulness of another nation (e.g. Egypt). They have followed their heart all th...  Read More

 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.To the place the streams come from, there they return again.All things are wearisome, more than one can say.The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.Ecclesiastes 1:7-8Ancient wisdom with a timeless truth. Just as the sea is never full, our desire for the pleasures of the senses never seems to be satisfied. Look no...  Read More

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.1 John 3:18Politicians have probably always been a bit on the nose. But it certainly feels that trust is low at the moment. What is it about them? Part of the problem is that seemingly ‘loving’ words are rarely followed by actions.John’s wise encouragement to his ‘children’ or younger followers of Jesus (John is prob...  Read More

Give careful thought to the paths for your feetand be steadfast in all your ways.Do not turn to the right or the left;keep your foot from evil.Proverbs 4:26-27I remember the first time I skied down a double black run at Perisher. Well, more like tumbled down. It was icy on the slopes and I kept edging as best I could (going across the slope rather than straight down). But eventually, I caught some...  Read More

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.I have suffered much; preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.Psalm 119:105-109How did people ever do camping without head-torches? Whether it’s going for a bush-toilet or finding some firewood....  Read More

For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.Proverbs 5:21Privacy is, according to some modern thinking, the sacred right of all humanity. But of course, technology has become the asteroid of impending doom for our privacy hopes. Netflix knows what you watch. Google knows what you search for. Facebook knows what photos you have clicked on. Your whole life is being sto...  Read More

Let the one who is wise heed these thingsand ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.Psalm 107:43What do you ponder? I’m a natural ponderer. It’s what makes me a bad driver and a particularly bad bike rider. I go into dreamland. What about you? For some of us. The problem is that we never do this. Screens have given us the ability to never think deeply but to remain distracted.But when do you, what do...  Read More

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.Galatians 6:9-10Wisdom is having a long view of things. The passage today reminds me of the workload before Christmas. For many jobs, the lead up to Christmas means extra work to get eve...  Read More

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Deuteronomy 6:6-7One of the things I love about Village Church is our kids. Oh sure, they are noisy and messy. But they are God’s kids, given to us to raise in the way of the Lord. He has entru...  Read More

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.James 5:7-8If patience was a coin, it would certainly be one of the rarest and most valuable. For those of us eager to invest, James thinks we can l...  Read More

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.1 Corinthians 1:22-24Power is the currency of our world. It’s often called capital or social capital. Power is what impresses people. It’s what people most respond t...  Read More

“Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise person benefit him?Job 22:2One of the great misconceptions about God is that He needs us. Perhaps you have wrestled with this. Maybe you have heard or thought that God created because He was lonely & desired a relationship. Maybe you have thought that God needed you to serve and do His work on earth.The danger of this thinking is that it then leads ...  Read More

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves;...  Read More

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to y...  Read More

“Who is this that obscures my plans    with words without knowledge?Brace yourself like a man;    I will question you,    and you shall answer me.“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?    Tell me, if you understand.Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!    Who stretched a measuring line across it?On what were its footings set,    or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning ...  Read More

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember...  Read More

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.Proverbs 11:2Do you remember arguing with a parent or a teacher about something, only to find out later that you were wrong. It’s not a nice feeling, particularly if others were watching. It’s something I've experienced too many times. But what if the disgrace isn’t the worst part? Maybe it’s that I rejected an opportunity to gr...  Read More

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.Proverbs 12:26It’s a strange thought. Choosing your friends. But we do don’t we? We have a choice and there aren’t many more important choices than who we surround ourselves with. I wish I had understood this wisdom sooner. For much of my life, I surrounded myself with people who led me astray rather than clo...  Read More

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.Proverbs 26:11Are you a New Year’s Resolution person? Have you already failed? Hopefully you haven’t! No doubt you made some great commitments. Exercise more, spend more time with people you love, (hopefully) read the Bible/pray more.If you are anything like me, New Years Resolutions often take the form of starting something or doing more ...  Read More

Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead?A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhat do eggs and ice have in common? Both favourites of Youth Leaders to illustrate the Trinity. The truth is that no illustration from our world can truly captur...  Read More

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:“‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors...  Read More

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.Matthew 5:27-29Has there ever been a time so diff...  Read More

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,but whoever hates correction is stupid.Proverbs 12:1I wasn’t disciplined much as a kid. It was the 80’s. Which came after the 60’s & 70’s (profound hey). But what that meant was my parents brought a hippy flavour into their parenting. The kid will find his own way. Well, I nearly didn’t.Because I suffered/suffer from a dangerous flaw. I thought I knew it al...  Read More

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.Proverbs 12:18I just finished reading a long article about ‘cancel culture’. Did the proverbs writer foresee twitter, facebook or reddit when he prophetically spoke these words? No. But, he didn’t need to. Sin has always found words a particularly effective way of causing pain. Social media has just exponential...  Read More

Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.Proverbs 3:5-6One of the greatest lies that our culture ever told was that a godly existence = condemned to a boring vanilla life. To think that you might only ever have sex with one person or no person. Or that you wouldn’t enjoy the pleasures of drug exp...  Read More

Is not wisdom found among the aged?Does not long life bring understanding?Job 12:12One of the great signs that a civilisation has lost the plot - is when it starts to ignore older people’s wisdom. Have you noticed this? There’s been a shift in where wisdom can be found. It’s not in old people but in the young. Think of Greta Thunberg.Or maybe it’s not about old/young. It’s about profile. Isn’t it ...  Read More

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.Colossians 4:2-5I was around 23 when a new guy visited the church I was att...  Read More

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20We had a family friend growing up. He was a successful businessman. He had just built a really big house in Austinmer. He had a bun...  Read More

God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. 2 Chronicles 1:11-12The pursuit of wisdom is one that God is pleased to rewa...  Read More

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.1 Peter 2:11It’s another night at home and an opportunity to relax. We switch on the TV and watch the latest series. And so begins another episode of the war in my heart. A war on several fronts.The first is my desire for escapism. How nice is it to just switch off? To just be enter...  Read More

Better the little that the righteous have    than the wealth of many wicked;for the power of the wicked will be broken,    but the Lord upholds the righteous.Psalm 37:16-17I want you to read the passage above again. Go on.Do you believe it? In this, I think many of us struggle.I know because when I watch shows like Grand Designs or The Block, I love the process but I also want the house. Can you r...  Read More

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”James 4:13-15It really is remarkable to th...  Read More

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5How do you get wisdom? I reckon most people think wisdom comes from a broad range of experiences. For instance, these days, travelling the world is one of the keys to wisdom. But you know what, I’m not convinced. I’ve met plenty of people who are really well trav...  Read More