West Side Young Adults

OK… There is no Proverbs 32.  But if golf can have a 19th hole, I can post a Proverbs 32.  I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who has taken the time to participatein the “Proverbs Challenge.”  I love the book of Proverbs, so having the opportunity to share my thoughts with you has been a real pleasure.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, my primary goal over the past several weeks has been to encourage a daily Bible reading routine, a quiet time with God through his Word, for each of you.  If even one person has started a new routine, or resumed an old routine, of daily Bible study and prayer, then this effort has been worth it.

If you liked the daily posts, and you feel that they helped direct your eyes to relevant scriptures and your heart more closely to God, then I encourage you to seek out a daily devotional that speaks to you.  There are any number of daily devotionals in Bible bookstores, in our church library, and available online.  If you need help finding a daily devotional that meets you where you are, and energizes you to explore God’s Word, then please ask for help.

One final word of encouragement… and caution.  There is a lot of great Christian literature out there.  Grab it up and read it… but don’t let any book take the place of the Bible in your life.  Read your Bible every day.  It’s good stuff.

The wife of noble character.  In this, the final chapter of Proverbs, that is the predominant theme.  Some think this passage is directed to young men, telling them what kind of wife to seek.  Others think this may be a message to young women, telling them how to be the wife every man wants.  Still others think this passage has a more general application to all of us, advising us to merge our lives in alignment with the will of God… in effect “marrying” wisdom.

I’m curious.  What do you think?  Read Pr 31:1-31 and share your thoughts.

By the way… If you did not respond yesterday to tell me what you plan to study next, please do so today.  As I posted yesterday, comments expressing your commitment to a daily Bible reading routine can be a tremendous encouragement to others.

Americans love lists.  Whether it’s David Letterman’s ”Top 10 List”, ESPN’s top plays of the day, or an endless variety of entertainment magazines highlighting people and fashions, we love to analyze the best and the worst the world has to offer.  Several times in this chapter, lists of 3… make that 4 things are presented to represent some unique characteristic of the world around us.  Read Pr 30:1-33, and share your thoughts on lists, life, and… bloody noses?

Hey… Tomorrow is the last day of our Proverbs Challenge.  Today is the day that I want to hear from each of you regarding what book of the Bible you plan to read next.  Maybe you are going to go into the Old Testament, or into the Gospels, or maybe into some of Paul’s letters.  Maybe you don’t plan to read a particular book, but plan to study various passages about a particular subject.  Some have told me they are going to partner with someone else to read daily and share their observations with each other via e-mail. 

Whatever ongoing plans you have for your daily Bible reading routine, we all want to hear about it.  By sharing your plan in the comments below, you will be encouraging others to open their Bibles as well… so please be bold and speak up.

Maybe you have no clue what to study next.  If that’s the case, please contact me or talk to a friend.

I remember the spanking well.  It was the spanking that made a mark on my future, as well as my behind.  I had been missing for hours that day, and my mother feared for my safety.  Later, when my mother approached me in my bedroom, I feared as well.  The details of my conduct that day are not as important as those of my mother.  Pr. 29:15 says “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.”  Suffice to say, my mother imparted some wisdom that day.  Afterwards, I was standing a bit taller… it hurt too much to sit down.

As adults, we screw up from time to time.  At times, our indescretions go unchallenged, leading only to further indescretions.  Our age-appropriate rod of correction doesn’t come in the form of a spanking, a time out, or having our toys taken away, but the correction is still important.  Sometimes the correction comes from the authorities (bosses, teachers, policemen, etc.) in our lives.  Sometimes it comes from other sources.  Have you ever spent time reading the Bible, praying, or talking with a Christian brother or sister, and felt challenged or convicted regarding your behavior or lifestyle?  Those can also be moments that leave a mark on your future.

Don’t forget to read Pr. 29:1-27 today and tell me what you think.

There’s a fine line between confidence and pride. Confidence gives a man what he needs to achieve his goals, but pride makes him blind to the pitfalls in life. Confidence helps a man find solutions, but pride lets him see only himself.  Confidence breaks down barriers, but pride builds them up.  Pr. 28:26 sums up this concept when it says “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”  With so many obstacles in life, do we really need to keep building more for ourselves?

Read Pr. 28:1-28 and look for new insights… or take a closer look at some of the old issues that keep tripping you up.  Got anything to share today?  Leave a comment.

If it is possible to have a favorite book of the Bible, mine is Proverbs.  If it is possible to have a favorite verse of the Bible, mine is Pr 27:17.  This passage says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  I have worn a lot of different hats in my lifetime.  I have been a friend, a husband, a father, a coach, a teacher, a co-worker, a boss, a leader, etc.  In every role I’ve played, this verse has had a place of relevance.

This verse is engraved on a leather football on a bookshelf in my home.  When I quit coaching football years ago, my last team gave me that ball because they knew the verse represented my purpose for coaching.  They knew my purpose for coaching football had more to do with developing young men of strength and integrity, than it had to do with winning games.  Don’t get me wrong.  I coached to win, but when my desire for winning conflicted with my mission for God, I always tried to let Christ shine through me.

Are you being sharpened by someone in your life?  Are you helping to sharpen someone else?

Read Pr 27:1-27 and do your part to help strengthen and encourage someone today.

One of the most vivid verses in Proverbs, at least to dog owners, is Pr 26:11.  It says “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”  How disgusting… and yet so incredibly true.  I have a dog that will occasionally get sick and… puke.  When this happens I must clean it up, even if it happens in my yard.  For weeks he will try to return to the site of the incident, looking to consume more of what obviously was not good to begin with.  When I witness this obsessive activity, I wonder in my mind, what good could possibly come from returning to something that has proven to be so bad.  Then this verse comes to mind. 

How often do we “humans” lower ourselves to this same level?  How often do we let the deceitful cravings of our sinful appetites draw us into situations that we know… on some level… will only do us harm?  Are we simply animals following our natural instincts?  We are fully capable of standing up like a man and drawing strength from the one source that can overcome any temptation in our life.  We just need to do it.

Read Pr 26:1-28 share your insights and observations.

Only one week remains in the “Proverbs Challenge.” Seven chapters in seven days. Rather than draw upon a specific verse from Pr 25:1-28, I want to commend those of you who have entered into this time with me. Several people have told me they are doing this in addition to their other daily bible reading routines. That’s great, but I am most excited about those of you who have started a new habit of opening your Bibles every day. As we approach the end of this book and the end of this challenge I don’t want it to become the end of a good thing. 

Later this week I plan to ask you what book of the Bible you plan to read next. When I do, I hope to see lots of responses… so start thinking now.  Pr 25:11 says “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”  In the spirit of He 10:24, I encourage you to “spur one another on” with your comments aptly typed.

Today I want to hear… Are you enjoying your journey through Proverbs?  Tell me about it.

Do you like exercise.  I mean really “like” exercise?  I like the effect of exercise… I feel better, I have more energy, my weight… well, at least I feel better.  But when it comes to actually exercising I don’t like the pain, the inconvenience, and… did I mention pain?  I love playing football.  As I have gotten older-ish, I have noticed that failing to exercise on a regular basis, seriously hampers my ability to compete for the entire game.  The same can be said of our spiritual endurance.  Pr 24:10 sort of “calls us out” by saying “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”  Ouch!  Speaking of pain, it hurts to think that I may falter spiritually at a time when God wants me to be strong.

Olympic athletes train long and hard to compete.  I’m guessing there are times in their training and times during grueling events when they simply want to quit.  Living a Godly life is no different but Gal 6:9 gives us encouragement to keep on keepin’ on when it says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

What strength or encouragement do you get from Pr 24:1-34?

Alcohol. It’s a touchy subject in the church. It’s a topic that brings out extreme views and plenty of conflict. It is not my intent to initiate debate over the significance of “casual drinking” such as a glass of wine with dinner or a cold beer after mowing the lawn. I have my opinions, but I will reserve them for more personal conversations.  Pr 23:1-35 speaks to several aspects of self-control, but drunkenness is one of the most dominate themes.  It warns of both associating with drunkards (20-21) and the physical and psychological effects of drunkenness (29-35).

While casual drinking may be up for debate in some Christian circles, it’s hard to miss the fact that God condemns the excessive use of alcohol.  Throughout scripture, being drunk is associated with compromised boundaries, foolish behavior, and devastating results.  Attempting to support or justify even occasional drunkenness calls for serious denial of biblical truth and stubborn self-serving tendencies.

If this is a new concept or you think I am being harsh and closed minded, don’t take my word for it.  From the Old Testament to the New, God’s word is very clear. Here are a few places to start, but be sure to read thoroughly and in context: Dt 21:20, Mt 24:49, Lk 21:34, Ro 13:13, Eph 5:18, and 1Ti 3:3.

By the way, this chapter also talks about gluttony… but I seem to have run out of time.