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Words of Wisdom. “ For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding .”. “ If you do well, will you not be accepted?”. Many people dislike correction. Self-willed children. Self-willed Christians. Difficult to correct because of temper (Prov.9:8a).
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Words of Wisdom “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
“If you do well, will you not be accepted?” • Many people dislike correction. • Self-willed children. • Self-willed Christians. • Difficult to correct because of temper (Prov.9:8a). • Likewise, many resent God’s correction (as did Cain). • If we “do well” when we are corrected it will be much more pleasant (Prov. 9:8b). • Do it right the first time, we won’t need to be told. Genesis 4:6
“The integrity of the upright will guide them.” • Many people have no integrity. • No sense of commitment; unstable in their ways. • No love for truth. • Willing to compromise moral standard. • Integrity removes the hardship of constant guilt. • Prov. 10:9: Avoid distrust and resentement of others. • Titus 2:6-7: It will help us to avoid condemnation. • Learn to have integrity: • When we say we will do something, do it. • Speak only the truth. • Fulfill righteousness, even when it is difficult. Proverbs 11:3
“There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing, and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.” • Riches are not measured in the abundance of wealth or possessions. • One of the most difficult lessons to learn. • Some of the wealthiest people are also the most miserable. • Some of the poorest people are also the happiest. • Learn the value of righteousness and we will have greater riches than this world can provide. • Love: 1 John 4:7-11 • Joy: Matt. 25:21 • Eternal life: Matt. 6:19; 1 Tim. 6:17-19 Proverbs 13:7
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” • Many people feel alone: Others do not like them nor give them the attention they want. • Often, people will treat us the way we treat them. • If we wait for them, they will never come. • If we want friends, we must be friendly. • We must get rid of the bubble and reach out to those around us. • Essential lesson for Christians: 2 Pet. 1:7; Matt. 7:12. Proverbs 18:24
“No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment…” • The kingdom and the New Covenant could not be intermingled with Jewish Traditions. • This applies to individual conversion as well: Col. 3:9-10. • Why do so many have difficulty with change after conversion? • Desire for new mixed with love for the old. • Mixing of old and new is tearing them apart. • We must be fully committed to one or the other. Matthew 9:16
“He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” • Many try to get by with doing as little as possible. • Church, Marriage, Work, Sharing, Spiritual growth. • We only get back what we put in. • We must be willing to make sacrifices in order to attain riches. • Our success at being Christians is the direct result of the effort we put into being faithful. 2 Cor. 9:6