Wise Guys for Lent: Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a favorite of mine for a very personal reason.  When I met and started dating Angie Encinias (now Moses), it turned out that in those early years of college, she was on a quest to fill her mind and heart with God's Wisdom.  Because growing up she was not exposed to or taught the things of God from the Scriptures.   So she regularly read the Proverbs in particular, filled her mind with God's practical wisdom, meditated on it.  When I learned this later, I realized its a primary reason I found her to be a substantial woman, someone to deal with, a solid force leaving imprint of goodness around her.  I was hooked on the fruit of God's wisdom in her life, and so I look at Proverbs personally and thankfully.

It made me happy to start a sermon series on the book of Proverbs yesterday.  I invite you to join the tribe of Lake Forest in reading one chapter a day for Lent (31 days in March, 31 chapters in Proverbs - start now and you have fudge factor to miss a few days).

Proverbs is unlike most books of the Bible - there is no storyline to follow.  Its a collection of sayings about foolishness and wisdom.  At times, foolishness is personified as the loose or adulterous woman,and wisdom is 'lady wisdom' and even one with the rationality or wisdom of God (Logos) within God from the beginning. 

Here are the main two themes in Proverbs.  Remember these, and you understand the essence of wisdom.  You also have the author's own interpretive lens on the rest of the sayings:

1. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (but fools despise wisdom and discipline)" Prov. 1:7
2. "Without counsel plans go wrong, but in a multitude of counselors they are established" Prov. 15:22

Fear and seek God daily, seek counsel from wise peers and mentors daily.  There you have it.  Those two primary wisdom principles cover a multitude of foolishness and sin.  None of us will ever get it all 'right' in love, life, work, and faith.  But the wise woman and man continually reverence God by learning His Word, praying to Him, humbling their spirit daily.  And the wise woman and man continually seek counsel from wise peers and mentors.
Talking about marriage yesterday (thanks for the response - it seems like a little hard-nosed diagnosis was needed in our church) - no one will get it all right.  But don't be foolish and keep your own counsel about your issues.  TODAY begin to seek counsel of a wise peer or new mentor.
Start the conversation this way, "I'm concerned about X part of my life, I want to lay some of it out for you, then I'm going to ask you - what do you think is the WISE thing to do?"

Comments

[Kim Muhich]

So thankful for Angie's wisdom in my life too!

One of the zillions of reasons we moved back to be "home" with LF is the plethora of wise and committed mentors that we call family in this church body who give us wonderful counsel and love us so well.