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| 40 Days of God’s Wisdom
Live the Life Through God’s Wisdom
Proverbs Devotional Guide
Week 3 (July 10-July 15, 2006) Wisdom for a Successful Career.
God tells us that we will have to work hard to find wisdom and thereby attain prosperity and enjoy a successful career. In order to grow in wisdom through our lifework Proverbs gives us six action items to put into practice. This week we will take time to meditate and act on these “to do” items.
Day 15: July 10 Monday
Do we show humility in our lifework and accomplishments? Do we give God and others credit before ourselves for the successes we enjoy?
1. Read Proverbs 3:7-8, 12:23
2. Is there a recent success you have enjoyed that you can thank God for? Pray to God now, thank him and give him the credit for your success.
3. Are there some co-workers, fellow students, friends that you need to acknowledge for this success? It’s not too late to do this.
Day 16: July 11 Tuesday
Are we honoring God with our best? This passage speaks of using our talents and gifts in a Godly way. In other words glorifying God with our actions and abilities.
1. Read Proverbs 3:9-10
2. Yes, this is also referring to tithing. If you are not tithing take a moment to ask yourself why. Pray to God for wisdom and understanding on the subject.
3. Are you using your abilities for good and the pursuit of Godly wisdom? Take another moment to meditate and pray to God for direction in the use of your gifts.
Day 17: July 12 Wednesday
Failure and criticism are opportunities for learning. The wise seek and accept advice.
1. Read Proverbs 3:11-12, and 12:15
2. Do you have a mentor, a trusted advisor, when challenges arise at work? Think about choosing a person or couple of people that you can begin to build a stronger relationship with.
3. Is there something that you feel you have failed at that you have not yet asked God’s wisdom on. Do it now. Pray to God for his wisdom on the matter.
Day 18: July 13 Thursday
Think and plan before taking action. Do not be quick to anger or over-react.
1. Read Proverbs 3:21-26, and 12:16
2. When tempted to act rashly out of emotion can you step back for a moment and reassess the situation. Pray now and ask for God’s help to improve in this area.
3. Have you thought about what your goals are for your career? Where do you see yourself next year? Pray to God for direction and wisdom in this matter.
Day 19: July 14 Friday
Are you an encourager? Do your fellow workers view you as a helpful person?
1. Read Proverbs 3:27-28, and 12:18,25
2. Think about how you are at work. Are you a builder and healer of people or do you tend to criticize and tear down those around you? Pray now and ask for God to help you be even better at encouraging and building people up.
3. Today make it a point to encourage and praise your co-workers. See what happens.
Day 20: July 15 Saturday
Are we honest, truthful, and trustworthy at work?
1. Read Proverbs 3:29-30, and 12:13,22
2. Sometimes we are tempted to tell small lies to “protect” our reputation, our profit, or ourselves. Think about the last time you were dishonest, however slight, and pray to God for his wisdom and help the next time a similar situation arises.
3. Would you award yourself with a key project that the entire team was dependant upon? What parts of your character are you questioning? Meditate on this throughout the day and continue to ask God for his help in these areas. | | |
| 40 Days of God’s Wisdom
Live the Life Through God’s Wisdom
Proverbs Devotional Guide
Week 2 (July 3 through July 8, 2006)
Day 8 July 3 Monday
The first few days this week, we are going to reflect and review Proverbs 2. Take a moment and read Proverbs 2:1-8. After studying these verses, my views on “wisdom” were challenged. Wisdom and knowledge have always been these unattainable things that we as humans pursue. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many others have spent their life contemplating truth. For most of my life, I always felt that it would be impossible to understand these philosophers, let alone the truth they speak of. But this scripture opens up new insight.
1. On the surface level, what can we do to find truth and where does it come from?
2. On a deeper level, what can you do on a daily basis to do what is listed in these verses?
Think of some practical things and set some goals for this week! (ex. “Turning your ear to
wisdom” could be spending more time listening to God in prayer and in reading the bible).
3. Spend time in prayer, ask God for the wisdom that “He gives” and spend some time listening
for His answers. Make this week a week to pursue an attainable truth.
Day 9 July 4 Tuesday
Happy Independence Day! I know there is a lot to do today, but take some time to find yourself before the Lord. Pray and thank Him for the freedom that we have and celebrate on this day. Read Proverbs 2:9-22.
Have you ever “delighted in doing wrong” in your life? I think back to my school days, to the first time I cheated on a test. Back then it was great, it wasn’t just about the grades, but it was exciting and dangerous. My friends and I started to develop cheating methods that we could use in any class on any multiple choice test. We ended up spending more time on the technique then we did on studying. Eventually we became a bunch of guys that could communicate really well during tests with other guys who could communicate well. We left out the most important thing… having someone who could answer the questions. So we decided to just study hard on the subject after that. Life wisdom could have saved us from wasting our time and may have kept us from being guys who “leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways”.
1. Did you ever “delight in doing wrong” in your life? Why did you stop?
2. Do you have any “wrong doing” in your life now that you delight in?
What wisdom has God taught you and how can you effectively change your habits?
3. Pray about it, and close by reading Proverbs 2:20-22.
Day 10 July 5 Wednesday
Start by reading Proverbs 3:1-4 and verse 7. Read carefully and absorb every word. Verse 1 says “Do not forget my teaching but keep my commands in your heart.” How often do we forget what God teaches us? We hear something in a message on Sunday and then by Monday morning it has escaped our minds. God gives us so much knowledge we take a lot of it for granted. Sometimes we hear something so much that we feel like we already know it! (v. 7) And yet we continue to stumble over the same things over and over again. God doesn’t just call us to wisdom and knowledge, He CONTINUALLY calls us to wisdom and knowledge, which means we should be CONTINUALLY seeking, meditating and understanding.
1. Think about some themes you’ve heard in the church over and over again.
How can you reapply those messages and truths to your lives today?
2. Read v.3-4 again. Winning favor in the sight of men does not just come from remembering
love and faithfulness, its having them written on your heart and letting that love take you
over. How can you show more love to your family, friends, and coworkers?
3. Ask God to continue to teach you new things, and help you to remember all the old lessons.
Let each word that God speaks to you continue to change your life from now until forever!
Day 11 July 6 Thursday
Read Proverbs 3:5-6. Sound familiar? If it does, then please remember yesterday’s devotional as we study today!
We’ve studied through the first two chapters, from Proverbs 1:1 through this famous verse. Spend a moment to remember what you’ve studied and then read this verse again as you think about the context of the previous two chapters.
1. This verse is in the section titled “Further Benefits of Wisdom.”
How does wisdom come into play in this verse?
2. This verse is often used as comfort when people face tough decisions in life.
It is a great reminder of God’s guidance. But to take this verse even deeper, reread
Proverbs 2:12-13 and 20. What does the reference of the “path” refer to?
3. Think about what you need to trust God with in your life. Think about which life paths you
need to have straightened out. Lift them up to God in prayer.
Day 12 July 7 Friday
Discipline is a topic that is not spoken about enough today. Schools often lack the ability to properly discipline it’s students, and the world tells us that no one (except Child Protection Agencies) can tell us how to discipline our children. Imagine a world in which no discipline was given to growing children. How would our future look with them as leaders? What if the adults that lead us, never learned about sharing, eating healthy, cleaning up after yourself, or even the consequences of their actions? As much as we don’t like it, discipline is good for us and for our development. Read Proverbs 3:9-12.
1. Proverbs lists a number of spiritual disciplines. Verse 9 talks about the discipline that we
relate to tithing. We are called to give God our first fruits, but not just in money.
Do you give God the first fruits of everything? Your best time? Talents? Words of praise? Etc?
What can you change to give God more of your best?
2. How has God disciplined you recently? (Not discipline as in punished, but more like discipline as
in correcting your ways for your benefit).
3. Thank God for His teachings and how it changes our lives. Ask Him to keep teaching you just
like he has your whole life because that is what has made you the great Child of God that you
are today!
Day 13 July 8 Saturday
God is awesome! Read Proverbs 3:19-28. Take your time and soak in every word!
I think in the church we have a very common misunderstanding. That verses in the bible like verse 23 mean that as believers who follow God’s will that we will never “stumble” or have hard times. I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but that’s not true at all. Everyone hurts. Everyone stumbles. And everyone goes through hard times. If Jesus suffered doing the exact will of God, then why wouldn’t we?
Why would the bible say that we won’t stumble? Because it is talking about the straight paths that we should be walking on. That if we trust in God and seek His knowledge then we can (verse 26) walk with confidence.
1. Think about some of your recent life struggles. Ask for God’s wisdom through those things.
2. What are some things in your life that God has called you to do? Is there anything that people
who aren’t Christ followers won’t understand? (even tithing, praying before you eat every meal,
taking unpaid vacation time for missions or church retreats)
3. Know that God has called you to walk the way you walk, on the paths that you are on, so walk
them with confidence! Close in prayer, thank God for His wisdom, and ask for the strength to
walk strong as He has called you to do. | | |
| 40 Days of God’s Wisdom
Live the Life Through God’s Wisdom
Proverbs Devotional Guide
Week 1 (June 26-July 1, 2006) Proverbs 1:1-33
Day 1 June 26 Monday
A word that we might substitute for fear is AWESOME.
1. Read Proverbs 1:7
2. Think of at least three ways that God has personally shown you that He is AWESOME.
Day 2 June 27 Tuesday
God considers parents a good source of wisdom.
1. Read Proverbs 1:8-9
2. If you are a parent or potential parent what are several values that you
want to instill in your children.
3. What are several values that you are grateful that your parents taught you?
Day 3 June 28 Wednesday
God warns us that people can be dangerous to our spiritual health. They are potentially dangerous to us because they could influence us to do the wrong things.
1. Read Proverbs 1:10-19
2. Are there any people who could harm your spiritual health?
3. What does God advise us to do in Proverbs 1:10-19?
Day 4 June 29 Thursday
God has given us an open invitation to acquire His wisdom. It is always available to us.
1. Read Proverbs 1:23
2. When we seek God’s wisdom what does He promise to do according to this verse?
3. What lesson or lessons of wisdom have you learned from God in 2006-2005?
Day 5 June 30 Friday
Solomon gives us the purpose of the Book of Proverbs.
1. Read Proverbs 1:1-4
2. What are the purposes of the Book of Proverbs?
3. What areas of your life need improvement when it comes to
discipline, good conduct, right and wrong and being fair?
Day 6 July 1 Saturday
When we really seek and hunger for God’s wisdom are there any benefits?
1. Read Proverbs 1:33
2. Throughout your life so far, how has your knowledge and wisdom
of God helped you in the difficult times you have experienced? | | |
| Devotional 4-20-06
Seeing God in the Little Things
From Pastor Dave
Phillippians 4:8 Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable —if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things. It doesn’t take much to get me to respond to discontentment. TV
advertising appeals to my insecurity and discontentment, promising that
I can find a greater sense of security, of fulfillment and my life will
cease being boring in exchange for three installments of $29.95. Daily
we do battle with discontentment, and while we may not really believe
that a set of videos will change our lives dramatically, we still find
ourselves looking for something better. Our
lives can be distracted, disrupted and even devastated by our endless
search for the perfect job, the perfect body or the perfect
relationship. One author observes the main difference between greed and gratitude. “Greed grabs. Gratitude receives.” Greed is built on striving and pushing and manipulating to pursue things that promise to fill our lives. Greed responds to promises of any kind without bothering to examine the reliability of the promise. Gratitude receives life as a gift. As
I learn to respond less to the voices of discontentment that tell me
that I need something more, I am learning to see that God has graced my
life with treasures that have gone overlooked in my quest for something
better. He
really has satisfied my every need. The challenge is for me to recognize this. Thomas
Merton writes, “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in
everything He has given us and He has given us everything. Every
breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a
grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.” God’s love hides itself in the little things I take for granted—in little gestures of love from my family and from my friends. An
unexpected life question at a less than opportune time, a leather
jacket that is far too extravagant to be paid for with allowance money,
having one of my children get up at 3:50 a.m. to give me a goodbye hug before I leave for a business trip. Songwriter Carolyn Arends puts it well. “This is the stuff…the smallest moments. This is the stuff…I need to notice. This is the stuff…life is made of.”
To
have a heart of gratitude is to begin to notice the little places where
God hides Himself and to recognize that life is a gift and God is the
giver. · What are the little ways God is working today? · How can I pay closer attention to God? Pastor Dave | | |
| DEVOTIONAL 4-13-06
The Week of Easter
From Pastor Brian
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