Wise Leadership | Proverbs 31.1-9
Alan can’t for the life of him see why God still has him in this organization. It’s a [cold] place — this big bank — and he’s been thinking about leaving for a while. He’s been brought in to a team that’s being led by a much younger man who right now needs an older [leader] to steady the ship. Alan is that older [leader]. There are 130 in the team, their profitability is plummeting, and their employee engagement numbers…
The Humble Learner | Proverbs 30:1-33
A man walked into a bank with no mask or hat or sunglasses and robbed the bank at gunpoint in broad daylight. Then he did it again that same day at another bank, still with no mask or hat or sunglasses or disguise of any kind. The year was 1995 and there were security cameras. When the police came they examined the footage and showed a nice picture of the robber on the nightly news. They got tips right away,…
The Wise Choice | Proverbs 9:1-18
Sometimes it all comes down to a single choice. You ever watch that old gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? It finally got cancelled this summer but the concept was pretty simple. The original gameshow host Regis Philbin would ask a contestant trivia questions. The questions were pretty easy at first but they got progressively harder and harder. But that also meant that each question was worth more and more, ranging from $100 to $1,000,000. If you answered all…
Jesus in Proverbs | Proverbs 8:1-36
Christ-centered gospel sermon on Proverbs 8:22-31, Colossians 1:15-17, and Proverbs 30:3-4 explaining Jesus’ relation to woman wisdom and the son.
Wise Speech | Proverbs 3:13-18
Before I was born, my parents bought a small chicken farm. The people before us might have been successful at this but my father grew up in the city. He didn’t have a clue. But, that didn’t stop him. He figured that if those simple people could do it, he could do it better. So, he bought 500 baby chicks and the fun began. Anyone remember the program, “Green Acres?” That was my father, a city businessman who moved to…
Loans, Laziness, & God’s Heart | Proverbs 6:1-19
Loans (Prov 6:1-5) As I studied today’s passage, Proverbs 6:1-19, I realized it can feel a bit disjointed. Last week we looked at Proverbs 5, the second half of chapter 6, and chapter 7, all of which was about adultery. And here in chapter 6 we encounter loans, laziness, and what God hates. It feels out of place. Trying to force them into one common theme felt a bit like trying to fit a square block through a circle or…
The Wrong Path – Adultery | Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27
Adultery may feel right but it leads to terrible consequences. Understand what’s so tempting about it, how we can avoid it, and why we can be forgiven through Jesus Christ.
The Wisdom of Discipleship | Proverbs 4:1-27
My college pastor, Andrew Davies, took an interest in my spiritual growth. He met up with me for lunch, we did a Bible study together with some other guys, he listened to my concerns and prayed for me, he lead me on a missions trip to Chinle Arizona, and he paid for my plane ticket to go to a Christian conference in Seattle. He invested in me and he mentored me. He became one of my spiritual fathers. A spiritual…
Peace That Lasts | Proverbs 3:13-35
Do you sleep well at night? No? Anxious? Worrying over something or someone? We all need peace. We need a peace that lasts. Proverbs connects wisdom with peace, but also something else… the tree of life.
A Wise Future | Proverbs 3:1-12
Last week we celebrated our high-school graduates Caleb, George, and Mackenna. When I surprised them by asking for one things we could pray for them George asked for prayer that it would all “end well.” Now we weren’t exactly sure what that meant—the end of college, the end of life? But I think he meant successfully wrap up the end of this stage of his life and smoothly transition into the next stage, college. I remember one of the things…
The Benefits of Wisdom | Proverbs 2:1-22
Have you ever had someone try to sell you something? What’s the typical pattern a salesperson uses? First, they tell you all the amazing benefits of their service or product. “Our miracle product… …will lower cholesterol…” …will help you burn fat and lose weight…” …will keep your information safe and secure…” …will give you better gas mileage…” …will make you happy and content…” And then once you’re convinced they show you the price tag… “For only four payments of $999.99…”…
Two Paths | Proverbs 1:8-33
Have you ever taken a wrong turn? In today’s world if you have a smart phone wrong turns should be less and less common. If you have Google or Apple Maps or Waze you should never miss a turn, and yet sometimes we still do. When I get to the place my GPS says to turn it’s not as clear as my phone says it should be. The off-ramps merge into two lanes going generally the same direction and you…