Solomon Says...

Proverbs Chapter 3:

Chapter 3 continues on with the benefits of wisdom and the appeal of the parents for the young man to search for wisdom. There’s a lot in this chapter…we see giving in 9, 10 & 28, creation in 19 & 20 and doing evil in 29 and on. It’s worth noting that 2 of the most popular verses in the Bible are found here (v. 5, 6). However, the thing I really notice about this chapter is the appeal for a ‘get rich scheme.’ The heading in my Bible says ‘further benefits of wisdom.’ It can be really easy to read Proverbs with the focus on ‘what’ as opposed to ‘who.’ Meaning, we become more interested in ‘what we get’ versus ‘who we become.’ It seems to get support in verse 2 of the chapter…”for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Proverbs never teaches that righteousness is the path to riches…at least not our definition of riches. It does, however, speak the truth that those who live a life devoted to God will escape the pitfalls that bring people to poverty or an early grave. Now, that doesn’t mean everything goes our way and we never experience any difficulties or struggles. We may be going thru some sort of discipline…mentioned in verse 11. But there are some things that we just simply bring on ourselves and Proverbs tells us we don’t have to live that way. There is a better path to take, a better way of life.

Solomon Says...

Proverbs Chapter 2:

In chapter 2 we see the heart of what Proverbs is all about. There are ‘two ways’ for all to choose from. We can choose to walk the path of integrity or the path selfishness. One path is the fear of God and the other one is choosing to go against the heart of God. Lady Wisdom continues to call out to us and encourages us to seek her. However, wicked men and the immoral woman are also seen calling out in hopes that we will choose their path. In verses 18-22 we see that one path leads to life and the other leads to death. The problem, as we talked about Sunday morning, is we only believe that when we’re driving. It makes sense to head south if we are going to Florida for vacation. We understand that. In life, we don’t seem to get it. Proverbs teaches that all paths have a destination. Understanding that will help you to make the wise decision in every area of your life.

*One thing I noticed in chapter 2 was verse 17…”who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.” The wicked woman that is coming after the young man is a woman that has left her husband. She ‘ignored the covenant she made before God.’ When a couple gets a divorce they not only ignore the covenant between each other but they commit the greater sin by ignoring the covenant they made before God. This scripture really shows the heart of God. He hates divorce. The next time you attend a wedding just imagine God standing on the stage with the bride and groom. As the vows are being spoken, God is listening. They are making a promise to him. Marriage, in God’s eyes, is a huge deal.

Solomon says...

Proverbs Chapter 1:

Thank you for joining me as we go thru the book of Proverbs. During this journey I will write down some thoughts on each chapter. You may want to journal some of your own thoughts during this process. There’s a lot of wisdom crammed into this book of the Bible. Hopefully, by the end of the 31 days we will be much wiser without getting much older.

The 1^st thing to understand is the simple goal of Proverbs…to teach the ordinary person how to be wise. That’s it! We don’t just need knowledge (information). We don’t just need understanding (ability to process the information). We need wisdom (the ability to make good, healthy decisions). A wise man in the ancient world was supposed to be able to have this kind of wisdom. Also, he should be able to interpret omens from the gods. That’s why guys like Joseph and Daniel were elevated after they interpreted dreams. Proverbs doesn’t offer us this kind of wisdom…only the kind for making healthy decisions.

One thing that really jumps out in Proverbs from the very beginning is the use of the word ‘son.’ Verses 8-19 show a father advising his son to stay out of gangs. Men were the leaders of the household and it was very important to advise young men (the future) how to live life. Also, wisdom is seen as a woman. So, the thing that really grabs your attention in the 1^st chapter of Proverbs is the importance of family. The parents are pouring into the lives of their children. I love verse 23…”if you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.” Wisdom is speaking here. Very early in the game we see wisdom has been offered…not just to Solomon but to all of us.

Daily Devotionals

Here is a list of some good Daily Devotionals...

Christianity Today
*several to choose from on this site.

http://www.purposedrivenliving.com/

http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Devotionals/dailyreadingsone

Commercial Contest Results

Click here to view the winning video.

Click here to view the losing video.

The winning group wins an evening of dining at the Olive Garden. Also, the winning group leader needs to contact the losing group leader to arrange childcare.

Special thanks to all groups for participating in the commercial contest. Great job by everyone! Enjoy the game tonight.

Here are the official voting results for all videos:

1st Place-Laubach-50

2nd Place-Weese-72

3rd Place-College & Career-77

4th Place-Youth-84

5th Place-Archer-90

6th Place-Taylor-91

7th Place-Moix-94

8th Place-Davis-114

Gift to City Church

As you guys remember, we gave City Church some pretty cool gifts to help support their ministry this past Christmas. I received an email the other day that I wanted to share with you guys, since the gift wasn't from me...it was from Crossroads. Because of your faithfulness in giving we are able to be a blessing to other people. Enjoy!



Hey Mike,

Mike, you don’t know me, but I just wanted to send you a word of encouragement and praise for what you did for Jeremy Sullivan and City Church in Jonesboro on Christmas Eve. I am the Innovative Church Planting Strategist, which is a brand new position for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. City Church was the first church I helped to start and get going in this position. I just wanted to shoot you guys a note and say what an awesome gift you gave and what a blessing you were to City Church. As you probably know raising up good church partners for church plants is one of the most difficult aspects of my job because most established churches just don’t get it when it comes to church planting. We’re making great strides, but still have a long way to go.

Anyway, I didn’t have any big agenda or anything, I had talked with Jeremy this morning and he told me what you guys had done for them. I got your email address off your website and just wanted to say thank you for being a huge encouragement to City Church through your Christmas gift to them. Very well done. I hope God just absolutely pours amazing things into your church’s life this year.

Grace and Peace,

Dave

Dave McClung, Innovative New Work Strategist
Missions Ministries Team
Arkansas Baptist State Convention
10 Remington Dr. Suite #257
Little Rock, AR. 72204
501-376-4791, ext. 5149
In Arkansas: 800-838-2272
Fax: 501-374-2754
dmcclung@absc.org

Super Bowl Sunday

Hey everyone, don't forget to wear your favorite sports gear to church this Sunday. For those of you that are not into sports, just wear something that shows what you like. You could always wear a Crossroads T-shirt. Also, we will be showing all 8 of the Community Group Commercial Contest Videos this Sunday. There are some good ones, so don't miss out. This might be a good weekend to invite that lost friend.

On a side note...

Mosaic Church in Los Angeles entered a commercial in the Doritos contest and if they win, it will be aired Sunday night during the game. They would also win some big money. Right now, they are in the top 3. Check out this link to read the story and view the commercial.

MosaicChurchDoritosCommercial

Another cool story you've probably heard about...

TimTebow

Have a Great Day!