BE WISE

Where does wisdom come from?  Is it important to living life?  We learn wisdom from living life; but we also learn wisdom from spending time with wise people. 

Proverbs 1:1-9 

Who is the smartest person you know?  Guess what, there is someone smarter.  God.  So it makes sense that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” and wisdom. (v. 7)  He came up with the idea in the first place. 

Pretty strong words about the one who doesn’t fear the LORD in the same verse though—calls them a fool and says they DESPISE wisdom and instruction. 

Sad when people do not learn.  Sad when people do not learn from their experiences.  Sad when we do not have time to listen to wise people or glean from their experiences.  That is despising wisdom—seeing it as unimportant.  Very foolish! 

Bible  book of Proverbs—to teach wisdom—teach fear of the Lord—teach us how to live wisely. 

Much of it written to teach the King’s sons—the future kings—future leaders.  Kids and teens face many significant and important issues as they grow. 

Notice some of the practical aspects of learning wisdom: (vv. 3 ff)

1)      Instruction in wise dealing

2)      Learning righteousness, justice, fairness

3)      Guidance in living life—you ever need that?

4)      Education for life—not just busy work 

Where in life do you learn how to live righteously?  Remember who created righteousness and justice and fairness.  God. 

So who better to learn these things from—a person who is limited or God Himself? 

The beginning point in learning wise living—righteousness, fairness and justice is getting to know God.

1)      Implies a personal relationship with Him—your Master, your Lord, your friend—God

2)      Implies going where you will be exposed to Him and His teachings

a.       Personal time with God in His Word—neglect it and you neglect God and His teaching to you

b.      Being with other believers—other sincere followers—others who are not just Christians, but growing, maturing Christians who spend time with God and in His Word 

So if you don’t want to live life wisely—fairly—treat others respectfully—just don’t hang out with God or His people. 

And what does the writer of Proverbs call that person—a fool, because they despise wisdom and instruction (teaching). 

Notice how important it is to people (vv. 8-9) 

Parental instruction and wisdom—especially from parents who are seeking to mature and grow themselves—seeking God—is a gift granted to you—the wisest choice—“garlands and pendants”—jewelry to adorn you—things won by you. 

Listen to your friends when they entice you to do evil and foolish things rather than your parents—and you are in danger. 

And who is the wisest parent?  God.  That’s where true wisdom and teaching for life comes from. 

Who knows more about your situations of life than you do or your parents even know?  God.  So consult Him about those situations—those decisions—the guidance you need. 

James 1:5, says “if any of you lacks wisdom, let Him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach.”  God wants you to seek Him—seek His mind—seek His heart about choices you will make in life.  And where better to go to make the best choices in life? 

One friend—pattern—one Proverb per day each month—learn lots of wisdom.

BUT, an important thing to is to follow the wisdom.  Often a breakdown for Christians comes when they KNOW the right thing to do, but do not DO it. 

James says, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”  Action is required when we learn something from God.  We need to use it or we lose it. 

Solomon is writer or compiler of many of the Proverbs.  But as time went on, he may have written them—he may have taught them—but he turned away from doing them.  And his leadership of Israel got weaker and weaker.   

Belief and following God is not a one-time event.  It is an ongoing relationship like marriage—and an ongoing seeking God and seeking godly wisdom through His Word. 

And it is ongoing obedience and adjustments made to go with God.  Isaiah 55 tells us that God’s ways are not our ways.  We have to learn God’s ways from God because we are human—not God and not godly enough on our own. 

Tomorrow you have choices you didn’t have to face today or similar choices to make.  Yesterday you may have chosen to choose God’s way—but will you do that also today, and tomorrow, and next week? 

Life’s choices and challenges do not get easier in many ways. 

Do you want to be wise or foolish?  Seek to know what God wants—but then seek to obey and live out that choice when situations come up in life.  “The beginning …to fear the LORD.” (v. 7)

 

DADS AS LEADERS

One thing I believe the Bible teaches is that fathers are to be spiritual leaders in their families and examples for their children.  If that is the case, what is success for a Christian father so that he will be, before his family, what God wants him to be? 

Ideas come from Neil Cole, Organic Leaders, a book I’ve been reading recently.  As we look at each point, you will want to keep your Bible open and turn to the passages, or at least, to write them down to refer to later. 

Success for a Christian father is seen in: 

1.      Faithfulness—Matt 25:21; Heb. 11:6

a.       Christian fathers need faith in God—faith in God is trust/commitment to Him and His purposes 

b.      Christian fathers also need to be faithful to their commitment to the Lord—they need to persevere with the Lord—stick with their commitments over the long haul 

c.       This faithfulness will also show itself in belief in one’s family—one’s children—sticking with them through thick and thin—good and bad—that is an example to children 

d.      Men—do you trust God and live your life for Him?  Do you seek to live out your commitment to Him over the long haul?  Are you a model of faith and faithfulness to your wife and children? 

2.      Success for a Christian father is also seen in fruitfulness—John 15:5, 8 

a.       Fruitfulness implies several things for a Christian

                                                              i.      Obviously one of your fruits is your children—fruit of your love for your wife and the relationship God gave you 

                                                            ii.      Fruit is also doing good deeds (Lk 3:8-14) 

                                                          iii.      Godly character qualities are fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) 

                                                          iv.      Other fruit is when our lives bear fruit in the lives of others (Mk 4:20)

1.      New believers through your life is bearing fruit

2.      Others growing in their faith through your life is also bearing fruit 

                                                            v.      Christian—are you bearing fruit—growing, living God’s way, witnessing/discipling/helping others grow? 

3.      A third success for a Christian father is finishing well.  (2 Timothy 3:10-15; 4:6-8) 

a.       How can one “finish well” as a Christian father and a believer in Christ? 

                                                              i.      You need those you are accountable to—a small group you can share deeply with—who know you intimately and help you grow spiritually  “Like iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  (Prov. 27:17) 

                                                            ii.      Paul—Timothy relationship—older Christian discipling the younger—“you know me well”—so Paul could then say, “I have fought the good fight”.  Tim would know if Paul wasn’t being truthful. 

                                                          iii.      Mentoring relationship—someone who helps you grow—and someone you help to grow as well.  Both help you finish well. 

                                                          iv.      Father—son relationship—closeness, love, challenge for one another

                                                            v.      Regular time reading Word, fellowship with other believers, worship, prayer.  Self-feeding 

b.      How are you doing—finishing well?  Meeting regularly with a group who grow you and let you mentor them?  People who pray for you, encourage you, support you, challenge you to keep on rather than giving up? 

I really believe, this kind of man will also be a successful father. 

So how are you doing my friend? 

·         Are you faithful to the Lord and family?

·         Are you being fruitful for the Lord—in your life and the life of others as well?

·         Are you doing things that help you finish well? 

Could you say, to those who know you the best, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”? 

If not, what do you need to do differently, from this Father’s Day on, to make it happen?

 

SPIRITUALLY PLATEAUED LEADERS

Reading in Neil Cole's, Organic Leadership, I have been challenged by several things within--some Neil's and some of others he has quoted.  Today I just want to post something Neil quoted from Terry Walling on characteristics of a spiritually plateaued leader.  I do not add to them nor embellish them.  If you want that, then look them up for yourself.  The characteristics are:

"A spiritually plateaued leader

1. avoids relationships of personal accountability
2. rarely applies the truths of God's word to him-or herself personally
3. has replaced his or her joy, peace and love with envy and resentment
4. frequently looks for greener pastures in other places
5. finds faults in others more often than in self
6. is burned out from lots of busyness that has been substituted for simple intimacy with Christ
7. compromises on ethical principles once held dear
8. stays within safe areas of expertise rather than branching out into new learning endeavors
9. is unable to acknowledge the wisdom of others
10. has reduced the Christian life to a routine  (Terry Walling, quoted by Neil Cole, Organic Leadership, pp. 22-25)

Several years ago, I had a fellow pastor from a church in central Illinois, say that at this stage of his life (we were both in our 50's age wise), what he concentrated on doing was "to finish well."  So many had not, and so many do not.  In a chapter I was reading today in Cole's book, J. Robert Clinton was quoted as saying from research on spiritual leaders that only about 1 out of 3 finish well.  Two thirds fall by the wayside at some point.  So a very valid concern for a spiritual leader is "to finish well."

Growth for a spiritual leader continues to be important, regardless of age or stage of ministry.  I think these characteristics mentioned above are a good starting point for spiritual leaders to see where they are at whatever stage they are in life/ministry.

(Sorry, I guess I did add to and/or embellish what were Terry Walling's characteristics.  But I was challenged and inspired by them.)

Where are you?  (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

GOOD LEADERSHIP FOR SUCCESS

What causes organizations to succeed in their goals and tasks?  One very important thing is good leaders.  And that is what we find today in Nehemiah 6. 

Neh. 6:1-16 

Throughout Nehemiah, we have seen excellent leadership.  Nehemiah inspired the people—Nehemiah prayed for the task and for success—Nehemiah prayed for relief from enemies and for internal problems as well.  And he dealt with what came up. 

Now in ch. 6, the enemies try again to get Nehemiah away from the project, thinking that he was the key to its success.  But Nehemiah would not be swayed by their threats nor their attempts to deceive him. 

What do we learn from this chapter about Nehemiah that are good leadership lessons for us today? 

1.      Nehemiah knew what the task was, and was not swayed by other things that would take him away from the task—yet the enemies tried.

a.       They were very close to finishing—just needed to hang the gates and it would be done.

b.      That is not the time to leave the task—Nehemiah knew that.

c.       In order to succeed in a task, you have to be sure you know the task.

                                                              i.      What is the task for this church?

                                                            ii.      What has God called it to be and do?

                                                          iii.      Though others may get sidetracked at times, leaders should not be sidetracked or not for long.  They are to call others back to the real task.

2.      When Nehemiah got tired and was about to be deceived to leave the task, what he did was pray.

a.       Notice he prayed for strength

 

                                                              i.      He and others needed

1.      Physical strength

2.      Emotional strength

3.      Spiritual strength

b.      He also prayed for God to take care of the enemies so that Nehemiah was not distracted by them.

                                                              i.      Is God big enough to do that?

                                                            ii.      Could that allow us to keep our focus where it should be—on God, and on the task He’s called us to? 

3.      When leaders remain focused—the task can be completed in incredible time

a.       52 days

b.      How long had the people lived in the city without getting the task done?  14 years

c.       Yes there was opposition, but there was no leader helping them work the plan. 

4.      Why did the task succeed now but had not years before?

a.       Of course we have to say because Nehemiah was a great leader who remained true to the task without getting sidetracked on things that were not as important.

b.      But ultimately, the wall was rebuilt because God was in the task.

                                                              i.      Nehemiah kept praying as he led—leaders need to do that.

                                                            ii.      Nehemiah had been given the heart for this task by God.

                                                          iii.      Nehemiah was able to inspire the people because of God’s providing the ok to do it from the Persian king, and the building materials as well.  It was clearly a work of God—not just a work of men.

 

5.      One thing I notice in chapter 7 about Nehemiah, he set up other leaders to watch over the city when the task was completed.

a.       Nehemiah didn’t do all the work—he could not have.  Remember he organized families and individuals from Jerusalem and other places to work on specific areas of the wall.

b.      Nehemiah must have also mentored or equipped leaders to replace him.  He would be going back to Persia in time.  For that to happen, he had to help others be leaders.

c.       Good leaders think of how they can replace themselves.

                                                              i.      SS teachers realize there is a time when they will not be teaching—but they can allow others to teach from time to time, to try out this skill and prepare for teaching.

                                                            ii.      Deacons can mentor and help others grow in their relationship with the Lord, so that if God calls someone to be a deacon at some point, the person already has the spiritual qualifications needed.

 

Who are you mentoring—encouraging—teaching—spending time with who could one day replace you in leadership? 

·         So good leaders know the task God has called them to.  And they keep working to remain true to the task. 

·         Good leaders also are people of prayer—prayer for themselves—for their own spiritual growth—but also for others to develop.  They gain direction from prayer and they get encouragement from prayer. 

·         Good leaders also are preparing someone to replace them in their task. 

·         A church never seems to have enough leaders—one thing that also means is that others need be willing to learn to be leaders or use their leadership skills from other areas in the church as well.  Could it be some of you who are not in leadership here in the church really should pray about more involvement in leadership?

SERVE, MODEL, LIVE GODLY

My heart goes out to people in Oklahoma, devastated by tornados.  What must they think when threats of storms come again to them?  And one of the worst things I heard was, when people like you and me, want to help, there are false groups that are taking money from people, and not really helping with the money—they are using it as a time to fill their pockets instead.  Terrible! 

Another thing that troubles me greatly is when storms and disasters come, and then looters go into people’s homes to steal whatever they can steal.  People in our world are just heartless at times—sin—taking advantage of people and of terrible situations of life. 

Nehemiah 5:1-13 

That is what was happening here in Nehemiah 5.  People who had were taking advantage of those who did not have.  People moving back into Jerusalem needed food and basic necessities—and others—other Jews—were supplying them for the poor—but then charging exorbitant interest—and it was causing some families to let their children become slaves of the “haves” to repay the debt.  This was something that Jews were told back in Leviticus NOT to do—take advantage of their countrymen—fellow Jews. 

But that was happening now.  So some were complaining to Nehemiah about the situation.  And when you need everyone involved in a task—like rebuilding a wall—you need unity, not internal dissension. 

Disaster like what had happened to Jerusalem, is a time to support one another—not a time to take advantage of one another—and of all people—these were God’s chosen people—people chosen to live like God and to reflect what He is like to others around them and to one another as well. 

When Nehemiah hears of the problem—he confronts those sinning against others—and they turn from their sin and restore what they have taken and quit extorting from other fellow Jews. 

We also see here how Nehemiah himself had been a model of how to live for God in these circumstances.  As governor, he could have received tax money to feed his family and those attending him—but he did not do that—he did not require it.  What did he do instead? 

·         He paid his own way—he supplied what his family needed

·         He involved those serving him in also working on the wall—seems even that He himself helped

·         He did not use this political position for his own advantage—though others had done so before

·         He even invited others in to eat with his household—outsiders that would not normally be there for meals

·         So instead of being a drain on people—he actually helped others and was a public servant

·         And in this process, He was a model of what a follower of God should be

o   He loved God and sought to live for God

o   He loved his own people and tried to lighten their burden and do what was right

o   He tried to get people to treat one another fairly—with respect—and in a godly way.

When disasters come, it’s easier to respect people that come to help and give—rather than people who come to just take advantage of the situation for their own wealth. 

Nehemiah was not only helping God’s people to rebuild a wall.  He was also providing a godly example for them—and challenging them to live for God even in tough circumstances—and even when some HAD more than others had. 

He was a genuine godly leader. 

So often when churches are building a building, godly people act ungodly.  They bite one another—and turn away from one another—and live more like the world than they do living like God. 

When you do something with God, like they did in rebuilding this wall, you have to do it God’s way—and you have to do it serving one another.  That causes unity not division.  And unity is God’s way—not division. 

But so often when God is at work—Satan is also at work—and Satan even uses God’s people at times, to stop the work.  That is what we saw here in Nehemiah. 

And whenever God’s people work for their own advantage, rather than the good of others—they are not on God’s plan.  And unity is killed. 

·         Godly people must live in godly ways.

·         God’s people are to serve others—not act as masters over others

·         God’s people must live as models for others—those within the body of Christ—and the world outside as well. 

Are you a model for others of a godly life? 

·         Would you say that?

·         Would others say that? 

Are you a servant or a master?

·         What would others say about you—is it all about you or about the good of others? 

Do you live your life with godly values—godly ways—godly purposes? 

Rebuilding will occur when we do this type of living with others and for others.  Be a model—be a servant—be a real Christian.