Resting at the River’s Edge in September – Let’s Pursue Wisdom
Posted by Sandy in Reading through the Bible in a Year, tags: 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Jude, Lamentations, Proverbs, Titus
Resting at the River’s Edge in September – Let’s Pursue Wisdom
The theme for this month seems to be wisdom. We’ll spend a significant amount of time in the book of Proverbs. The book was called Sophia by early Christian writers, a Greek word that means “wisdom.”
Solomon is the writer of most of the Proverbs and he establishes his purpose in the very first verses:
1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—6for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
Proverbs 1:1-6
Then, of course, Solomon establishes the place to start:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7
God has used the Proverbs to correct or warn me very specifically on a number of occasions. I remember being pressured by a boss to lie to his boss and struggling about how to handle the situation. The morning I was to meet with my boss’s boss I read Proverbs 12:22 during my devotions:
The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.
Proverbs 12:22
The situation became incredibly clear to me – did I want to please my boss and have the Lord detest my actions or bring delight to the Lord and displease my boss? Hands down, I wanted to please the Lord. I did and He honored those actions. Very soon thereafter I quit that position and stepped into a much better job.
We’ll also spend a considerable amount of time in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. They seem an appropriate paring with Proverbs because they provide guidance about caring for and protecting the Church. The three letters focus on leadership qualifications and responsibilities as well as church life. 1 Timothy focuses on sound doctrine while 2 Timothy focuses on encouraging steadfast Christian living despite the circumstances we find ourselves in. The book of Titus carries a little of both topics.
Here’s to being much wiser by the end of the month!
Blessings, Friends!
Sandy
The recommended reading schedule for September is below.
To download a PDF of the September 2011 recommended reading plan, click here.
Watching the Church Grow & Develop and Reading some Poetry
As we Rest at the River’s Edge in May, we’ll spend most of our time doing two things:
Watching the church grow and develop as we read through the book of Acts
Enjoying poetry as we read some Psalms and the Song of Songs (often called Song of Solomon)
As spring develops, don’t lose focus on what’s important, but feel free to take your Bible and notebook outside and enjoy some spring weather!
Blessings,
Sandy
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