Welcome to a group of women who's goal is to encourage each other to put down some serious roots in the Word of God. This blog is dedicated to reading through the Bible in a year. Hopefully you will find the encouragement and accountability here that you need to push through the tough parts- or when life just gets in the way. The reading plan is located at the bottom of the blog. It contains links to the passages we are reading through biblegateway.com. You can use those links or read your own Bible, whichever you prefer.
We are all members of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Griffin, Georgia and felt the need in our own life for a little bit of the Lord's splendor. Please join us!!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Hear and Heed

I am a practical person. Practical Christmas gifts of a new blender, coffee pot, or a new set of sheets don't bother me a bit... I thoroughly enjoy them and prefer them! I would much rather have something I can use than something I have to figure out what to do with or eventually just give away. Proverbs are practical words that can immediately affect our daily life. How much more practical can they be?

- Respect parents' advice
- Respect authority
- Be careful of what I say
- Discipline myself and my children
- Choose good friends
- Check my motives
- Spend money wisely
- Be prudent and think through things
- Treat neighbors kindly

Any one of these Proverbs is immediately applicable and can also be a wonderful nugget to chew on for a day or two.

"He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm."
~Proverbs 13:20

Whose company do I keep? Do my friendships encourage my spirit, lead me to become a better person, challenge me in my walk with God? Or do they tire me, frustrate me, or get me into trouble?

"The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands
the foolish one tears hers down."
~ Proverbs 14:1

Am I encouraging to my family in pointing them to the Lord, or do I give them reasons to run away? Am I setting a good example for my husband and child(ren)? Is my home a peaceful haven or is it chaotic and stressful?

"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."
~ Proverbs 15:4

Are my words encouraging to others? Do I think about how my words can help someone? Or are my words superficial and useless or even worse...harmful to others?

In contrast to the Psalms that are emotional balm to our souls, these words are practical balm to my mind. They are comforting to me because they confirm that obedience to God will be rewarded. The proverbs encourage me to do the right thing with a clear explanation of consequences of not doing the right thing. My NIV study notes say, "Most proverbs are short, compact statements that express truths about human behavior." There are rewards for righteousness, wise actions, and good decisions. There are consequences of folly, for being hot-headed and selfish. The righteous are fulfilled and have true joy and a life of peace. The foolish receive misfortune, ruin, and distance from God. Quite a contrast!

These are practical words for daily living. These words are living and active to affect our daily lives. Starting right now, they draw us closer to the Lord. Let's hear these precious words and heed the wisdom and advice.

"For the word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any double-edge sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
~ Hebrews 4:12
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5 comments:

  1. BootsAugust 1, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    first let me thank you all for the encouragement. I am truly working with some WISE women. Terry, I loved your post today. I was thinking if more people would just put these words to use in their everyday life what a great place this would be. The pastor here at my son's church yesterday was preaching on 2 Timothy 3 and I couldn't help but notice some of the same things being said. In short, it basically is saying in the end times we will see more people living like the foolish and forsaking wisdom. Any doubt about what time we are living in?

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  2. AngelaAugust 1, 2011 at 10:03 PM

    Terry, your post was very practical today. As I begin preplanning and a new school year tomorrow I pray my words and actions encourage each employee I may come in contact with during the day. People are looking to see how we deal with daily struggles and situations. Are we going to be genuinely joyful about every circumstance or pout, frown and/or pitch a fit when things do not go our way?! I intentionally want to heed to the Godly wisdom of His word and apply it to the daily living. My prayer is that people see Jesus in me.

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  3. JaybrenaAugust 1, 2011 at 10:22 PM

    I am right there with you, my practical friend! And the Proverbs are a wonderful source of encouragement for me. Angela, I learned a lovely thing from my preschool VBS craft class this year....."You git what you git, and you don't pitch a fit." Funny thing?? I'm pretty sure there's a form of that little jewel in the Bible!

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  4. MindyAugust 1, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    Your post was just exceptional today Terry! The questions you posed to us were thought- provoking and moving and forced me to look at certain things in my life that I needed to take a look at. The practicalness of the Proverbs is just amazing to me and as all of Scripture is...it is timeless. I agree with Ms. Boots COMPLETELY when she said is there any question about what time we are living in? Great stuff ladies! You all simply amaze me!!!

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  5. NatalieAugust 2, 2011 at 6:20 AM

    Terry, great post! I love the practicality of Proverbs as well, and this was the first time I noticed the book's contrast with Psalms. I also love the contrast to many of them- "this is what the righteous get, this is what the wicked get." It reminds me to "choose ye this day whom you will serve!"

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