Obedience is better than sacrifice. Seeing the Lord’s supernatural power happens only when His people love and obey Him. The proverbs give us practical ways to do this. May Christ bless your reading and devotional life.
Proverbs 17:
1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince.
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.
9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbour.
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Things to think about…
1. Do you feel under the pump at all? The Lord is showing you His love. Have a look at Prov 17:3. I think we often expect that the way of blessing should generally involve a life of ease. If you believe this then you have a shallow understanding of the ways of the Lord and very little comprehension of what the bible actually says regarding true wisdom and growth in grace. If you don’t have trials, you won’t grow. Fine gold never comes from a mild furnace. What are you presently going through at the moment? The Lord may in fact be showing you His most intimate care and concern for your soul. My prayer is that you would be listening to His voice while in the furnace.
2. Sometimes we read in the Proverbs worldly truths, even though they are clearly immoral. In Prov 17:8 it speaks about the one who offers bribes as prospering. Unfortunately, this is true in a worldly sense. The wicked are prepared to accept bribes, vs 23. We see in many corrupt regimes around the world where this is proven true. This is our fallen world, even though both are an abomination to the Lord, vs 15. What do you think about governments legislating morality? We considered this in an evening service a number of years ago. Christ’s calling to us is to be salt and light in the community means that He is lifted up as the only viable answer at a heart level.
3. May the Lord spare all godly families the pain of Prov 17:21. As a father of 4 amazing young men, siring a fool has never been high on my priority list. That is indeed the definition of a joyless existence.
4. Prov 17:25 is so true. Whenever our boys did things that were either foolish or immoral there was heartache for me and my dear wife. Smacks, cuddles, prayer, truth and love were our weapons. But what do you do when children have rejected all of this and are now adults themselves? Some time ago I met a lady who had no interest in Christ even though she was raised in a loving Christian home. Prayer is the only option, but a powerful one at that; Christ knows our heartache for our lost family members. After almost 30 years I am still praying for my parents and sisters to come to Christ. They are not as hard to the gospel as they used to be. But still a lot of work to go. Pray without ceasing.
5. There it is again. You want a long healthy life…be joyful, Prov 17:22. The reverse is also true of course.
6. There is a fool lurking within all of us. If you keep your mouth shut, they only think you’re a fool, but if you open your mouth, they know you’re a fool. This sentiment is echoed in Prov 17:28. This combined with verse 27 should be embraced by more people. Why is this so difficult to achieve, even on a personal level? The answer is that pride gets in the way and we need to justify ourselves.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “The only desire to have” – Reading Proverbs 12:18-29
1. Discuss your understanding of the current news cycle and how we get information. Is it effective in promoting context and truth on any given topic? Discuss.
2. What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom? Reading the bible is surely a good thing, but does the practise always bring wisdom? Discuss.
3. The Apostle Paul mentions wisdom in a different way to Solomon. Read 1Cor 1:19-27. Spurgeon said “Discernment is not knowing the difference between ‘right and wrong’, it is knowing the difference between ‘right’ and ‘almost right’”. Discuss.
4. Jay asked that you do a self-assessment on the amount of time you read, study the scriptures or put on praise music, podcasts etc that are good for your soul as opposed to watching Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn etc. Discuss.
Prayer Points
1. Recent challenges and changes to work situations, or health for a few in our church
2. Sally Gauntlett and dear Richard. Sally has Covid.
3. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
4. Folk sick with Flu A and Covid – relief and healing.
5. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
6. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More new folk came to CBC on Sunday.
2. Worship on Sunday – thankyou and technical team.
3. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Remember to check your duty rosters.
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
3. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for July...
Q.6. What will become of the wicked on the day of judgment? A. They shall be cast into hell.
