All of our focus is on the book of Proverbs for the next couple of weeks. The bulk of the book is the sayings of Solomon in Chapters 10-29. However, the beginning of the book is a comparison between wisdom and folly. The life that honors God and the life that rejects God. Wisdom is often personified as a lady calling out in the street to those who would listen. You can either choose to listen to her and reap the benefits that come with living in wise ways or risk destruction. One thing to take note of is that Proverbs will talk about how there is a correlation between living in a certain way and having a long, prosperous life. However, we all know people who have died prematurely. Proverbs is similar to wearing your seatbelt in a car. There is always that one story of the person who was not wearing their seatbelt and during a crash was thrown safely aside. Exceptions happen, but those should not be depended on to stay safe or reap long-term benefits. Following wise ways of living always leads to better outcomes in the long run, certainly with eternity in mind and that is the Big Picture.
Each week, as you take in the Bible, find some friends to talk it out. You can follow this simple guide to help. First, R.E.A.D. and P.R.A.Y. on your own. Then, meet with friends to share what you've learned.
R - Repeated words
E - Examine and mark
A - Ask what you learn about God
D - Do if there is anything to do
P - Praise
R - Repent
A - Ask
Bible Plan Reading - Week 2
Daily Prayer Plan – Week 2
START IT.
We're reading the Bible together in 2025. Specifically, we're taking a journey into how the story of the Bible continues to unfold from the Old Testament into the New Testament. How do we understand so many stories and lessons through the entire Bible while trying to stick to the "sacred timeline"? The answer is the big picture. If we get the big picture, we get the story the Bible is trying to tell. From Sunday's message or The Big Picture Bible Reading Plan this week in the book of Proverbs, what is impacting you the most? How has praying daily through the Psalms impacted you? Was there a word, phrase, Bible verse, or theme that impacted you?
STUDY IT.
Read 1 Kings 3:5-14. Read James 1:5. What is the first step in being wise? Who must you ask for wisdom?
Read 1 Kings 4:29-34. Read Proverbs 1:1-7. What is the background and purpose of the Proverbs?
Read Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10. What is the connection between wisdom and the fear of the Lord? Who gives wisdom? Read Proverbs 8:13-14. What does it mean to fear the Lord?
Proverbs 9 sets out two paths of following wisdom or folly, and both are calling out. Read Proverbs 9:1-5 and 9:14, 17-18. What are the differences?
Read John 6:35, 48, 51. Read Matthew 26:26-28. How is Jesus the Bread of life?
SHARE IT.
Read James 1:5-8, 4:7-8. What is dangerous about having divided loyalties or a ‘double mind?’ How is having divided loyalties or a double mind contrary to the fear of the Lord?
Read Proverbs 9:12. Who do your choices affect the most?
Read Proverbs 1:1-2. Reflect on the fact that God has given you a way to be wise in the world and not left you without a way to relate to Him and life.
Read John 10:10. Does abundant life in Christ start now, in heaven, or both? Read Proverbs 3:13. How do these verses have implications for your life?
What Psalm has the Lord used most so far in 2025 in your daily prayer time?
FINAL THOUGHT
In Proverbs 9:5, Lady Wisdom says, “Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed.” This is contrasted with the bread of Lady Folly. The guests who eat her stolen bread are guests in the depths of Sheol (Hell). There is a saying that ‘bad company corrupts good character.’ The things you associate with matter and come out in your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. The things that we attend to or give attention to affect our knee-jerk reactions. The things we meditate on affect how we react when we are squeezed in the moment. Psalm 1:1-3 states, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." On a deeper level, the things that you ‘consume’ matter eternally. Lady Wisdom offers an invitation, but Jesus is the perfect personified wisdom that truly took on flesh. Jesus invites you to His table to not just eat of bread He made, but His own flesh and blood at the cost of Himself. The Bread Jesus offers gives you life to the full now and forever at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). It is the fear of the Lord that brings you to the end of yourself when you realize that you are unable to save yourself or live up to God’s standard. For those who have not trusted in Jesus, Lady Folly stands at the door, inviting you in, and Jesus also offers you an invitation. For believers, the church professes Jesus as the abundant life-giving Savior now and forever during every taking of the Lord’s Supper.
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