F.R.O.G.Fully Rely on God

A father instructing his son.

Andy’s Wisdom:

There are no rules for pa’s and sons.

Each mother or father raises his boy or girl the way he thinks is best, and I think it’s best that you get a quarter and work for it.

When you give something, (clean the garage), and get something in return (a quarter) that’s the greatest feeling in the world.

Proverbs 2:1-5 (The Voice)

2 My son, if you accept what I am telling you    and store my counsel and directives deep within you,2 If you listen for Lady Wisdom, attune your ears to her,    and engage your mind to understand what she is telling you,3 If you cry out to her for insight and beg for understanding,4 If you sift through the clamor of everything around you    to seek her like some precious prize, to search for her like buried treasure;5 Then you will grasp what it means to truly respect the Eternal, and you will have discovered the knowledge of the one True God.

If you clean the garage, take out the trash, and set the table, then you will get a quarter.

God treats his believers similar to the way a father treats his son: both want the son to obey from the heart. Both want the son to learn lessons. God does not force us to obey; we have a will and God wants us to love and obey Him from the heart. If God forced us to love and worship Him, it would not be love, nor would the worship mean anything.

If two students sit in the same class and hear the same lectures, and read the same assignments, but one learns more than the other . . . why? The one who wants to learn is the one who benefits most from school. When a student is made to sit in class, and made to read the assignment, but doesn’t want to learn; that student won’t learn.

24 If you sift through the clamor of everything around you to seek her like some precious prize, to search for her like buried treasure;

5 Then you will grasp what it means to truly respect the Eternal, and you will have discovered the knowledge of the one True God.

Lesson Take Away:

God hides Himself because He wants voluntary lovers who will do whatever it takes to acquire the treasures of God (wisdom). Just as we do not want a passive, uninvolved God… God doesn’t want passive, uninvolved followers.

So, how bad do you want it (wisdom)?

Are you willing to work for it?

Proverbs 2:6-9 (The Voice)

6 The Eternal is ready to share His wisdom with us,    for His words bring true knowledge and insight;7 He has stored up the essentials of sound wisdom for those who do right; He acts as a shield for those who value integrity.8 God protects the paths of those who pursue justice,    watching over the lives of those who keep faith with Him. 9 With this wisdom you will be able to choose the right road, seek justice, and decide what is good and fair

The college faculty were in their annual meeting when, suddenly, an angel appears. Turning to the Dean, the angel said, "I will grant you one of three choices -- infinite wisdom, infinite wealth or infinite health."The Dean thought for a minute, then replied "Wisdom."

"So be it." and the angel disappeared.

In the silence that followed, the Dean sat thoughtfully, saying nothing and staring off into the distance. Finally, one of the other faculty members exclaimed, "Do you have anything to say? What words of wisdom can you provide us?".

Said the Dean, "I should have taken the money."

Life has many choices, and it seems at times when we make one choice, we later have regrets about our decision and wished we had made another. Some choices are rather simple, while others—not so much. How do we manage life choices? Do we consult God in every day in everything?

The average American supermarket carries around 36,000 items for sale. Crest offers 36 variations of its toothpaste in the choice of size, shape, and flavor.

Revlon has 158 different colors of lipstick.

There are 200 new magazines which hit the market each year.

How often have you stood in front of an aisle of choices in the supermarket with a glazed look in your eyes as you were trying to decide which laundry detergent would be right for your clothes? Even at the checkout counter you are faced with choices, paper or plastic meaning how do you want to pay and what do you want your purchase put in.

Will I get up and go to work or school today? Do I call in sick and play hooky?

Will I lie to save my own skin? When someone insults me, puts me down, or hurts me how will I react? When I am tempted to do something that sounds fun but might have negative consequences what will I do?

How should I handle money? Where should I spend it? Will I work overtime this week because the boss wants me to even though my kid’s game is tonight?

Will I help my friend even though I was really looking forward to watching the game?

Will I eat the french fries or ask for a side salad?

Our children are also bombarded with choices.The average young person views more than 3000 ads per day on TV, on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines. Advertisers are targeting younger and younger children in an effort to establish “brand-name preference” at as early an age as possible. More than 160 magazines are now targeted at children. Young people see 45% more beer ads and 27% more Ads for hard liquor in teen magazines than adults do in their magazines, and the tobacco industry spends over $200 million advertising in youth-oriented magazines each year.

People in the advertising business are convinced that a young, satisfied consumer could become a lifelong customer—eager to buy their products far into the future.

In a similar way, we need to be influencing our children to "buy into" the good things God has in store for them throughout all of life, by making good choices. According to Proverbs, some fantastic possibilities lie ahead for the young person who chooses God's way: long life and peace (Pr 3:2), favor in the sight of God and man (Pr 3:4), direction from God (Pr 3:6), health and strength (Pr 3:8), abundance (Pr 3:10), happiness (Pr 3:13). The person who trusts, honors, and fears the Lord finds wisdom—an incomparable prize (Pr 3:15).

The choices we make today have an impact on the decisions we will be making tomorrow. They establish a pattern and a foundation for our lives.

Being able to make the right decision every time requires wisdom. The biblical word is “Sophia.” It means insight from a Godly perspective. According to Webster, a wise person is one who knows what is true and right and then is able to make the right decision. Wisdom should not be confused with knowledge or common sense. Knowledge can be picked up in a book, taking a class, or watching Dr. Phil. Some of the smartest people make the dumbest choices because they lack wisdom.

A Massachusetts doctor and Harvard graduate has been suspended for leaving a patient on the operating table midway through spinal surgery so he could deposit a check at his local bank. The state board of medicine said David Arndt, an orthopedic surgeon, posed "an immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare" after he left the patient with an open incision in his back.

Arndt left behind a surgeon who was not qualified to complete the surgery. After his 35-minute trip to the bank, Arndt returned to the operating room and finished the surgery within a few hours. (The only problem was that the spinal fusion was not done properly and the patient sued for severe pain and malpractice) The doctor’s license to practice medicine in Massachusetts has been suspended.

We must seek God for wisdom in all situations because God is the source of all wisdom.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

God is the one who helps us make good choices… Unfortunately we tend to rely on our own wisdom and understanding. The danger of using our own intellect is that we make decisions based on our limited abilities rather than God’s infinite knowledge.

A pastor walks up to a young man, puts his arm around him and says, “Son, I’m going to teach you how to steal, drink, lie, and swear.“What?” replies the shocked youth?“I’m going to teach you to steal time out of every day to read a chapter in the book of Proverbs, to drink in the Wisdom of Solomon, to lie on your bed and meditate on the truth you discover there, and to swear by the grace of God to put it into action.”

We need to model decision making for our children based on Godly wisdom. We shape tomorrow's world by what we teach our children today.

Lesson Take Away

What we leave in our children is more important than what we leave to them.

Proverbs 3:5 (The Voice)

5 Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely; never depend upon your own ideas and inventions.6 Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish, and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead.7 And don’t think you can decide on your own what is right and what is wrong. Respect the Eternal; turn and run from evil.8 If you depend on Him, your body and mind will be free from the strain of a sinful life, will experience healing and health, and will be strengthened at their core.

We find ourselves having to exercise trust every day we live:

1:) We trust whoever built our house that it won’t fall down upon our heads. –

2:) We trust the bank to not spend the money we deposited so it will be there when we want to use it.

3:) We trust our alarm clock to go off when we set it for a certain time.

4:) We trust the lights to come on when we flip the switch.

5:) We trust the car to start when we put the key in the ignition-

6:) We trust the best before date on the milk jug.

7:) We trust the teenager making our burger at McDonalds washed his hands after his last bathroom break.

And we will continue to trust all these things until they fail us for some reason.

1. A man visited the Grand Canyon and while he was looking over the side he slipped, as he fell he caught a scrub bush and held on for dear life:

Man - “Is there anybody up there?”Voice - “Yes, there is”Man - “Can you help me? Can you help me?”Voice - “Yes, I can most likely be of assistance. What is your problem?”Man - I slipped and fell off of the cliff and I am dangling by this bush”Voice - I’ll do my best. Do you believe?”Man - “Yes, I believe!”Voice - Do you have faith?Man - Yes I have faithVoice - Do you trust me?Man - Yes I trust you!Voice - Let go of the branch and everything will turn out fineMan - Is there anybody else up there?

When we fall, God will catch us and pick us up and set our feet upon solid ground. He will never fail those who place their trust in Him.

GOD DOES NOT LIE:

Numbers 23:19 (The Voice)

19God is not a man—He doesn’t lie. God isn’t the son of a man to want to take back what He’s said, Or say something and not follow through,or speak and not act on it.

Exodus 14:31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. (NIV)

The people learned to trust God. After everything they had been through they finally came to the point where they had confidence in God. Unfortunately this same group of people later forgot the lesson they had learned. When they came to the promised land they did not trust God to give them the land. Instead they believed the “giants in the land would squash them like bugs.”

How often are we just like the nation of Israel? We put our trust in God today, only to later think God has abandoned us to figure things out for ourselves.

We must learn to trust God EVERYDAY and seek his wisdom—whether big or small our confidence needs to be in God and not ourselves.

How do we seek His wisdom?

Proverbs 2:3Cry out to her for insight and beg for understanding

Wisdom is not an automatic thing. We don’t just suddenly become wise even if we become a Christian. It is a gift from God, which is given to those who pursue it and ask for it.

A certain bumper sticker conveyed a similar sentiment with these words, "You are only young once, but you can be immature your whole life.”

James 1:5-7 (NLT)

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

We can also seek God’s wisdom when we read His word, the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.

We are given God’s inspired Word to help guide us in making the right choices. Unfortunately, for many the Bible just sits and collects dust because we think we don’t have the time or we just don’t understand it, so why bother. We grow in God’s wisdom by reading the nuggets of wisdom he has already given in His Word.

When was the last time you asked God for help in making a decision? When was the last time you looked at your daily schedule and asked God, “what do you want me to do today?” Unfortunately, we tend to run our own life without God’s input, until after we’ve blown it.

Then, we want God to bail us out. Fortunately, God is loving and kind, and frequently helps us out. But we still face the consequences of our decisions. All too often we don’t ask God for his wisdom until we are at the end of our rope, or we cannot come up with a solution on our own. What would happen if we started every day with God instead?

A man was out walking in the desert when a voice said to him, “Pick up some pebbles and put them in your pocket, and tomorrow you will be both sorry and glad.” The man obeyed. He stooped down and picked up a handful of pebbles and put them in his pocket. The next morning he reached into his pocket and found diamonds and rubies and emeralds. And he was both glad and sorry. Glad that he had taken some—sorry that he hadn’t taken more. And so it is with God’s word.

How To Manage Life Choices--Bob BriggsIF, Then, When!--Jimmy HaileSeeking God’s Wisdom-- Lanier Christian Church