October 4, 2015

[1] My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, [2] for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. [3] Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. [4] So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. [5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

[6] In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. [7] Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. [8] It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.[11] My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, [12] for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Wisdom—verse 6 God will make your path straight—make your life go well.  Walking a path 1. Doing something steadily; you can walk farther than you can run. 2. if you walk on the path will get you somewhere 3. The actions that you take day after day in ordinary life is turning you into something—either a wise person or a foolish person.  4. Every day when you make little decision, you are making a mark on your soul. “Remember, we Christians think man lives for ever. Therefore, what really matters is those little marks or twists on the central, inside part of the soul which are going to turn it, in the long run, into a heavenly or a hellish creature.” Lewis   You read a story about people that you did not like and how they were going to have very bad consequences. Because of their bad character, they will be punished.  A week later the story is recanted and said that they were not guilty.  How will you respond? Happy that they are not as bad as you thought or angry because they are not as bad as you thought.  You want to believe they are bad.  You don’t care what the reality is. You want reality to be what you want it to be, no matter what.  Reality—character: truth, courage, humility, grace or pride, selfishness, stubbornness

4. Every day when you make a little decision, you are making a mark on your soul. “Remember, we Christians think man lives for ever. Therefore, what really matters is those little marks or twists on the central, inside part of the soul which are going to turn it, in the long run, into a heavenly or a hellish creature.” Lewis

 Reality—Wisdom is revealed in your character: truth, courage, humility, grace or pride, selfishness, stubbornness

The development of wisdom 1. Knowing God 2. Trusting God 3. Obeying God 4. Living in community Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Hebrew description of God’s unconditional love for his people, You need to be absolutely convinced of his unconditional love for you. Know in your heart of hearts that he is for you. He is unconditionally committed to you. Communion, worship, and prayer. Trust—possible to believe in God, but give the functional trust in your heart to something else. Where do I really get my sense of being safe and significant, where do I get my sense of love and value? There is always inordinate emotions centered around anything that you functionally trust. It clouds your judgment. Submitting to God’s Word—immersing yourself in his way of looking at things. (Centered around the Torah) How does this make you wise? There are an incredible amount of rules in the Bible. The Bible can help with lots and lots of decision. You are presented with a decision. The Bible has something to say. Lean not on your own understanding. More complex way—McIntyre, After Virtue Suppose I am standing at a bus stop and a young man standing next to me suddenly says, “The name of the common wild duck is Histrionicus histrionicus histrionicus.” Such an utterance only becomes intelligible by finding its place in a narrative, e.g. He mistook me for someone who yesterday asked him if he happened to know the Latin name of the common wild duck. Or he has just come from a session with his psychotherapist who has urged him to break down his shyness by talking to strangers. Or he is a spy uttering a code at a prearranged rendezvous to identify him to his contact. Such an utterance only becomes intelligible by finding its place in a narrative, e.g. He mistook me for someone who yesterday asked him if he happened to know the Latin name of the common wild duck. Or he has just come from a session with his psychotherapist who has urged him to break down his shyness by talking to strangers. Or he is a spy uttering a code at a prearranged rendezvous to identify him to his contact. It is because we all live out narratives in our lives and because we understand our own lives in terms of the narratives that we live out that the form of narrative is appropriate for understanding the actions of others. Stories are lived before they are told The narrative makes all the difference in how you respond to anything? Look at your money—how you look at depends on your narrative. Secular—this is all there is Spiritual—what if there is a God and this life is not all there is, but this is a small portion of all that there is. Wisdom—not just a set of rules, but a story, a context and now everything looks different. This is my father’s world. Community, not wise in your own eyes— fool is always wise in his own eyes Wisdom is to see things through as many eyes as you can—a company of counselors

Trust—possible to believe in God, but give the functional trust in your heart to something else. Where do I really get my sense of being safe and significant, where do I get my sense of love and value? There is always inordinate emotions centered around anything that you functionally trust. It clouds your judgment.

Submitting to God’s Word—immersing yourself in his way of looking at things. How does this make you wise? There are an incredible amount of rules in the Bible. The Bible can help with lots and lots of decision. You are presented with a decision. The Bible has something to say. Lean not on your own understanding. More complex way—McIntyre, After Virtue Wisdom—not just a set of rules, but a story, a context and now everything looks different. This is my father’s world. Community, not wise in your own eyes— fool is always wise in his own eyes Wisdom is to see things through as many eyes as you can—a company of counselors

Community, not wise in your own eyes— fool is always wise in his own eyes Wisdom is to see things through as many eyes as you can—a company of counselors

The Catalyst Of Wisdom, a spark that makes all the vehicles run, at ten times their normal rate  Verse 11 the discipline of the father  The father brings into the son’s life painful things, things that make the son cry.  1,2 peace and prosperity  34 favor and good name  56 straight paths  78 health for the body, nourishment to your bones   Bad things are going to happen to you, how can this be?  You can do everything right and your life still go badly  You are not ready for life if you don’t know this   How to become wise.  No body ever gets wise without bad things happening to them.  Every wise person always testifies to the bad things that they have been through.  Jesus is all you need when Jesus is all you have.  Suffering turbo charges wisdom.  Suffering doesn’t necessarily produce wisdom. Suffering can produce the opposite of character. Pride, cowardice, and bitterness   The key to believe that the Lord delights in you as he disciplines you. You have to be absolutely sure that he loves and delights in you as you suffer so that you soften instead of hardening you.   Hebrews 12  Same verse  Fix your eyes on Jesus—do you see what Jesus did for you?  The baptism—the son in whom I delight  The cross—He was expelled so that I could enter.  As many as received him, to those who believe on his name  He suffered, the only God who has suffered.  Resting in Jesus—troubles relate to your heart as fire relates to gold, as pressure relates to diamonds, forever changed into something precious.

 Bad things are going to happen to you, how can this be?  You can do everything right and your life still go badly  You are not ready for life if you don’t know this  Every wise person always testifies to the bad things that they have been through.  Jesus is all you need when Jesus is all you have. Suffering turbo charges wisdom.  Suffering doesn’t necessarily produce wisdom. Suffering can produce the opposite of character. Pride, cowardice, and bitterness   The key to believe that the Lord delights in you as he disciplines you. You have to be absolutely sure that he loves and delights in you as you suffer so that you soften instead of hardening you.   Hebrews 12  Same verse  Fix your eyes on Jesus—do you see what Jesus did for you?  The baptism—the son in whom I delight  The cross—He was expelled so that I could enter.  As many as received him, to those who believe on his name  He suffered, the only God who has suffered.  Resting in Jesus—troubles relate to your heart as fire relates to gold, as pressure relates to diamonds, forever changed into something precious.

 Suffering can produce the opposite of character. Pride, cowardice, and bitterness  The key to believe that the Lord delights in you as he disciplines you. You have to be absolutely sure that he loves and delights in you as you suffer so that you soften instead of hardening  Hebrews 12—same teaching, then fix your eyes on Jesus—do you see what Jesus did for you?

 The baptism—the son in whom I delight  The cross—He was expelled so that I could enter.  As many as received him, to those who believe on his name  He suffered, the only God who has suffered.  Resting in Jesus—troubles relate to your heart as fire relates to gold, as pressure relates to diamonds, forever changed into something precious.