Proverbs 6:9-11
How long will you lie there, O sluggard? 
   When will you arise from your sleep? 
A little sleep, a little slumber, 
   a little folding of the hands to rest, 
and poverty will come upon you like a robber, 
   and want like an armed man.

Laziness, it's something that people struggle with on a daily basis and it has the power to ruin your life. It is a tricky little thing that can creep in and then latch on with no intention of letting go.

From the very beginning we were created to work, although it got much more difficult after the curse. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

While we often work very hard at things we want to do, we can easily neglect that which we do not want to do. The results of this can be devastating (Like a being robbed by an armed man). Times have changed and most of us no longer grow and raise our own food so it might be easy to overlook verses like this. But the principles still apply both in our working life and our spiritual life. 

Some would never dream of being lazy when it comes to their job but when it comes to their spiritual health they are the sluggard to a "T". We pour very little effort in, we sleep, we make excuses, and we plan to do it later when it may be more convenient for us. Spiritually, this laziness will result in the same thing as the refusal to work... We come to ruin and poverty.

It is easy to see the value of working hard to provide for your family and to be a successful person. Why then do we struggle so much in seeing its value spiritually?

If we want God above all else we would seek him with the same ferver and discipline that many of us seek in our careers. I am by no means saying that it is wrong to work hard at your job, "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." It all comes back to the heart. Do you work hard to provide for your family because you are pursuing God or do you work hard to provide for your family because you are pursuing the American Dream?

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24

- Jacob Bassing

Proverbs 4:25-27
Let your eyes look directly forward, 
   and your gaze be straight before you. 
Ponder the path of your feet; 
   then all your ways will be sure. 
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; 
   turn your foot away from evil.

The idea of keeping one's eyes forward suggests resolution about staying on the right path, the path of wisdom. The beginning of Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, so it makes sense that our eyes must focus on the Lord to remain on the path. We are also encouraged to ponder and think about our path. By doing this, we will be able to step with confidence knowing that our eyes are fixed on the Lord and that he is guiding our steps. Fixing our eyes on the Lord is part of abiding in Him. We fear the Lord and recognize how much we need His guidance and wisdom and how hopeless it would be to wander away from what he has called us to be and do. 

In reading this passage I am reminded of one of Peter's encounters with Jesus...

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said,“Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” - Matthew 14:28-31

It wasn't until Peter saw the wind and became afraid of it, that he began to sink. For just a moment Peter forgot who he was with. His confidence in his next step had left him because he forgot who was really in control. 

It is so encouraging that while he began to sink he simply cried out to the only one who could truly save him. 

The last verse in our passage encourages us to continue down the path, not swerving left or right, but simply turning from evil to seek wisdom. The interesting thing is that the more wisdom we obtain the more we want and the more we recognize its value. The further from wisdom we wander the more darkness that we encounter. Earlier in the chapter it says, "the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."

Abide in Christ, fear the Lord and walk in Wisdom.

- Jacob Bassing

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, 
   and do not lean on your own understanding. 
In all your ways acknowledge him, 
   and he will make straight your paths.  

What in your life are you still trying to control, manage, or supervise? Frequently, in our lives we only trust in ourselves and lean far to much on our own abilities. Today my family is solely depending upon the providence and sustenance of our great, mighty, and powerful God. Right now my brother in law is in serious condition in a hospital in Oklahoma. Prior to this week, Daniel, was a healthy mid-20's firefighter, husband, and father of three whose main concern was loving God, his family, and hunting and fishing. Currently, he is surrounded by the best medical doctors in Oklahoma who are desperately trying to stop an overwhelming infection. The medicine is not working, and unbearable pain and fever is running rampant through his body. This situation warrants thousands of questions, and in the recesses of my mind I can only give one answer. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Not with a part of your heart, but with everything you have the Bible says. 

Solomon reminds us that true biblical wisdom always concludes in trusting God alone (Prov. 1:1-3). When we trust and lean on God, consequently He promises he will make our paths straight (Prov. 3:6). This is a promise from God directly to His people, but do we trust his promise? Daniel committed his life to Jesus Christ as a child and the Bible promises he will one day be glorified in heaven with his Savior (Rom. 8:28-30). 

In conclusion, the same trust demanded by God, for our eternal salvation is the same trust warranted, in our daily situations. With every ounce of our being my family is simply trusting in the Lord. Please pray for my brother-in-law Daniel and his family during this time.

- Senior Pastor Matt Brooks

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We are a full month into 2012.  As we begin reading through the book of Proverbs together, I think it is important that we start well. This idea of the “fear of the Lord” is repeated several times in this book. Sometimes it says it is the “beginning of wisdom”, other times the “beginning of knowledge,” either way it begins with a fear of the Lord. 

You may have heard people say that fearing God does not mean to be scared of Him, but when Isaiah encountered God in Isaiah 6, he was scared. I imagine seeing a perfect God in all of His glory would scare me to death and make me very aware of my sin. However, this fear is coupled with the knowledge that God loves us. We can call Him, “Father,” and He loves us like His own child.  This is a healthy fear. A loving fear. A fear that we often disregard when we make God fit into our image of Him.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, One of the characters asks if Aslan is “safe.”  The response given is: of course he isn’t safe, he’s a lion, but you can trust him completely (my paraphrase). In some way this helps me understand what it means to fear the Lord. He is holy and just and must judge our sinfulness, but He is also loving and gracious ready to forgive our sin if we will believe in Jesus as our Savior.

Once we fear the Lord, we can begin to have knowledge. Sure there are plenty of people that do not acknowledge God that know stuff, but they do not know anything completely. I would argue that my daughter at age 9 has a better knowledge of the world because of her relationship with Jesus than Stephen Hawkins (an atheist) with all of his books and degrees.

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God...,”  Everything comes from Him, including all knowledge and wisdom. If we want to know God’s creation, we get to know God. If we want to understand the order of things, we get to know the one who put them in order. If we want to see the story of this world, we look at His story. 

If we want to be wise, we must Fear the Lord. Without fear, we are “fools that despise wisdom” and I am pretty sure none of us want to be that guy.

Colossians 3:1-3
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

This passage is the beginning of an appeal by Paul for the Colossians to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord. As believers today, this still applies. We must pursue a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ himself and all that encompasses living with Him and for Him. This includes His Kingdom... "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33... and a life worthy of his name and the gospel... "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..." - Philippians 1:27a. 

I often find that my thoughts are consumed by so many different things, most of which have very little real importance, while some do seem important to my life. The problem is, my mind is so full and so set on me and my world that I have no time for Christ. A challenge that I have made for myself is to THINK about Jesus and His kingdom, the things that He has done for me, and His power and glory. Along with this, I am praying that God will renew in me a sense of awe and wonder for Him. So I desire for God to transform me by the renewal of my mind so that I may take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5, Rom. 12:2). 

Simply put, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." 

- Jacob Bassing