Life Simplified
Character: Inside Out
October 9, 2011
INTRODUCTION
Top Ten Foolish Things to Do Before You Die
10. Swim with a great white shark.
9. Own a 1000 cats.
8. Eat nothing but french fries for a month.
7. Volunteer to get cancer.
6. Lay down and take a nap in traffic.
5. Play Russian roulette for fun.
4. Respond to that email about the Government of Nigeria wanting to give you $50,000 if you just send them $1,000.
3. Post your social security number, age and address on Facebook.
2. Try polygamy
1. Believe that God has nothing to say to you about your life.
I. Wisdoms comes when we take sin seriously.
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.
Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.
The church used to talk about deadly sins that had a devastating impact upon our lives. For many today, sin is not serious. It not a big deal in our minds.
Proverbs is very clear the failure to take sin seriously is Folly.
The fool hates what is holy, righteous, and good, and he loves evil.
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool; And so is wisdom to a man of understanding (10:23).
Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is good will (14:9).
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit (14:8).
Big Truth: Our folly, foolish decisions often leads to sin in our lives.
II. Wisdom comes when we value it enough to seek it.
ILL: Would you stop to pick up a penny?
This is the world's most valuable penny. It's the only known example of a 1943-dated Lincoln cent incorrectly struck in a copper alloy at the Denver Mint. Zinc-coated steel was being used for pennies in 1943 to conserve copper for other uses during World War II, and this one was mistakenly struck on a bronze coin disc left over from 1942. It's value 1.7 million dollars.
Wisdom is only discovered when we value it enough to seek it out search for it.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction (1:7; cf. 1:22).
The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly (15:14).
A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind (18:2).
Big Truth: Wisdom is not a quick fix, it is a lifestyle pursuit.
III. Wisdom comes as we accept instruction.
One day during my morning run I noticed a blind woman walking on the other side of the street with her Seeing Eye dog, a beautiful golden retriever. As I was about to pass them, I noticed a car blocking a driveway a few paces ahead of them. At that moment the dog paused and gently pressed his shoulder against the woman's leg, signaling her to turn aside so they could get around the car.
I'm sure she normally followed his lead, but that day she didn't seem to trust him. She had probably walked this route many times before and knew this was not the normal place to make a turn. Whatever the cause, she wouldn't move to the side and instead gave him the signal to move ahead. He again pressed his shoulder against her leg, trying to guide her on a safe path. She angrily ordered [the dog] to go forward. When he again declined, her temper flared.
I was about to speak up ... when the dog once more put his shoulder gently against her leg. Sure enough, she kicked him .... And then she impulsively stepped forward--and bumped square into a car. Reaching out to feel the shape in front of her, she immediately realized what had happened. Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms around the dog, and spoke sobbing words into his ear.
Selvaggio, Anthony (2011-01-01). A Proverbs Driven Life (Kindle Location 2483). Shepherd Press. Kindle Edition.
Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel; They spurned all my reproof So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them (1:29-32).
Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly (26:11).
A fool rejects his father's discipline, but he who regards reproof is prudent (15:5).
A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise (15:12).
Big Truth: Gaining ground in the areas we have been foolish in won't be easy, but worth it.
IV. Wisdom comes when new disciplines are discovered and applied.
"It started innocently enough. I applied for a Discover card when I was in college to get a free cooler. I bought a VCR, a stereo, a TV. By 2003 I owed $12,000 on five credit cards with interest rates ranging from 12 to 14 percent.
"One day I started thinking about how much money had been wasted on 15 years of finance fees. I set a goal to pay off my credit cards in a year.
Greg Gallagher, 36, of L.A. His goal: To pay off a mountain of debt.
"To do this, I created an Excel spreadsheet with all my monthly bills, credit-card balances and interest rates, then started paying as much as possible on the one with the highest rate. I work for a nonprofit foundation and don't have a large income, so almost half of my take-home pay went toward my debt. I'd write the check the day before I got paid and put it in the mail so I wouldn't have a chance to change my mind.
"Finding ways to save became a kind of game. Looking at my receipts, I realized I was spending hundreds of dollars a month on eating out, DVDs and clothes. I saved $40 a month on gas by biking to work.
"I kept a miniature copy of the spreadsheet in my wallet, which forced me to look at it whenever I spent money.
"It took me a little over a year, but I'm out of debt. I have one credit card, and I pay off the balance every month. I still keep an Excel spreadsheet, and I invest $300 a month into the 403(b) plan at work. I'm hoping to save up enough to buy a home."
Wisdom doesn't mean a thing until applied.
A. Disciplined in material things
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up (21:30).
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow (13:11)
B. Disciplined in his emotions
A fool's vexation is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor (12:16).
A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back (29:11).
C. Disciplined in what he says.
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly (15:2).
Proverbs 16:28, "A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends."
Watch What You Say. "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down" (Proverbs 26:20).
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Proverbs 18:8).
Big Truth: Wisdom and Discipline are inseparable. Gaining ground will require persistent work.
Where do wisdom and folly collide in my life?
In my life right now what I have made the most errors, where I need the most help concerns. . .
Relationships
Parenting
Marriage
Friendships
Money/debt/credit
Moral life
Work/ procrastination/ organization
Other _______________
Is repentance required?
Besides confessing to God, who else will I admit this to. . .
What am I willing to do to begin developing new disciplines?
Seek counseling
Read a book
Go to a seminar
Join a group
