INTRO.- Once again, I want to begin with non-Proverbs, proverbial sayings.
- After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless. Chinese proverb
- An open enemy is better than a false friend. Greek Proverb
- The best answer to anger is silence. German Proverb
- A bit of fragrance always sticks to the hand that gives you roses. Chinese Proverb
- Do not lengthen the quarrel while there is an opportunity of escaping. Latin Proverb
- Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day. Polish Proverb
- First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man. Japanese Proverb
- God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. Jewish Proverb
- God will be present, whether asked or not. Latin Proverb
- If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. Chinese Proverb
- If you would live healthy, be old early. Spanish Proverb
- It is easier to pull down than to build up. Latin Proverb
- It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it. Latin Proverb
(I had to laugh about this one because I’ve always heard it said that the preacher’s job was to shake ‘em in, shake ‘em up, and shake ‘em out, but never shake ‘em down.)
- Judge not the horse by his saddle. Chinese Proverb
- Live with wolves, and you learn to howl. Spanish Proverb
- Love and eggs are best when they are fresh. Russian Proverb
- A man who chases two rabbits catches none. Roman Proverb
- Nature, time and patience are the three great physicians. Chinese Proverb
- Never squat with your spurs on. Texan Proverb
- Never write a letter while you are angry. Chinese Proverb
Now for some more non-proverbs, proverbial sayings from some American writers.
- They can talk all they want about being over the hill. It still beats being under it. (that is, unless you’re in heaven)
- The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, sidestepping responsibility, dodging issues, passing the buck, and pressing their luck.
- Will Rogers said, “America has gone through three stages: the passing of the Indian, the passing of the buffalo, and the passing of the buck.”
- Temper gets most people into trouble and pride keeps them there.
- Part-time faith like a part-time job will not fully support you.
- Some people never get interested in anything until it is none of their business.
- A vacation from God can be a grave affair.
- You quickly lose interest in the church if you have nothing invested.
- The only state that permits a woman to work more than eight hours a day is the state of matrimony.
- The farmer doesn’t go to work. He wakes up every morning surrounded by it.
- Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.
- Laughter is the shock absorber that softens and minimizes the bumps of life.
- By improving yourself the world is made better.
- Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment.
- Some people think God is like medicine: you do not need Him when you are well.
- Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.
- Any fool can find fault but it takes a man with a great heart to discover the good in others and speak of that good.
- Some men depend entirely on themselves. Others marry.
- It may be a man’s world, but we’ll give you odds that it’s in his wife’s name.
Now to the proverbial sayings of the book of Proverbs. Listen and forsake not. Trust and lean not.
Proverbs 1:8 LISTEN AND FORSAKE NOT
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Did your father ever instruct you? In regard to being good or doing good?
Father’s Favorite Sayings (USA TODAY)
- Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Rich Constand’s Dad
- Wherever you are in life, first make friends with the cook. Bill Lewis’s Dad
- A closed mouth gathers no feet. John Beard Jr’s Dad
- The second time you get kicked in the head by a mule it’s not a learning experience. Ebb Dozier Jr’s Dad
- Well, you know what happens when you wrestle with pigs, you get all dirty and they love it. Dennie Morgan’s Dad
- If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. Nicholas Pieroni’s Dad
- Successful people make a habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do. Charles H. Deal, Jr’s Dad
- Don’t let your studies interfere with your education. Eber Smith’s Dad
- The golden rule: the guy who’s got the gold makes the rules. Paul Wagner’s Dad
What good advice did your father give you? Care to share?
ILL.- My dad, who never claimed to be a Christian, did say, “Keep your mind on your business.” That’s always good advice for a youngster. He probably said a lot more that I don’t remember.
What about your mother? Have you forsaken your mother’s teaching? Have you forsaken the good things that your parents taught you or demonstrated to you?
As Christian parents we have both the right and the responsibility to teach or instruct our children. And, of course, our greatest instruction deals with Christian living. And we know that not all instruction or teaching deals with verbal instruction. We have often learned from our parents’ actions.
ILL.- One thing I was sure of in regard to my father: He worked hard. If he didn’t work at his work, he worked at home. His hard work paid off. My older brother and twin sister learned to work very hard!
I remember dad being so tired that there were times when he’d go to sleep in the bathtub. He either eventually woke or mom had to wake him.
Hard work was also something I saw in my mother as well. When I was born in 1944 there was two of me and mom already had a three-year-old. And there were no disposable diapers and no washing machine. You know about this kind of stuff because some of you are older than I am and had more children in your family.
We need to thank God for hard-working parents who taught us both by example and by word of mouth.
ILL.- Victor Borge, pianist and comedian, announced one time at the close of a CBS television show: “I wish to thank my mother and father, who made this show possible, and my five children, who made it necessary.”
Apparently, his parents helped him in life and influenced him, and his children made him work hard.
We must also thank God for parents who saw the need for spiritual instruction and example: Bible reading and prayer in the home, church, Sunday School, and Christian service.
Many of you are in church today because of the example of your parents and so with your children! God rest your parents and God bless you! And may God bless your children! And your children’s children!
ILL.- Fathers who act on the principle that dad is a parent, too, will wind up with smarter, friendlier, happier children, according to one of America’s leading pediatricians. “Fathers have a special role in child raising,” says Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a top authority on bringing up babies. Here are some of Brazelton’s observations:
“Fathers are more than substitute mothers—they contribute to a child’s emotional and intellectual development,” Brazelton says. “Every child needs both a mother and a father—and every father can make a difference.
“While mothers tend to be gentle with their babies, fathers are more playful, tickling and poking their babies more than their mothers. The bottom line is that fathers give children more than just fun.
“Where there is an active father, the child grows up to be more successful at school, to have a better sense of humor and to get along better with other kids. He believes more in himself and is better motivated to learn.
“By the time he is age 6 or 7, the child’s IQ will be higher—all because he was involved with a mother and a father.”
What do these words mean? Children need both a father and a mother, not two fathers or two mothers who pretend to take the other parents’ place.
Thank God for fathers and mothers who devote their time and energy to raising their children to know the Lord. They will be blessed in their doing.
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” Listen and do not forsake.
Proverbs 3:5-6 TRUST AND LEAN NOT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”
These words are probably some of the best of the book of Proverbs. They are not probabilities, but the promise of God!
ILL.- There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms. "I’ll catch you," the father said confidently. After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap. When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground. He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears. "Let that be a lesson," he said sternly. "Don’t ever trust anyone."
It should be obvious to us that some people can’t be trusted. When you get burned you tend not to trust any or many.
ILL.- Preacher Dwight L. Moody once said, “Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment. Trust in your friends and they will die and leave you. Trust in money and you may have it taken from you. Trust in your reputation and some slanderous tongue may blast it. But trust in God and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.”
We need to be careful where we put our trust. I have learned over the years that trusting in material things will definitely disappoint a person.
ILL.- I always liked cars because I have an older brother who influenced me in that. Nearly every car I have bought ended in disappointment. Something went wrong with every one of them.
For example, in 1988 I bought what I thought would be my ultimate car. It was new Buick Skylark and what made it my ultimate car was it was stylish, sporty-looking, burgundy in color, had AC, power steering, power brakes, and the16-value motor or the Quad Four as they called it. It was a small four-cylinder motor, but was supposed to deliver high horsepower and give good mileage. And it did both of those! But what they didn’t tell about the engine was that it was not perfected! I blew two head gaskets while under warranty and another when it had about 90,000 miles on it and I had to pay for that repair myself. IT DOESN’T PAY TO TRUST IN MATERIAL THINGS.
I now drive a 2002 Ford Taurus, which I also thought would be ultimate car in the sense it had keyless entry, CD player, looked nice, performed well, etc. It is now in the Ford garage having the transmission repaired. Third gear went out. IT DOESN’T PAY TO TRUST IN MATERIAL THINGS.
What about trusting people? Obviously, some are to be trusted more than others.
ILL.- There is an elder in the First Christian Church of Iberia, MO, with whom I still have contact. Why? Because I believe in him and he always believed in me. He believed in me even when I didn’t do everything right or even when I preached rotten sermons. And I always believed in him. The only thing I ever saw him do wrong was to smoke cigars and he eventually quit those.
He and his wife were two of the finest Christians I had ever met. They were always loving, serving, helping, and were committed to Christ and His church.
Some day, however, my brother and his wife will pass from this life to the next and I will be very sad in one sense. I will no longer have any contact with them. I have always believed in these people and trusted them. And believing in one another is what builds trust.
What about trusting in yourself, your reputation, or your own ability?
ILL.- From 1987 to 1994 I ran marathons and did quite well. I lost weight and felt like a million dollars. I loved running. I loved the high, the energy, etc. In 1990 I had a sharp pain in my chest for several weeks after winning a half marathon race in Nashville, TN. I finally went to my doctor in southern IL who said, “Steve, you are the healthiest person I know. The pain is nothing serious.” The pain left me in a matter days to never return.
Five years later I returned to see him with horrible groin pain. He X-rayed that area and said, “You have to quit running. Your right hip is almost worn out.”
It doesn’t pay to put too much trust in yourself, your own ability, your own thinking, etc. There will come a time when humility will grab you!
Everyone gets humbled, which teaches us not to trust ourselves too much.
Obviously, our greatest trust must be in the Lord if we are going to make it in life. Most things in this life will fail, but the Lord is faithful.
ILL.- A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can’t hang on much longer."
"That’s all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch." A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
Trusting in the Lord is sometimes a difficult thing to do, because we feel that He may ask us to do some pretty tough things in life.
In what areas of life do you find it hardest to trust the Lord? People? Family? Work? Finances? Health? Aging? We all have areas where we find it hard to trust the Lord’s provision and care.
ILL.- Oliver Cromwell’s secretary was dispatched to the continent on some important business. He stayed one night at a seaport town, and tossed on his bed, unable to sleep. According to an old custom, a servant slept in his room, and on this occasion slept soundly enough. The secretary at length awakened the man who asked how it was that his master could not rest.
“I am so afraid something will go wrong with the assignment,” was the reply.
“Master,” said the valet, “may I ask a question or two?”
“To be sure.”
“Did God rule the world before we were born?”
“Most assuredly He did.” “And will He rule it after we are dead?”
“Certainly He will.”
“Then, master, why not let Him rule the present, too?”
This is tremendous lesson that we all need to learn. The Lord can handle everything.
The problem is just that we think we have to handle on everything because we’re not sure the Lord does. BUT HE DOES! And probably far more than we realize. Many things work out fine and we exclaim, “What a coincidence!” No, what a God-incident!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. With your whole being, as best you can. Not always easy to do. What’s the indication of our trust? We just keep on praying and then we try to let go of things and let Him handle it.
Often, we get in too much of a hurry and try to “fix” things ourselves. Trusting the Lord means to pray and let Him handle things. And pray some more. Often, we just need to pray and wait and see what happens.
Lean not on your own understanding. We are not nearly as smart as we think we are. None of us are. About the time we think we have something in the bag, the bag bursts. About the time we think we have something figured out, we discover that our figures don’t add up!
It’s good for us to come to the end of our rope about things. It makes us trust the Lord more. We realize that we have nowhere to turn. We are forced to put our trust in the Lord.
In all your ways acknowledge him. What does this mean? It means to acknowledge the Lord in everything or perhaps pray about everything! God is interested in everything we do in life so why include Him by asking Him? And what will be the result? HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------
Listen to your father and mother. Forsake not their teaching.Trust in the Lord completely. Seek His will in all things and He will direct you.
ILL.- Whom do you consider to be the greatest motion picture producer? There is a good possibility that you might pick Steven Spielberg who produced such movies as: ET, The Color Purple, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and a host of others. His movies have moved us and inspired us. But even at his best, what he has produced is only Artificial intelligence. It’s only man-made and much of it is not real. It’s only an imitation of the real thing.
Man is insufficient, no matter how intelligent he may seem to be. The only true and trustworthy intelligence in the universe is that which comes from God. It always pays to listen to Him and His word.
