Proverbial Wisdom

INTRO.- Quips, quotes and notes

- It was not the apple on the tree but the pair on the ground that caused the trouble in the garden.

That’s like a gun. There is nothing wrong with a gun. It’s what people do with the gun that makes it bad. The problem was the disobedience of Adam and Eve. And that’s always a problem for mankind. God is trying to keep us out of trouble, but we don’t listen very well. However, no one is perfect in their obedience. No one. And no one has a perfect faith.

Ps. 103:8-11 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”

We are saved in spite of our disobedience and it’s because God is so gracious.

- Beauty is skin deep; ugly goes right to the bone.

ILL.- An ad appeared in a newspaper that read: "Farmer wants to marry woman, 35, with tractor. Send picture of tractor."

ILL.- Lincoln said, “The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason he made so many of them.”

We do know that God looks on the heart and that’s the most important thing about us. He knows the very stuff we’re made of, who we are, how we are and what we are.

- It’s too bad a shower of rain can’t freshen up people like it does flowers and grass.

There is something that can freshen up people? It’s the Lord and His Spirit.

Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

The most spiritual people in the world are not necessarily those who talk about spiritual matters, but rather those whose lives demonstrate the Spirit at work. We need to pray, “Fill me with the Spirit. Fill me with love, joy, etc.”

- It’s difficult for a man to have much faith in God if he has too much in himself.

I think this is a problem that many people have today, and especially, the rich, the powerful and the famous. Many of them are so sold on themselves that they can’t be sold on God or Christ. They are so full of themselves that they will never be full of God.

I Pet. 5:6 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

- Giving good advice does not qualify as charity.

Interesting thought. It may be that we think we are doing people a lot of good when we go around dishing our information and advice. In reality, we may not be helping people at all.

I have thought a lot about this in regard to my preaching. Just what I am preaching? I am truly helping people? Do I preach sermons that are helpful or am I just preaching?

James 1:26-27 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

God wants us to help hurting people and we don’t always do it by what we say.

- Many people are not exactly stingy. They’re just economical in a very obnoxious way.

God is not stingy with us. He is a giver and He wants us to be givers as well. In fact, I’ve heard it said that we are most like God when we give. That may be true. Of course, we can give in various ways: money, time, attention, affection, service, etc.

II Cor. 9:6-7 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Cheerful giving can apply to all forms of giving, money, service, etc. If we give grudgingly, there will be no blessing in it. But if we give because we want to, we will be blessed.

- Nursing a grudge is like arguing with a policeman, the more you do, the worse things get.

ILL.- A visitor from across the mountain leaned on the rail fence, watching his old friend plow. “I don’t like to butt in,” he finally said, “but you could save yourself a lot of work by saying ‘gee’ and ‘haw’ to that mule instead of just tuggin’ on them lines.”