Proverbial Wisdom

INTRO.- There is a difference in wisdom. There is the wisdom of man or the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.

Here is the wisdom of the world.

* "I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens." Woody Allen

I would say that’s stupid wisdom. When a person leaves this world in death they will be there, at least, in body, perhaps not in mind.

* "Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down." Anonymous No, to me, death is God saying, “Your life on earth is over.”

* "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." Bob Dylan

Doing what a person wants to do, does not make them a success. Certainly not in the eyes of God. Success is doing what God wants us to do.

* "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein I would have to disagree. If Einstein had said that faith is more important than knowledge that would have been a different matter. Imagination does nothing for us unless it is based on a good knowledge of God’s Word.

* "Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure in life." Sigmund Freud

The Christian should not fear death. The unbeliever should, however. I personally cannot say that death is a beautiful adventure. I would think not. It can only be coped with, endured or survived with the Lord by our side.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me.”

* "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass their Master." Leonardo da Vinci

Da Vinci’s words may apply to our earthly masters, but certainly not to our heavenly Master. We can never surpass Him. When it comes to Jesus, we’ve all fallen short.

* "I am an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on the way." Carl Sandburg

That’s a dumb statement. That’s like saying, “Let’s go do something even if it’s wrong.” Many people are indeed going somewhere, but they have no idea where it is. We should, however.

Here is the wisdom of God.

* "The really great person is the person who makes every person feel great." G.K. Chesterton This is true, because it’s based on the Scripture of building up one another.

Rom. 15:1-2 “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

* "A loving heart is the truest wisdom." Charles Dickens

This, again, is based on Scripture that love is the greatest good in the world and is therefore, true wisdom.

* "The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others." Albert Schweitzer

Smart man. I would say he is echoing the words of our Lord who said to love our neighbor as ourselves. Matt. 22:39

* " ’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Alfred Lord Tennyson

It’s sad indeed for the person who never learns to love others. It is also true that in loving others, there are times when you lose. Not everyone returns love to whom it is given. Still, we must continue to love others.

* "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Mother Teresa

When we judge a person in the sense of being critical and/or condemning we are most certainly not loving them.

Now for the real stuff from the Word of God. In this case, the proverbial wisdom of God.

I. CHEER

15:30 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

Cheers to you! We need to cheer up one another anyway we can. With cheerful words and cheerful looks.

ILL.- The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower people with compliments. But even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I’d give more praise.”

Brothers and sisters, we all need to give more praise to people, more cheer. We all need to be cheerleaders for others. It’s a great way to build people and this is what we all need.

What kinds of words cheer up people? Here are a few: “Way to go. Good job. Hooray for you. Thank you. Great. Bless you. Fantastic. Right on. Outstanding. Tremendous. Wow, what a job. Amazing. Super job. Keep up the good work.”