31 Proverbs 2012 from Brian Adams on Vimeo.

Thanks to all our bloggers for their great insights and encouraging words over the past month. It seems that reading the 31 chapters of proverbs together has been a real blessing, encouragement and challenge to many of us.

But… Where do we go from here?

Well, this evening at 8pm, (in the Oasis at High Kirk church), we’re going to celebrate the end of our community Bible reading, hear some great stories from different people, sing some songs of worship and discover how to continue to keep Bible reading as a regular part of lives.

Come along, one and all – grab a coffee and join in the celebration with us!

If we use the woman in Proverbs 31 as a measuring stick I know I far from measure up. This woman does it all! And it is clear to see that her motivation is her love for her household not of herself.

This reminds me of what Paul says in Phillipians 2v3-5 about doing ‘nothing from selfishness or empty conceit….. not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others’, as this was the attititude of Christ himself.

Paul gives us instruction on how to humble ourselves by ‘doing all things without grumbling or disputing… holding fast the word of life’ v14+16.

This can be a challenge when our motivation isn’t right and our focus isn’t clear.
So let our motivation be love, like the woman in Proverbs 31 and we like her will see the product of our hands v31.

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

We live in a world in which many people want to give us advice, telling us:
How we should spend our money!
What clothes we should wear!
How we can make our lives better!

But who can we trust? Who can we depend on to give us wisdom to live by?

The answer is God.

In a world tainted by sin, God remains perfect, He is truth and in Him there is no deceit.
So let’s get rid of our self-help books, stop reading horoscopes and stop looking to other people to tell us how we should live our lives and simply commit to read God’s word and put our trust in Him.

Proverbs 3 v 5-6 says “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.”

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

There have been many ongoing themes throughout proverbs but the one that stands out to me is how we raise our children. As a parent, it is important to correct our children. This is never easy – not for the parent or the child but we have so much to lose if we dont train our children properly. In our politically correct society, discipline is a thing of the past but the bible reminds us how important it is and it is because we love our children that we correct them.

‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it’
Hebrews 12v11 (NIV)

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

“The wicked flee though no one pursues,
   but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

Forgive me if I am wrong but there is one word that rushes to my mind when reading this particular verse, Responsibility.

We have many responsibilities in life that we must stand up and be counted for but one that I have been very much reminded of this year is our responsibility to go and “Make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). I’ll admit, I find preaching the gospel to those who do not know the word of Jesus or are not receptive of it a harrowing task, one which I can shy away from, however Proverbs encourages us to be as “Bold as a lion” and not to run away from our duties. I found this verse to be a great motivation to continue our evangelical mission and I hope it has been to you as well.

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

Not sure about anyone else, but when I first read Proverbs, I saw myself as the wise person in everything “I don’t fight with my neighbours, I don’t hook up with prostitutes, I’m pretty wise?”

This time around, I read things in Proverbs that I have done, will do, and may have done this morning!

P 27 has been no exception, in the job I do, praise can be frequent, every morning & night I thank God what I get to do everyday. I never want to lose sight that God gave me everything, & I should never think I am fine because I’m “wise”

Proverbs isn’t as simple as I once thought.. but it’s still awesome

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

This Sunday [1st April] in the Oasis after the High Kirk evening service we would love to see you all for tea/coffee and fellowship as we look back at 31 Proverbs!

This project could not have happened or been as encouraging to so many without your help – you wrote the blog posts and left the comments – be encouraged!

But, you may not be fully aware of just how much of a blessing 31 Proverbs has been……….come along on Sunday evening to hear how God’s word being read and discussed in community has impacted real people!

After the 6.30pm service – Sunday 1st April – High Kirk – we hope to see you there!

If you are a High Kirk regular you know where to find us – otherwise you can find info here

v20 tells us simply – ‘Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.’

I think we’re all guilty of gossiping at times (whether that’s a little or a lot) in some way shape or form, so let’s not sit back and brush this off as just another ‘good verse’ that made us ‘think’. Gossiping can cause major hurt and divide, even within churches, and we need to stop doing it… there are no excuses!

The next time you have the opportunity to gossip, why don’t you try to be the first person to stop what could be a chain reaction of negativity.

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway

In this day and age we find the general reaction to getting hurt or offended by someone to get some sort of revenge or say something nasty about them. We should instead pray about the situation we find ourselves in. Our approach should be to address the problem with the offender in private and not slander them.

This verse is repeated again in Romans 12 v 20 as the contrary to taking revenge. We are told in verse 19 that we should not get even with those who do wrong to us, that is for God to take care of. It is often said that we should always be the bigger person and walk away from a row or make peace with the person who has annoyed us. It is easy to say we forgive someone, but we must really mean it and be totally at peace with it, if we find that we are not we should pray about it so that God will help us to overcome.

Read the full chapter on Bible Gateway