Today’s passage: Proverbs 16
Helpful thoughts:
- There is a freedom that we all possess to desire and to plan, and yet everything that is done is under God’s sovereignty.
- When we are fully committed to following the Lord, our thinking and planning will be informed by God’s revealed will in his word. When we want to follow the Lord, we will.
- Wickedness and judgment are part of God’s sovereign plan. When you share truth and the gospel and it is either accepted or rejected, both glorify God and both accomplish what He sent the word to do (Isaiah 55:11).
- If we want to follow the Lord faithfully and even lead others to do the same, we will want people in our lives who tell us the truth.
- Speaking the truth in love means we are honest for the benefit of the one to whom we speak. It’s not sugar coating hard conversations…it’s being kind and supportive (Rooting for their success!) as you constructively tell them what they need to hear. (Ephesians 4:15-16)
- When we are not willing to speak truth to our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in danger of becoming whisperers instead (Verse 28).
- Giving thought to the Word of God is like digging for buried treasure. Except for this, when you dig for gold and silver in the ground, you don’t always find it. When we dig into God’s Word, there is always treasure to be found!
Questions to consider:
- By whose steadfast love and faithfulness is iniquity atoned for? (Verse 6) What is the Gospel? How does confessing Christ as Lord result in the second half of verse 6?
- Why is it such a blessing to have a church comprised of older and younger people? What desires (And whose desires) often result in churches that are only older or only younger? What do churches miss out on when that happens?
- Which proverbs stuck out the most to you? How could you put it into practice today?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your faithfulness to the First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant! We are here because you are sovereign and gracious. And, we are here because your people, though imperfect, have been faithful, patient, and loving of others even when some are not. Lord, we pray for your continued blessing on this church. May we be a community of people who love you first, and love each other. May we love your Word, speak to one another in love, listen to one another in humility, and trust you with the results of our obedience and labors. We thank you for your promise that all of our hard work will abound because nothing we do in obedience to you could ever be done in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).