RACING TO WIN: WISDOM

We continue with Racing to Win, our summer sermon series during the Olympic games.  This week’s sermon is Wisdom.  This is an important factor at the Olympic games.  If a person does not use the appropriate wisdom about diet, rest, or strategy then they decrease their chances for winning.  What about our race?  How many lives have been damaged because of a lack of wisdom?  People act thoughtlessly and then are surprised by the impact that it has upon their relationships. Also “conventional” wisdom does not always work because it is just the path that the majority of people have followed. This is what makes it conventional.  Proverbs 3:1-2 is filled with the power of wisdom.  This is not based upon conventional wisdom, but upon God’s wisdom.  When we follow God’s wisdom it has the power to heal us, bless us, and guide us.  God does not want us to live in fear and ignorance, but in confidence and hope.  These words also challenge us to consider in who or what have we put our trust?   If you are tired of business as usual and want to find the path to greater hope, then this passage will speak to you.  As you read these words, may you trust in God’s power to strengthen your spirit and guide your heart.  Proverbs 3:1-12: My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. (NIV)