Read Proverbs 9:1-8

“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee” (v. 8).

Those who fear the Lord are teachable. Ouch! Refusing to tell a commercial pilot that he is off course could result in the demise of many innocent passengers. When we embark on a journey, we have a destination in mind. The highway to heaven passes through deep valleys and dark tunnels. Treacherous mountains lurk at us; tsunamis threaten our souls! God’s Positioning System (GPS) will correctly guide us heavenward if we will but seek His counsel. Thank God for Christian friends who are honest and loving. Reading God’s Word and fellowshipping with God’s family, our brethren in Christ, will ensure a safe landing on the heavenly shores. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). The trumpet could sound at any moment, as Christ’s return appears to be imminent! The Captain of our soul will guard and guide us. There is not a nanosecond that He is asleep or taking a much-needed break! Listen to that still small voice that guides you throughout your busy day. Get quiet before our Heavenly Father and ask for His divine leadership in your life! He will safely steer us homeward. (Beverly K. Tatum)

Pressing more closely to Him Who is leading, When we are tempted to turn from the way; Trusting the arm that is strong to defend us, Happy, how happy, our praises each day. — Eliza Edmunds Stites Hewitt

“Labor to keep alive in your heart that little spark of celestial fire — Conscience” (George Washington).

Read Proverbs 4:1-6

“Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee” (v. 6).

I enjoy how Solomon gives a persona to Wisdom, picturing her as a woman standing in the busy intersections of life, crying out her message in the marketplaces, pleading with all to seek her.  The wise man urges us to clasp Wisdom to our hearts and to cling to her as to a treasure. If we do not forsake godly wisdom, it will preserve (keep, defend, protect) us; if we love wisdom, it will keep (guard) us. How many of us have yearned for this wisdom as we face decisions, disappointments, disasters, and death?  And we have found that as we ask God for wisdom and humbly await His response to our request, He has ultimately provided the direction we need. We need wisdom in the home and with the family, in the schoolroom and the market, on the road and in solitude, in the choices large and small that we must make.  And God is the giver of wisdom without reproaching us for the asking; He gives liberally when we ask Him. (Leonard L. Sankey)

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, More of grace to know — Charles P. Jones

God is pleased when we turn to Him and ask for His wisdom and understanding.

Read Job 28:20-22

“Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air” (v. 21).

My dictionary says that wisdom is “accumulated philosophical or scientific learning.” Much effort, time, and money are spent to gain such wisdom, yet it seems the use of it would determine if it really is what it is said to be! I think of “wisdom” as the practical use of knowledge and insight. That makes wisdom more elusive, for simply knowing a lot has not always resulted in good choices. An ongoing question, though often unvoiced, is “How does one gain wisdom?” Earlier in this chapter Job asked, “Where shall wisdom be found?” (v. 12). In the New Testament James identified two kinds of wisdom. He said that worldly wisdom, which does not include God, “is earthly, sensual, devilish” resulting in “every evil work” (3:15, 16). Then he said, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated.” In chapter 1 he said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (v. 5). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10)! (Rodney B. Stearns)

Wisdom ascribe, and might, and praise, To God, who lengthens out our days; O may we all the time redeem, And henceforth live and die to him! — Charles Wesley

To leave God out leaves proclaimed wisdom in doubt.

Read Romans 16:25-27

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (v. 25).

“I have a secret, but no one will know what it is until Christmas!” Perhaps you’ve been told that or told someone else. It creates a sense of anticipation, looking forward to the revelation of that secret! From the beginning of time, God promised His people a Savior. He didn’t tell them when they would receive this promise, but left them with the anticipation, even the longing, for this revelation. Down through the ages, the prophets spoke of it, dreamed and planned for it, but they passed before He came to earth. We have been privileged to have the Scriptures to verify that Jesus did, in fact, come to earth,and lived and died to purchase our eternal inheritance. We have the conditional promise of eternal life and a place in heaven. If we walk with Him and allow ourselves to become established in the gospel of Christ, we can enjoy that reward! Aren’t you thankful for that? (Sue Colburn)

After pain and anguish, after toil and care, We shall see the King some day; Through the endless ages joy and blessing share, We shall see the King some day. — Lewis Ellis Jones

Our Faith will have eternal rewards!

Read 2 Peter 3:13-15

“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (v. 14).

Parenting teen-agers and now having teen grandsons there have been frequent conversations about living godly lives. In a world filled with impurity, immorality, indecency, violence, vulgar language, and selfishness, what does godly living look and sound like and when should it start? This world scoffs at purity in any form, yet God expects His people to make a determined effort to live blameless lives and to bring every area of our lives (including our recreation or entertainment) under His guidance in this matter of purity. Living a pure life is not just for teen-agers, or even just young men. It is an issue every believer faces daily. Purity of life starts in childhood with the way we dress our children and how we allow them to talk and play. It applies to even the silver-haired saint in the latter years of life. Are our attempts to live godly lives bringing honor to God? Are those efforts enabling us to reach out to others or building walls to keep us from reaching out to those around us who don’t know the Lord? (LeeAnn Davison)

Do no sinful action, Speak no angry word; We belong to Jesus, Children of the Lord. There’s a wicked spirit Watching ’round us still, And he tries to tempt us Into harm and ill. List not to the tempter, Tho’ ’tis hard for you To resist the evil, And the good to do. — C. F. Alexander

“There is no doctrine that holds a stronger incentive to purity of living, than does the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ” (Robert Neighbour).

Read Proverbs 23:22-26

“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (v. 23).

“Invest in truth and wisdom . . . and don’t part with them,” says a modern Bible version. I occasionally read investment advice from a successful brokerage. The writers tell their readers what stocks they should purchase — they are considered good investments. The desire, of course, is that the investment will gain in value, increasing the investor’s wealth. However, the advisors also tell their readers how to calculate a “trailing stop” — the price at which to sell the stock if it begins to lose value. The idea is for the “trailing stop” to rise along with the stock value but provide for a selling price to lock in most of the gains when the stock falters. They offer such advice, of course, because investments rise and fall in value, companies lose money or go out of business, and investor confidence sours. No one wants to lose money, so everyone is poised to sell his investment at the most advantageous moment. God’s advice about truth and wisdom, though, does not include a “trailing stop” or a selling price. Rather, He urges us to purchase, or invest in, truth — and then keep it! We should even add to it. Truth is an investment that will never lose its value. Our greatest advantage is to keep it, for truth will take us to heaven. (Steven E. Hight)

Truth is a valuable investment for eternity.

Read Acts 2:41-47

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (v. 42).

What is your favorite type of bread? Whole wheat? Sourdough? French? Italian? Banana? Pumpkin? Zucchini? The old saying is that “bread is the staff of life” meaning that it is one of the basic components of food in almost every region of the world. All over the globe, people are enjoying some type of bread today. When the writer of Acts wrote about the early church “breaking bread,” it probably referred to sharing the Lord’s Supper or Communion. But right before, he references the idea of fellowship — camaraderie, support, friendship, encouragement. This is one of the important ways the first-century believers connected with one another. And it could very likely have included food. Maybe those church dinners we love are biblical, after all! As members of Christ’s body, the Church, we are called by Him to develop deep relationships that help us live His way and enrich us as people created in His image. We are to keep growing in this area, always adding to our ability to host others and to accept others’ invitations graciously. You don’t have to serve bread — after all, some are gluten intolerant or eating fewer carbs these days. But you do need to share what you have. That’s a menu option we can all agree on. (Valerie A. Quesenberry)

Let us break bread together on our knees, (on our knees) Let us break bread together on our knees. (on our knees) — Traditional

Fellowship is about breaking bread to form unbroken relationships.

Read Acts 7:54-60

“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (v. 56)

When Stephen was falsely charged before the Sanhedrin, he courageously used the opportunity to confront the religious leaders about their historic persecution of the prophets and their recent rejection of Jesus. Such an affront to their reputation and authority angered the council members, who were “cut to the heart” and “gnashed . . . their teeth” (Acts 7:54). Stephen’s proclamation that followed, however, triggered immediate action. His claim that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God led the council to abandon all further discussion, preempting justice to deliver the immediate judgment of stoning for alleged blasphemy. In light of the council’s ability to mete out capital punishment, what inspired such courage in Stephen? Acts 6:8 reveals that Stephen was so “full of faith and power” that he “did great wonders and miracles.” Stephen believed so much in God and drew so much strength from God that even mortal danger did not shift his focus from his Savior. Even as the stones pummeled his body, Stephen — being filled with the Spirit — followed the example of his Savior by praying for his persecutors, by offering forgiveness with his final words: “Lay not this sin to their charge.” (Lyle A. Witt)

Tho’ I falter, His arm will hold me; I can rest on His strength and grace; Tho’ the darkness of night enfold me, Soon I know I shall see His face. — Civilla Martin

Stephen’s courage came from knowing and trusting Jesus.

Read Matthew 28:1-10

“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it” (v. 2).

Kansas, where I have spent most of my life, is not known for its earthquakes. They are not all that rare, but they are generally too faint to be felt over a wide area. They do not usually cause any damage. The region of the world where Jerusalem sits, however, averages one major earthquake every eighty to 100 years, according to the Jerusalem Post. Since the last one was in 1927, I doubt there are many people either in the Holy Land or reading this book that can remember it. My grandparents were not even alive yet! I can just imagine what it might have been like to be on guard duty the morning the world shook, an angel appeared, and an enormous rock rolled out of place. There would have been no childhood stories to relate this to, no social context to surround it. The earth moved, a heavenly warrior materialized, and the last line of defense obediently got out of the way. (Michelle D. Avery)

No wonder the soldiers fainted.