Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / May 20 - Proverbs 4

Transcript

May 20 - Proverbs 4 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:12
  Hello friends, it's showing here lovely to have your company on
• 0:16
  this Monday morning the 20th of May.
• 0:19
  Ah, welcome, welcome and thank you for tapping on play inviting
• 0:23
  me into your day. I have just lit the fire and
• 0:26
  made myself a cup of tea because it is chilly.
• 0:30
  Ah yes. As winter starts to come round
• 0:33
  the corner and visit us, it is certainly the time for warm
• 0:37
  slippers and more and more therapeutic cups of tea.
• 0:41
  I am up for that. I hope you are too, or you might
• 0:44
  be part of the world that just feels balmy all the time, so
• 0:47
  warm or just warming up now. Ohhh wherever you are, no matter
• 0:51
  what this time of the year brings you, you and I are
• 0:55
  nonetheless going to spend this week in the Proverbs.
• 0:59
  We are going to continue reading through the first part, the
• 1:02
  introductory section to the Book of Proverbs, where this father
• 1:06
  provides this advice to his son. Advice that is certainly very
• 1:12
  timely, even all these years, thousands of years later, as we
• 1:17
  need to be reminded to centre our lives on the wisdom that
• 1:20
  comes through loving and fearing our God.
• 1:24
  So let us continue to read together, friends, as we read
• 1:27
  together. Proverbs, Chapter 4.
• 1:40
  My children, listen when your father corrects you.
• 1:43
  Pay attention and learn good judgement, for I'm giving you
• 1:46
  good guidance. Don't turn away from my
• 1:49
  instructions, For I2 was once my father's son, tenderly loved as
• 1:54
  my mother's only child. My father taught me.
• 1:57
  Take my words to heart, follow my commands, and you will live,
• 2:02
  get wisdom, develop good judgement.
• 2:05
  Don't forget my words or turn away from them.
• 2:08
  Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
• 2:12
  Love her and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest
• 2:16
  thing you can do, and whatever else you do, develop good
• 2:20
  judgement. If you prize wisdom, she will
• 2:24
  make you great. Embrace her and she will honour
• 2:28
  you. She will place a lovely wreath
• 2:31
  on your head. She will present you with a
• 2:33
  beautiful crown. My child listened to me and do
• 2:37
  as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
• 2:41
  I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths.
• 2:46
  When you walk, you won't be held back.
• 2:49
  When you run, you won't stumble. Take hold of my instructions.
• 2:54
  Don't let them go guard them, for they are the key to life.
• 3:00
  Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evil
• 3:04
  doers. Don't even think about it.
• 3:06
  Don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving, for
• 3:11
  evil people can't sleep until they've done their evil deed for
• 3:15
  the day. They can't rest until they've
• 3:17
  caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness
• 3:21
  and drink the wine of violence. The way of the righteous is like
• 3:27
  the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the
• 3:31
  full light of day. But the way of the wicked is
• 3:35
  like total darkness. They have no idea what they are
• 3:39
  stumbling over, my child, pay attention to what I say.
• 3:43
  Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them.
• 3:47
  Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life
• 3:52
  to those who find them and healing to their whole body.
• 3:56
  God your heart above all else, for it determines the course of
• 4:01
  your life. Avoid all perverse talk.
• 4:04
  Stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your
• 4:09
  eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for
• 4:14
  your feet. Stay on the safe path.
• 4:17
  Don't get sidetracked. Keep your feet from following
• 4:21
  evil Lord, thank you for your wisdom.
• 4:35
  Thank you for the Proverbs author who writes about making a
• 4:39
  straight path, living simply with wisdom, focusing on you and
• 4:45
  your provision. Sometimes it's tempting to try
• 4:51
  and have a life that is, well, complex, with twists and turns
• 4:56
  and keeping hidden aces up our sleeves.
• 5:00
  We might even call that sophisticated, that you show us
• 5:04
  a better way, that all we need to do is to pursue you, to
• 5:10
  pursue your wisdom, to pursue a life following you.
• 5:16
  Straight, simple and clear, Our Lord Reachone us.
• 5:23
  Let's reset our directions so that we walk toward you with a
• 5:27
  straight path and an open heart, so that others, when they look
• 5:32
  at us, don't need to wonder what we're up to.
• 5:35
  But they can see that we are all out for you now.
• 5:39
  We love you, and we wanna spend every day of our life serving
• 5:43
  you because that that is what our life is all about.
• 5:47
  So we praise you, we lift you up, and we worship you, a wise,
• 5:53
  wise God. And we pray all of this in the
• 5:56
  name of Jesus. Amen.