Sermon-Series Devotional
This guide is a tool to help you give your attention to God throughout your week as you gather.
Sermon Series: Wisdom to Live by
June 26: Prov 1:20-23. Eyes to see
July 3: Prov 15:1-2,4. Harsh Words, Hard Hearts
July 10: Prov 11:24-26. Generosity begets prosperity
July 17: Prov 15:31-33. Discipline Equals Freedom
July 24: Prov 16:18-19. Humble Wealth
July 31: Prov 14:31. The Overflowing Kindness of Our Maker
Step 1: Music
How Deep the Father's Love For Us
Step 2:
Turn to God’s word.
Spend some time in Scripture. Meditate on the words and think deeply about what God is saying to you. See the verses above for your suggested readings.
Step 3: Prayer
Seek God through prayer
- Pray for Ukraine. Pray for families torn apart by war. Pray for peace. Pray for the people who have lost their lives. Pray for our own community members waiting to hear from loved ones.
- Pray for your own self to be formed in Christ. Pray that you can grow in wisdom no matter your age or stage.
- Pray for the global church, that we would encounter an authentic sense of who Christ is and be drawn together as the bride of Christ.
Step 4: Reflection
Wisdom isn't quite like intelligence, although there is definitely overlap. Wisdom, for the Christian, is letting go of what we thought was true and drawing ourselves ever nearer to God's Holy Spirit. Wisdom is both for extraordinary circumstances, in which we must rely on the wisdom of God's Spirit to retrieve us from folly or danger, but it is also for the everyday. When we are parenting, when we are working or attending school, we can tap into our God-given wisdom and pray for our wisdom to increase! And the best thing about this... we're never done. Whether or not we have a few degrees hanging on our wall, or none at all, we are on a life-long journey of becoming wiser as we step out in faith and follow God's will for our lives.
During this sermon series, we will be examing the wisdom in the book of Proverbs. Here's the thing, every culture has proverbs, short sayings which encapsulate truth about life. Christians however find wisdom in their proverbs about not just life, but the source of life, God. They are meant to challenge us in our own ways of thinking and encourage us to dig deeper beyond the surface of what's there. As you go through the readings and the proverbs in this series, think about the ways in which you are being formed in wisdom.
Step 5: Benediction
Allow the Spirit to move through you in all areas of your life.
Surrender the hard stuff, the good stuff and the ordinary stuff of everyday life.
Walk in the knowledge that you are holy people of God who are called to become wise and generous in God's Spirit.
Even when you don't feel like it.
Amen.
Step 6: Questions
- In what ways are you being challenged by the selected reading this month? Is there anything you disagree with? Is there anything that you are being convicted of?
- Do you need to confess any areas in which you have stepped away from wisdom? (Week 2 talks about harsh words, does that feel like you?) Confess in your safe space, whether in your focus group or with your pastor, the ways in which you have leaned away from Wisdom.
- What does "fear of the Lord" mean to you? Does that carry baggage from your adolescent years? If so how? How can you fear God and draw close to him?