Living Wisely Starts with Seeking

·38 min·3 clips

What was I thinking? The book of Proverbs offers life-changing wisdom to prevent those regretful decisions.

The episode opens with an introduction to a new series titled 'Living Wisely,' primarily drawn from the book of Proverbs. The speaker, Rick, encourages listeners to open their Bibles to Proverbs chapter one. He starts by asking if anyone has ever made decisions they later regretted, framing wisdom as the antidote to such mistakes. Rick explains that Proverbs was written by Solomon, primarily for young men, to provide life-saving wisdom. He distinguishes between knowledge, which is storing facts, and wisdom, which is applying knowledge to live a better life. The first source of wisdom discussed is listening to the wise, illustrated by Rick's story of being a 23-year-old youth pastor who ignored older, wiser counsel. He admits this was foolish and prideful, sharing how he once taught parenting skills to experienced parents at age 22. The second source is asking God for wisdom, referencing James 1:5-6, which promises God gives wisdom generously to those who ask in faith. Rick emphasizes that doubting leads to instability. He recounts the biblical story of Solomon, who asked God for wisdom in a dream and received it along with riches and honor. The third source is gaining wisdom through life experiences, where Rick advises learning from mistakes rather than repeating them. He poses reflective questions, such as 'How much of this was my fault?' and 'Am I denying reality?' to help listeners process bad experiences. Rick warns that changing locations without a change of heart is ineffective, using an anecdote about a family moving to escape negative influences. He concludes by challenging listeners to read a chapter of Proverbs daily for a month, asserting that wisdom is freely available from God, wise people, and experiences. The episode ends with a prayer thanking God for wisdom and the church community.

As heard by us

A Proverbs-centered sermon on seeking wisdom before trouble makes its lessons harder to ignore.

"Living Wisely Starts with Seeking" presents wisdom as an open call that can be brushed aside, but not without consequence. Working from Proverbs 1 and setting Proverbs beside James as a biblical wisdom book, the sermon follows wisdom's voice from the public square into the…

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Why you'd press play

When too many voices press in, this episode points you back to Proverbs as wisdom calls over the noise.

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