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I need to practice the scales of Christian life through reading God's Word. But this is something I need to CHOOSE.

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Wisdom is built daily.

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Wisdom can come from other people's experience 

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Wisdom can come from other people's experience 

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We won't start out with all the wisdom required to be the people we want to be.

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Best time to sit down and build wisdom is when I'm at my best.

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Repeated behavior sticks with you. How he tied athletes and musicians together. They have to do certain things repeatedly to become better and to become used to the situation. I like how it was tied into learning and taking time with the word of God.

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Is that people will tell who you are by your actions, like the part where he said people knew that you play very well, but it’s not because of you practicing 1 hour a week, but every day. So applying that in a Christian perspective, people can tell that you’re a child of God because you spend time with God and you’re filled with it/ know his voice and how to behave as a Christian. - Midiewe

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God's Word is a wisdom bank that God gave me so that I can learn from other people's experiences!

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Many mistakes can be avoided by learning from other people's mistakes, such as from the people in the Bible

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We learn from experiences. This is why the Bible is a great book to read to gain wisdom.

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Continue my daily devotions with the purpose of gaining wisdom 

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Continue my daily devotions with the purpose of gaining wisdom 

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The time spent strengthening your spirit on the inside and privately will become evident in outward ways.

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Reading the Bible everyday and to spend more time than I do now. -Midiewe

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...understand that I can't be perfect and that self-improvement takes time and effort

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Devote time to God everyday.

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Putting aside quiet time to focus on God's words

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You will apply the wisdom you gain now, in the future when things can get hard.

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Use the best time of my day to glean wisdom from the Bible.

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Take more moments out of my day to be with the word of God. To not skip days and to make it a habit to spend an hour or minute or even seconds with the word of God.

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The Bible is a book that consists of every mistake

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To meditate on the insights from my devotions so that I would remember when I need it.

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Approach God's Word with a different attitude-- how he valued that old book he copies page by page.

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I am challenged to spend more time in God’s word and spend more time sharing what I’m learning with others.

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Carve out undisturbed time to read the bible when i'm at my best. Probably in the evening with a cup of coffee :)

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When doing devotions or reading the Bible, pay attention and grab onto those verses that pop out to me

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I'm challenged to "build dexterity and muscle memory" through studying God's word each day. To not just read it passively but to really try to hear what God is saying to me each day. Need to have the spirit of Mary who chose to sit at Jesus' feet.

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I liked this verse from Proverbs 1: Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,

The part about hearing and INCREASING in knowledge ... That's how knowledge and wisdom work; the more you are willing to hear, the more you will increase in it. So it's not really a question about how smart you are; it's about how willing you are to heed to wisdom and instruction. And that's something I wish I learned much younger, because the folly of youth is that we think we know everything! (i.e. "blah blah, yea Mom!"). So I'm challenged to be a person who has the willingness to heed to wisdom (from God's Word; older ones), so that it can increase in my life!

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Proverbs 1: 20-22 talks about wisdom crying aloud in the street, marketplaces, head of the noisy streets and even at the entrance of the city gates...yet, noone pay attention to her because the people were too busy being occupied by their daily tasks, responsibilities or perhaps distracted by various passions and desires. "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?" It's not that God is withholding good, wisdom, guidance and His attention to us. Sometimes, we just need a quick pause to remind ourselves that God is with us and He wants our attention too. Wisdom cannot enter our lives when our lives is already filled with other things. Thankful for today's devotion!

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v.20 "Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks..."

Wisdom is personified as a woman crying aloud in a busy market. If you think of a marketplace it is busy with many competing nosies--different vendors calling out to you asking you to buy this and that, music, people's chattering, cars, children playing.  In this mix of noise is the voice of wisdom competing with the rest of the voices. So in one sense it is available to all. It's there, but in order to hear it you need to learn how to drown out the competing voices and strain to listen.

What an apt analogy to the wisdom from God. It's available to all. God wants us to hear it. God's wisdom is crying aloud to us, but what gets in the way of us receiving God's wisdom are the many competing voices. doesn't even have to be sinful voices...just things we need to do, entertainment, different hobbies or interests...

In light of last night's message on the word of God, I need to increase my craving for God's word. First step is just hearing it. To say ok, this time belongs to God and I'm going to make that effort to cancel out the competing voices so I can hear His.

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^ i attached a neat audio reading of Proverbs 1!

"to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—" (v.4)
A target audience of wisdom are young people, like us. I think it's really true that the younger we are, the more we just need wisdom. So, it's best to look for it now than later! I'm thankful for the different ways God placed people and messages in my life as they spoke wisdom to me during my college career, saving my many bones from breaking!

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Verses 32-33 stood out to me in that it clearly shows the difference in outcome that one's life could take.

"For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

On one end the path leads to calamity and disaster, and on the other the path leads to security and ease. The difference between these two paths is wisdom. The simple and foolish ignore this, turning to their own ways and refusing to listen to wisdom and instruction, and as a result it leads to their ruin. However, it is those who listen who are wise and do not have to fear disaster. In other words, it is our choice of whether or not we listen or seek out wisdom, and we have the opportunity each day to do this.

I am thankful that we get to read passages like this together because even by just choosing to read in God's Word daily we are choosing the path that leads to obtaining wisdom!

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Verse 7 stuck out to me today! "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction"
I found it so interesting that to even begin to have knowledge, the fear of the Lord is needed. It's so true because I find that the times when I don't fear the Lord and base my actions off my OWN wisdom, I end up doing something pretty foolish. Reminded to fear the Lord today!

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Proverbs 1:7, :28-29
It says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.”
Those verses spoke out to me because it’s a reminder that foundation of wisdom is fearing God. I was confused on what it meant to fear God but after doing some research, it means to have a proper reverence, that we owe to God. Meaning: -an affectionate relationship with God and is careful with God’s laws
-submission to God (worshipping and and doing God’s will)
-Giving God the respect that he deserves
If you think of it, all the knowledge we know comes from him, so it makes sense for to obtain wisdom, you have to get it from the source of wisdom (God) and respect him.
Looking at verses 28-29 I think it shows a character of God (Him giving us free will) we have the choice to chose if we want wisdom  from Him/dwell in his presence, but just because people reject God’s wisdom does not give them the right to be entitled? (Ex: I give you some life advice, but you reject it, and because things didn’t turn out the way you want it to turn out doesn’t make me responsible to clean up your mess or for what happened.) also if you think of it, if you reject to respect God, you reject his wisdom because He’s the source of wisdom. So many Christian yearn for wisdom, but they want to do things by their self. Submitting to God can be hard for people, or people don’t submit at all. So it makes me question, am I really giving God the proper respect he deserves. sorry for this being long…thanks for listening to my ted talk, lol.

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I liked v. 5 (Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance), it's a contrast to the fool who ignores wisdom. Like what the preacher said yesterday, we can gain wisdom from others. This reminds me to be quick to not only listen and learn. Be able to act upon what others taught me. Be guided by their wisdom!

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"But whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."
I liked this verse because it gives me reassurance that my faith is not in vain. When you gain wisdom through God, you are protected. I also think that fear of the Lord may not be pure terror but is actually the type of fear you feel towards your parent. You respect and honor your parent and take strong heed to what they say. This is why God is referred to as our Father.

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What stood out to me was Proverbs 1: 5-6. I saw the importance of Hearing > Understanding. We first need to hear God speaking to us, and this can come through times of reading his word (like the time we are committing to this week), and wrestling with what it means, AND how we can apply its teachings to our lives. This guidance that this verse talks about is similar to the example we heard yesterday that Gods word is the plum line to our lives.

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I learned more about applying wisdom to my life and becoming more open to learning from others and listening to others idead

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A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

This is the call for every Christian: to make a way for the Lord. My prayer for each of us as we enter college is that we would see God's plans for us more than our own. He's all about SAVING PEOPLE! ... the problem is we're usually about our homework, career, bf/gf drama, getting $, etc. So let's obey God's Word by being people who make a way for the Lord into people's lives!

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A voice calling out .... God loves you~!

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He hold everything in his hands and controls everything, what a mighty God we serve🙌🏽

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“13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?”

These two verses spoke out to me because I feel like sometimes, us Christians, even me myself forget the God we serve. We serve an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God. When things don’t go our way, we either complain or try to do things by ourselves because we don’t see the bigger picture or we don’t like how God is doing it. His ways is higher than ours and so our His thoughts. So who are we to tell God what should have been done instead? He knows what He’s doing. It also shows how powerful God is, He don’t need our help in anything or anyone. We serve a big and powerful God!

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Isaiah 40:28-31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;h they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

These verses remind me that God is great! It's obvious, but we oftentimes forget. When we forget we might only rely on ourselves or on wrong things, so God is reminding us to turn to Him for help. I'm sure this upcoming year will come with a lot trials, but instead of fearing those situations, we can turn to Him through His word, prayer, and the church!

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"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her warfare[a] is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
Context: Israel rebelled against God and is in now exile. God is promising to redeem the nation after losing their homeland, culture and being subject to another nation. There must be a lot of grief amongst the people. I like this verse because it shows God's tender heart towards a people who rejected Him. Even though they hurt God, He feels compassion for them and wants to comfort and relieve them. There is a lot of hope with these verses because it lets us know that God's heart is for us and that He approaches us with mercy, even as we sin against Him.
Through the COVID year, a lot of us went through a lot of low points. I'm encouraged to turn to God and look to Him for comfort. He promises to renew our strength and mount up on eagles wings. (v.29-31)

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Verse 8 "The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever."
This verse stood out to me because it contrasts earthly things (including our own lives) with God and His Word. In the verses before, humankind is considered to be like grass that withers, and its beauty (youth, constancy) is like the flower that fades. Even though nothing, even youth, is truly constant in life, it comforts me to have this reminder that the word of God will always remain the same. We can always trust in and lean on His Word through all the ups and downs of life because we have the assurance that it will stand forever.

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What stood out to me was Proverbs 1:22-27 and Proverbs 1:32. They both kind of say the same thing. We can't be complacent and expect that the knowledge we currently have will successfully carry us to where we need to go. We have to keep becoming wiser to move forward. If we stay still, problems will start to arise. Being stagnant will prevent us from seeing what God wants us to see.

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Isaiah 40:2-4 ~ "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain...'"

These verse remind me that Isaiah was a prophet. I don't know for sure if he's talking about Jesus, but it sure could be interpreted that way. How else could the sins of Israel be paid for? It even talks about making a way for the Lord in a desert. This reminds me of the 40 days Jesus spent preparing His ministry. Verse 4 makes me think of when Jesus was tempted by the devil. This is probably a false equivalency, but having every valley raised up and every mountain/hill made low sounds like being offered control of the entire earth. I only bring that up because I think it foreshadows some of the New Testament's events.

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29 He gives strength

⁽CM⁾ to the weary⁽CN⁾
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men⁽CO⁾ stumble and fall;⁽CP⁾

31 but those who hope

⁽CQ⁾ in the Lord
will renew their strength.⁽CR)

I liked this chapter because it takes the time to show God’s power and individuality. He is so great and no one can be compared to him. He is the king of kings and lord or lords. It’s powerful to hear and allows me to fully trust in him and take the previous verse to heart. He is mighty and he will give us strength when we fall down.

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In this chapter what stood out to me most were verses 31-33 because of the forwardness of the message in these verses. In the verses leading up to v. 31-33 Wisdom(possibly a personification of God’s wisdom because of the capitalization?) is essentially crying out for those who are near to seek her, but when they deny the conclusion is made in v.31-33 that they will be forced to eat the fruit of their ways for allowing complacency in wickedness to consume them, essentially reaping what they have sown. This can serve as a reminder to those who are Christians that allowing complacency and foolishness to distract you from your purpose in Christ can lead to unfortunate consequences.

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“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:12-14‬ ‭

These verses really jumped out to me because in this time of transition I have been experiencing anxiety about what’s coming next and even doubting God in the sense of doubting myself and wondering why he chose me to fulfill the purpose has shown me, but these verses just show a fraction of the awesome power that God holds. Specifically, v. 14 which really spoke to me because God knows what He is doing at all times, He has never needed teaching or counsel because His ways are without fault so there is no reason to doubt myself or the plans/path that he has set before me because of the power that works within me through His spirit.

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32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions

I like these verses because it shows that even though these men did big things in God’s name, they also fell short (David and his affair, Samson and Delilah, Gideon doubting God), they still had great faith in God. Also that you don’t have to be perfect for God to acknowledge your faith. Also it was because of their faith in God, they were able to do these mighty feats. It reminds me of that verse that says if you have faith that is the size of a mustard seed, you can tell that mountain to move from here to there and it will move. A mustard seed is small, so it’s not like God is asking for your faith to be very big, and it seems better to have faith and not believe at all.

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The verses that really stuck with me were proverbs 1:11-16 "If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—
15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood."
This is my first year of college and it is very important to choose my friends wisely. Some students will shout, "come and drink, lie, and steal. Come distract yourself from your worries and fears." These are the people that God does not want me to go along with. I need to surround myself with a support group that would help me grow in my faith. I will go toward the ones that shout, "come read the Bible with me. Let's pray about our worries and our fears."

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Isaiah 40: 25-26
"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

It is easy to be stuck it this world. Sometime you feel like the main character and sometimes choose to not think about God because "your world" seems fine. God is to be known and praised all the time, not pushed under the rug. I notice that I have a problem with this sometimes. I get to a good place in my life with sports, grades, and family and I forget to praise God or let Him into my everyday life. It is the times where I look up to the stars and take a deep breath. I notice that I am very small compared to this world that God has created. He is the Lord that holds all control, not me.

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What stood out in these chapters most to me was the emphasis on faith and the fact that God is always looking out for out best interest. As defined by Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In the verses after that examples of faith from through the Word are listed and the common factor of each example is that God remained faithful to His promises and He always keeps the best interest of those that He loves. This emphasis on faith is something that is very important in these times as the world seems to be becoming more and more of an uncertain and turbulent place. Faith is necessary to remain grounded because although we may not be able to see God the evidence of His sovereignty and love surrounds us through  creation, His promises, His word, other believers, etc.

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These all died in faith not having received the things promised but having seen them and greeted from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on this earth.

The aspect of obeying without receiving the actual rewards is challenging to me because I am by nature someone who wants immediate rewards. i want to see that my inputs equals my outputs. but for the people of faith they didn't even expect that reward. Hebrews 11 says that, "They desired a better country that is a heavenly one. therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared for them a city." I am challenged to imitate their faith as well, to be faithful not so that i can receive some reward but because i know that this will please God and my reward will come in heaven.

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We see the words "by faith" very often throughout chapter 11. By faith people can do the near-impossible and overcome many hardships. I believe that God likes "impossible" scenarios just so that He can show the world that He is greater that what we can imagine. He allowed Sarah to give birth at an old age, He split the red sea for moses to come through, and He even rose people from the dead. God humors us and shows us time and time again that nothing is impossible through Him.
There have been many times where I pray for one thing and honestly believe that the opposite will happen. I had more faith that God would not listen to me and that's where a lot of people's problems start: the lack of faith. I hope I grow more into my faith with the help of God and all of you

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I think the point of Hebrews 11 is to illustrate how we won't always see the fruits of our labor. Abraham was promised to have descendants as plentiful as sand grains and stars. He had to live a faithful life for this to happen, yet he never got the satisfaction of seeing the results of God's promise. In Hebrews 12, my takeaway is that discipline should be seen as good and not bad. God uses it to shape us into better people, so it's for our good in the end.

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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
What this teaches me is that apart from the Lord, I will always be in want. And I've experienced that in my life ... when I chased after things in the world like romance, ambition, money, it always left me wanting. It doesn't matter how much you get, you always feel like you need more! But "in the Lord", I've experienced always having enough.

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death you are with me...

This familiar and beloved Psalm tenderly describes our God as that Good Shepherd who is with us; Jesus appropriately named, Emmanuel, "God with us." He is with us not only in the good times but in the bad.
Some other verses that describe this aspect of God:

Joshua 1:5
I will never leave you or forsake you

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:2-3

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

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“1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”

What I got from this verse is that throughout the Bible, and the analogy of God being a shepherd, it shows that God always provides. Throughout the verse it also shows what God does  to take care of you. He’ll protect you, feed you, know when you need to rest, guides you and restore you. He’ll even leave the 99 to go find you! Everything we need we can find in him, so you don’t even need to find it somewhere else.

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Whenever I read this chapter, I feel challenged by the phrase "I shall not want". The psalmist says that he doesn't want because God is His shepherd. Such contentment with the Lord! Oftentimes we are tempted to think that we need more, like a lot of money, fame, or power. We might be tricked to think that those things will help us feel secured and set for life. But I'm reminded from Psalm 23 that God is enough. He's my good shepherd that will provide food, shelter, and water for me. Afterall, if God can create the universe, He can provide for me!

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“5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
“13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.“

After reading these verses, it shows that the battle field is in the mind. Against Holy Spirit and the flesh. The way I see it is that since the flesh does not submit to God, in the case of our Christian walk, this can only happen when we’re not spending time with God, fell into temptation, and also just the nature of it, we’re in our flesh. The Bible is our daily bread, it’s food for our spirit, same thing with worshiping, fasting, and listening to a sermon, you’re spending time with God/feeding your spirit. Now, when we don’t do these things, we’re starving our spirit and it’s easier for the flesh to take over. It is fact that sin does leads us farther from God, the wages of sin is death. If we keep our mind on worldly things and only consume stuff of the world, that could lead us further from God, to the point that we can’t hear his voice and we’ll have an empty void inside of us (God is all we need). If we put our mind towards the will of God and align with his will, then we’ll have peace in our hearts knowing that we’re doing God’s work and because of that He’ll be pleased and knowing that His child. Also, being spirit lead does not only mean that you do the work of God, Holy Spirit ask leads by bringing us to repentance, lead us in truth, love, holiness and being useful!

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v.1 -- one of my favs: now there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus. Before I was a Christian, I felt condemned. I felt like God was disappointed with me; that I could never really do right. Those feelings can be replaced with faith. Faith in what? That in Christ - because of his complete and final sacrifice and death on the cross - I am no longer condemned. I am righteous in the eyes of God. Perfect and beloeved!

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“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.“

This is the verse that helps me with my anxiety the most. Even when times seem rough, I am not afraid because Jesus is by my side. I will not fear death itself because Jesus is with me.

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“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires;⁽M⁾ but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires“

I found this interesting because it is sometimes hard to differentiate between your flesh desires and your spirit desires. But, what’s important is that the Holy Spirit is in you. You will know the difference and you will prioritize your spirit desires.

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I reflected on verses 31-38. These set of passages are always encouraging to me. I'm naturally and cynical person and easily fall into my shame storm. But I am reminded that even in my worst moments, Jesus is willing to forgive me. His love won't separate me! After all, He died on the cross for my sin.

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What I got from this short chapter was that God is with us no matter what. This is one of those concepts that is talked about a lot in the Christian community, so it's hard to truly understand what it means. This and Jesus' sacrifice are talked about so much that the meaning is somewhat reduced. I think once you go through something tough, you gain a greater level of respect for God's faithfulness.

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18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

My takeaway from this is that nothing worth having comes easily. Our reward in heaven is so great that we have to suffer at different times on earth. We see who we really are during our trials, and this is where we can point out the areas in which we can improve. If we keep our hearts focused on the Spirit, we can be freed from our suffering.