Church of Christ, Seremban

“...the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 3:15
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PROVERBS series... 1. Proverbs: A Brief Introduction 2. Doing What Is Right, Just and Fair 3. Love, Faithfulness and Trust 4. Woman Wisdom vs. Woman Folly 5. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 1) 6. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 2) 7. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 3) 8. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 4) 9. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 5) ESCHATOLOGY series... 1. Christian Eschatology 2. Realized Eschatology 3. When Did Christ Establish His Covenant? 4. When Was the Book of Revelation Written? 5. What and When Is the Resurrection? 6. New Heaven and New Earth and the Second Coming 7. A Summary Chart Comparing Realized Eschatology with Biblical Eschatology HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE series... 1. The Bible: A Brief Introduction 2. Revelation Communicated 3. The Canon and Text of the Old Testament 4. The Canon and Text of the New Testament 5. Obtaining the Text of the Bible 6. Inspiration and Canonicity 7. The English Bible Prior to the KJV 8. The English Bible: The KJV to the Present	PROVERBS: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS (Week 5) by Ong Kok Bin* (*unless indicated otherwise) Week 5, Day 1 Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. Over and over again in Proverbs, the wisdom teacher in the guise of the father figure instructs ‘the son’ to ‘get wisdom’. He never tires of it, for in his esteem, wisdom and understanding are the keys to a good, moral and upright life. ‘Wisdom is sweet to your soul,’ he says, ‘if you find it, there is a future hope for you’ (24:14). Naturally, wisdom is an intimate kin of truth. Truth is pure and wholesome, devoid of falsehood, lies and other forms of evil. The wise and upright person always stands for and acts on truth. He has no malice, no scheming in his ways. He loves the word of God because God’s word is flawless (30:5). It is the truth. And it sanctifies (Jn. 17:17). Prayer Thought: ‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.’ (John 15:3-4a) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 2 Proverbs 22:11 He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. A pure heart is the highest attribute a person can have. Everything else follows and flows from it. To be pure is to be unadulterated, without even a hint of a taint or a scandal. Of course, no one (except for one) is pure in the strict sense of the word. We may say such-and-such is a pure woman; but this is only relative. Of the many persons we know, she is purer than the rest. Or she conducts herself more upright. She is gentler, kinder and more gracious. But still, she has her own shades and shapes of skeletons. Pure in heart is purity in thought, in word and in deed. Thought is hidden and can still remain hidden in outer action. But all too often, a person’s speech will betray or reveal the inner hidden thoughts. We may be guarded in our actions but we may be a little too loose in our speech (see James 3:3ff.). Speech that is gracious comes from a wellspring of purity. Prayer Thought: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ (Matthew 5:8) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 3 Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and therefore, flawless. It is not only flawless in its veracity; but, flawless too in its dependability - as the second part of the proverb suggests to us. We can go to God for refuge and be confident that we are safe in his sanctuary. God’s word is unlike any human word. Human words are never always true and can only be accepted with some degree of reservation. There is always the possibility of an untruth, a misrepresentation, a promise not made good. But that is not the way with the word of God. ‘It is impossible for God to lie’ (Heb. 6:18). And thus, when God promised us the gift of life eternal through his Son Jesus Christ, we can be assured that we will enjoy eternity with him at the appointed time (see also Titus 1:2-3). Prayer Thought: ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, safe and secure.’ (Hebrews 6:19a) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 4 Proverbs 30:7-8 Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. What will we ask of God? Solomon asked for wisdom. Agur the son of Jakeh asked for truth and daily sustenance. Is there any thing more that we can ask? Agur’s rationale for neither riches nor poverty is praiseworthy and worthy of our emulation too. He does not want riches because he is afraid that he will become proud and deny God. He does not want to be poor either because poverty will turn him into a thief and this will bring dishonour to God (see 30:9). In asking as he had asked, Agur showed us the way of faith and humility before God. Prayer Thought: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?’ (Matthew 6:25) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 5 Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. This one thing I can be certain: many a man will pay lip service to this proverb. They may approve of it; but they will disregard it nevertheless. Charm and beauty are too attractive and desirable to be denied their pull on man. Many will admit that character is important - that inner beauty is superior to outer beauty. Yet when the crunch comes, many will forsake inner beauty for outward charm. This is the weakness and folly of man. A prudent man will be more discerning in how he chooses his partner for life. He does not only look for appearances, compatibility and ability but he also takes in the spiritual factor as well. He will want to have a woman who loves and worships God, who not only is able to look after his physical needs but is also able to be his spiritual partner in his journey to eternity. Prayer Thought: ‘A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.’ (Proverbs 31:10) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 6 Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. One of the very strong messages that have come out of the Old Testament (in particular, the Prophets and Proverbs) is that the poor and needy and the powerless have their rights too - not any lesser but coequal with the rich and the powerful. There is always the tendency for those who have to overpower those who have not with their power and wealth - even to the point of snatching what little that the have-nots have in their possession. This is the callous greed of man. God does not and will not stand for such callous greed. His message to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah still rings loud and clear today: ‘Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice’ (Isa. 1:16c-17a). Prayer Thought: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ (James 1:27) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 7 Proverbs 30:24-28 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces. What can we learn from these four small but wise creatures? From the ants - diligence and consistency; from the coneys - tenacity and resoluteness; from the locusts - unity and orderliness; and from the lizards - no matter how humble we are, we still have our place under the sun: God still loves us. Prayer Thought: ‘The proverbs of Solomon ... for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.’ (Proverbs 1:1-3) ___________________________________________________________________ < prev \| next >
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“...the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 3:15
	\| Home \| About Us \| Archive \| Articles \| Comment \| Directory/Churches \| Links \| News \| Youth \|
PROVERBS series... 1. Proverbs: A Brief Introduction 2. Doing What Is Right, Just and Fair 3. Love, Faithfulness and Trust 4. Woman Wisdom vs. Woman Folly 5. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 1) 6. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 2) 7. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 3) 8. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 4) 9. Devotional Thoughts on Proverbs (Week 5) ESCHATOLOGY series... 1. Christian Eschatology 2. Realized Eschatology 3. When Did Christ Establish His Covenant? 4. When Was the Book of Revelation Written? 5. What and When Is the Resurrection? 6. New Heaven and New Earth and the Second Coming 7. A Summary Chart Comparing Realized Eschatology with Biblical Eschatology HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE series... 1. The Bible: A Brief Introduction 2. Revelation Communicated 3. The Canon and Text of the Old Testament 4. The Canon and Text of the New Testament 5. Obtaining the Text of the Bible 6. Inspiration and Canonicity 7. The English Bible Prior to the KJV 8. The English Bible: The KJV to the Present	PROVERBS: DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS (Week 5) by Ong Kok Bin* (*unless indicated otherwise) Week 5, Day 1 Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. Over and over again in Proverbs, the wisdom teacher in the guise of the father figure instructs ‘the son’ to ‘get wisdom’. He never tires of it, for in his esteem, wisdom and understanding are the keys to a good, moral and upright life. ‘Wisdom is sweet to your soul,’ he says, ‘if you find it, there is a future hope for you’ (24:14). Naturally, wisdom is an intimate kin of truth. Truth is pure and wholesome, devoid of falsehood, lies and other forms of evil. The wise and upright person always stands for and acts on truth. He has no malice, no scheming in his ways. He loves the word of God because God’s word is flawless (30:5). It is the truth. And it sanctifies (Jn. 17:17). Prayer Thought: ‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.’ (John 15:3-4a) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 2 Proverbs 22:11 He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. A pure heart is the highest attribute a person can have. Everything else follows and flows from it. To be pure is to be unadulterated, without even a hint of a taint or a scandal. Of course, no one (except for one) is pure in the strict sense of the word. We may say such-and-such is a pure woman; but this is only relative. Of the many persons we know, she is purer than the rest. Or she conducts herself more upright. She is gentler, kinder and more gracious. But still, she has her own shades and shapes of skeletons. Pure in heart is purity in thought, in word and in deed. Thought is hidden and can still remain hidden in outer action. But all too often, a person’s speech will betray or reveal the inner hidden thoughts. We may be guarded in our actions but we may be a little too loose in our speech (see James 3:3ff.). Speech that is gracious comes from a wellspring of purity. Prayer Thought: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ (Matthew 5:8) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 3 Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and therefore, flawless. It is not only flawless in its veracity; but, flawless too in its dependability - as the second part of the proverb suggests to us. We can go to God for refuge and be confident that we are safe in his sanctuary. God’s word is unlike any human word. Human words are never always true and can only be accepted with some degree of reservation. There is always the possibility of an untruth, a misrepresentation, a promise not made good. But that is not the way with the word of God. ‘It is impossible for God to lie’ (Heb. 6:18). And thus, when God promised us the gift of life eternal through his Son Jesus Christ, we can be assured that we will enjoy eternity with him at the appointed time (see also Titus 1:2-3). Prayer Thought: ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, safe and secure.’ (Hebrews 6:19a) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 4 Proverbs 30:7-8 Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. What will we ask of God? Solomon asked for wisdom. Agur the son of Jakeh asked for truth and daily sustenance. Is there any thing more that we can ask? Agur’s rationale for neither riches nor poverty is praiseworthy and worthy of our emulation too. He does not want riches because he is afraid that he will become proud and deny God. He does not want to be poor either because poverty will turn him into a thief and this will bring dishonour to God (see 30:9). In asking as he had asked, Agur showed us the way of faith and humility before God. Prayer Thought: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?’ (Matthew 6:25) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 5 Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. This one thing I can be certain: many a man will pay lip service to this proverb. They may approve of it; but they will disregard it nevertheless. Charm and beauty are too attractive and desirable to be denied their pull on man. Many will admit that character is important - that inner beauty is superior to outer beauty. Yet when the crunch comes, many will forsake inner beauty for outward charm. This is the weakness and folly of man. A prudent man will be more discerning in how he chooses his partner for life. He does not only look for appearances, compatibility and ability but he also takes in the spiritual factor as well. He will want to have a woman who loves and worships God, who not only is able to look after his physical needs but is also able to be his spiritual partner in his journey to eternity. Prayer Thought: ‘A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.’ (Proverbs 31:10) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 6 Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. One of the very strong messages that have come out of the Old Testament (in particular, the Prophets and Proverbs) is that the poor and needy and the powerless have their rights too - not any lesser but coequal with the rich and the powerful. There is always the tendency for those who have to overpower those who have not with their power and wealth - even to the point of snatching what little that the have-nots have in their possession. This is the callous greed of man. God does not and will not stand for such callous greed. His message to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah still rings loud and clear today: ‘Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice’ (Isa. 1:16c-17a). Prayer Thought: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ (James 1:27) ___________________________________________________________________ Week 5, Day 7 Proverbs 30:24-28 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces. What can we learn from these four small but wise creatures? From the ants - diligence and consistency; from the coneys - tenacity and resoluteness; from the locusts - unity and orderliness; and from the lizards - no matter how humble we are, we still have our place under the sun: God still loves us. Prayer Thought: ‘The proverbs of Solomon ... for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.’ (Proverbs 1:1-3) ___________________________________________________________________ < prev \| next >
\| Home \| About Us \| Archive \| Articles \| Comment \| Directory/Churches \| Links \| News \| Youth \| _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this page may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission, oral or written, from the Church of Christ, Seremban, Malaysia.