31 Days of Proverbs Bible Study Challenge
Photo by Brody Childs on Unsplash
A word to the wise… We’ve all heard our sayings, mottos, and words we live by. Don’t spit into the wind. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. A penny saved is a penny earned. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Don’t take any wooden nickels. Some of these make more sense than others, and some made sense at one point but no longer do. Whether it is a saying from the Analects of Confucius, Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin, or old Aunt so-and-so, these aphorisms, or simple sayings of the wise, give us pause and offer us guidance on how to navigate through life’s uncertainties.
The Bible has several books that are known as “Wisdom Literature,” of which the book of Proverbs is the most well-known. In it, several authors such as King Solomon, King Lemuel, and others offer the wisdom of their own experience, collected over the years and compiled into 31 chapters.
31 chapters. 31 days in the month of May.
I’m no mathematician, but I see a corollary there that I’d like us to consider. What might we learn and discover about wisdom, about God, about ourselves, about life, if we took some time each day to read and reflect on one chapter of the book of Proverbs? Will you take part in our 31 day Proverbs challenge?
I’ve asked Dr. Drew Harvey, pastor in residence at Trinity UMC, to write up a daily reflection on a selected proverb or passage from each chapter of Proverbs, and I would like to invite you to do the same. Drew will post these daily reflections on Trinity’s Facebook page and on our website, and I encourage you to not only read his reflections, but to also read a chapter a day from Proverbs yourself, and to write up your own brief reflection on what stands out to you. You can post your own reflections in the comment section of Drew’s posts.
Together, we can learn and grow in the wisdom of God, and perhaps we can truly live by the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge the LORD, and the LORD will make your paths straight.”
Look for the first post on Friday, May 1st, and plan to read Proverbs 1 that day and reflect on these words of the wise!
Pastor Jeff
