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A Manual for Living Stupid is as stupid does.
William Bennett was the Secretary of Education during the Reagan-Bush years. He said: "We live in an era that almost seems dedicated to the corruption of the young, to assuring the loss of children’s innocence before their time. Since 1960, there has been more than a 500% increase in violent crime, more than a 400% increase in out of wedlock births, tripling • of the percentage of children • living in single parent homes, • tripling of the teenage suicide • rate, doubling of the divorce • rate, a drop of almost 75 points • in the SAT scores of our • students.”
Chuck Colson stated in his radio program “Turning Point”— “America has moved away from a moral spiritual foundation, we have now at the end of the 20th century, for the first time raised an entire generation of young people who have no conscience because their parents have no sense • of morality of right and • wrong. Since the parents • had nothing, they had • nothing to pass along to • their teenagers.”
Newsweek calls this the “age of enlightenment skepticism,” where it’s OK for you, but not OK for me; it’s right for you, but not right for me; wrong for you, but not wrong for me; you’ve got your way and I’ve got my way. There are no standards of absolute right and wrong. But if there are no absolute standards, • then dishonesty is just as good as • honesty and hatred is just as good • as compassion and laziness is just • as good as hard work. That’s what • happens to a society that loses the • concept of what’s right and what’s • wrong.
For a world that has lost its way, God wrote a book, called Proverbs, to bring us back. Practical, down to earth teaching about what is right and what is wrong, and how we ought to treat people and how we ought to live, how our behavior • ought to be • different if we • call ourselves a • believer in Jesus • Christ.
The Book of Proverbs was written 3000 years ago, and it speaks to us today. It is practical, down to earth, timeless, and relevant. • What is a proverb? • Proverbs are principles not absolutes. It is a collection of wise sayings & good advice for daily living--, a “short sentence founded upon long experience.”
All of us carry with us the collective wisdom passed on to us by the people who’ve been most significant in our lives. Right or wrong, we’ve picked this wisdom up from parents, friends, teachers, leaders, relatives, barbers, and just about everybody … all the people who shaped and molded us as we were growing up. Some of this wisdom has been valuable and some, not so much.
The early bird may catch the worm, but the second mouse…gets the cheese.
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.
It’s all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.
It isn’t difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill -- just add a little dirt.
The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.
The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.
You’ll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.
Some of the wisdom passed down to us, led us in the wrong direction. • Look out for number one. • If it feels good, do it. • Image is Everything •Shop ‘till You Drop •Rules are Made to be Broken •Live and Let Live
Because of all of the confusing information in this world, God gives a book that tells us how to live godly in an ungodly world. He teaches us skills for living.
1I, Solomon, David’s son and Israel’s king, pass on to you these proverbs—a treasury of wisdom—
There are a number of individuals who contributed to the Book of Proverbs, “Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel” is listed as the one responsible for the compilation and structure of Proverbs. Others whose writings appear in Proverbs include Agur (30), Lemuel(31), and • advisors to King • Hezekiah of Judah (25-29). • Solomon is believed to • have authored • the section from 1-24.
We know that God gave Solomon great wisdom. But we have to wonder, how much wisdom Solomon exhibited as he had 700 wives & 300 concubines....& 1000 mother-in-laws!!!
What is the • Purpose of Proverbs?
2So that you would recognize wisdomand • value discipline; that you would understand insightful teaching • 3And receive wise guidance to live a disciplined life; that you would seek justiceand have the ability to choose what is right and fair.
We need discernment: • To improve efficiency, a company hired a consultant, who called a meeting of all shop personnel. Stressing the need to listen to experts, he said, "Imagine you're on the Titanic, and it's sinking. You climb into a lifeboat. Which • direction would • you row?"
Then he asked, "What if you had the ship's navigator with you? Now which way would you go? You'd row the way the navigator told you to, right?"There were murmurs of agreement until a guy in the back piped up, "Well, I don't know. He's • already hit one • iceberg!“You need • discernment • concerning whom • you'll take advise.
We need wisdom in our problem solving. • A small town had three churches: Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist. All three had a serious problem with squirrels in the church. Each church in its own fashion had a meeting to deal with the • problem. The Presbyterians • decided that it was predestined • that squirrels be in the church • and that they would just have to • live with them.
The Methodists decided they should deal with the squirrels lovingly in the style of Charles Wesley. They humanely trapped them and released them in a park at the edge of town. Within 3 days, they were all back in the church.The Baptists had the best • solution. They voted the • squirrels in as members. Now • they only see them at • Christmas and Easter.
Since the purpose of the Proverbs is that we might know WISDOM. This brings us to the question-- What is wisdom and • how do we acquire it? • 7Fear of the Lordis the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. • Most Bible teachers view this verse as the motto or theme of the entire book of Proverbs.
910Fear of the Lordis the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. • 813All who fear the Lordwill hate evil.Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,corruption and perverse speech. • 1533Fear-of-Godis a school in skilled living—first you learn humility, then you experience glory.
What does it mean to “fear God?” • 1. It is not cringing terror. It is respecting God for who he is. The fear of the Lord is to bow the knee before Almighty God and acknowledge that he made the world and that it runs according to his plan. • 2. It is an affectionate awe & reverence that results in humbly bowing to the Father's will. • 3. Submission. It is a desire not to sin against Him because His wrath is so awful and His love is so awesome.4. "Fear" also includes a correct relationship with Yahweh.
Wisdom comes from God, not from education, experience, or age. • Proverbs 2:6-7 “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.7He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.”
Wisdom comes from God, . • An imbecile man decides one day that he is sick and tired of people calling him stupid, so he decides to show his wife that he is really smart. While his wife is off at work, he decides that he is going to paint a couple of rooms in the house. The next day, right after his wife leaves for work, he gets down to the task at hand. His wife arrives home at 5:30 and smells the distinctive smell of paint. She walks into the living room and • finds her husband lying on the floor • in a pool of sweat. She notices that he • is wearing a ski jacket and a fur coat • at the same time. She rushes over and • says, “Honey, are you all right?” He • slowly nods his head yes.
“What are you doing?” she asks incredulously. “I wanted to prove that I’m not so dumb,” he started, “and I wanted to do it by painting the house.” “Well why do you have both a • ski jacket and a fur coat on?” • she asks dumbfounded. “Well,” he says, “I was • reading the directions on the • paint can and it said: For best • results, put on two coats.”
Acquiring wisdom means boldly asking God. James 1:5— “If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.”We can also pursue wisdom by reading the Bible.
Another way we pursue wisdom is by developing the art of observation. • A person is walking along the road and he notices the yard of a lazy person. He notices that the yard is overgrown with weeds, that the walls around the yard are broken down and in need of repair. “A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you • know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to • a dirt-poor life,with poverty as your • permanent houseguest!” • Observe the world • around you, watch how • people respond, what • kind of consequences • come from certain • actions.
At Disneyland almost all the rides and attractions have a hidden set of Mickey mouse ears somewhere in the attraction. This was the designers’ way of putting Walt Disney’s thumbprint on every attraction. Yet if you don’t know about the hidden Mickey ears ahead of time, you don’t see them. But once you know about them, • you start looking, and then • you start seeing the hidden • Mickey ears everywhere.
Like hidden Mickey mouse ears on every Disneyland attraction, all of God’s creation has within it the fingerprint of God’s wisdom. Once you know that, you can start to see that wisdom simply by looking at the world around you.
Who was Proverbs • Written for?
4 -6A manual for living, for learning what’s • right and just and fair; To teach the • inexperiencedthe ropes and give our • young people a grasp on reality. There’s • something here also for seasoned men and • women, still a thing or two for the • experienced to learn—Fresh wisdom to • probe and penetrate, the rhymes and • reasons of wise men and women.
In its original context, Proverbs is practical wisdom passed down from parents (especially fathers) to young men who are preparing to enter a life of adult responsibilities: family, business, community leadership, and so on. A parenting strategy as moms and dads tried to equip their children to live God centered, successful lives.
A Texas judge on Tuesday sentenced a wealthy 16-year-old boy to 10 years of probation for a horrific drunken driving crash that killed four people and seriously injured two others this summer.
Prior to sentencing, a psychologist called by the defense, Dr. G. Dick Miller, testified that Ethan’s life could be salvaged with one to two years' treatment and no contact with his parents. ... Miller said Couch's parents gave him "freedoms no young person should have." He called Couch a product of "affluenza," • where his family felt that • wealth bought privilege • and there was no rational • link between behavior and • consequences and he was • unable to understand right • from wrong.
According to police, Couch was going 70 miles-per-hour in his father's Ford F-350 pickup in a 40 mph zone when he lost control and started a deadly chain of collisions that claimed the • lives of four • and seriously • injuring two • of the seven • passengers • riding in his • truck.
Earlier in the night, police say that several of the passengers were caught on camera stealing two cases of beer from a local Walmart. At the time of the crash, Couch had a blood alcohol • content of 0.24, • three times the • legal limit for • an adult, and • also had traces • of Valium in • his system.
8 So, my son, pay attention to your father’s guidance, and do not ignore what your mother taught you—9 Wear their wisdom as a badge of honor and maturity, as fine jewelry around your neck.
Let’s look at some “mommy” words of wisdom and draw some life-lessons from these quotes.
Whenever you were going somewhere that required an overnight bag, she would always remind you to pack clean. . .Why?
Mom always warned you to wear clean underwear - in case you were in an accident. With that little piece of advice your mother did a number of things at once. • She taught you good hygiene and personal grooming. She taught you that life is uncertain. To expect the unexpected. "In case you’re in an accident." And most importantly, she instilled within you a sense of • healthy shame. She taught you • there were things to be ashamed • of. That you should always do • what is right - even if it is unseen.
