PROFITTING FROM WISDOM - A WISE SON MAKES HIS PARENTS GLAD

MEMORY VERSE: A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Proverbs 15:20.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 22, Ps 28-29, Eccl 5, 2 Tim 1

Psalms 111:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. According to Proverbs 16:6, it is by the fear of the Lord men depart from iniquity. A fellow who fears the Lord will do anything to bring joy to his parents. You can be a worker in the vineyard of God, you can be faithful in the payment of your tithe, you can even evangelize, you can do all these and much more but if you are not looking after your parent it means you do not regard God. There are a lot of benefits in making your parents glad. When you honor your father and mother as the Lord commands, it will be well with you, Ephesians 6:2-3. Iif you are not in talking terms with your parents or you do not honor them as the Lord advises, you are only courting problems. There are many believers who are struggling today and they don’t know why. If you are struggling in any endeavor, you better check your life and see if you are making your parents glad. Sir, it does not matter how hardworking you may be; if you do not honor your parents prospering will be difficult.

Also honoring your parents brings long life and prosperity, Deuteronomy 5:16. Do you know that when you lie to your parents you are dishonoring them? Whether you believe it or not, anyone lying to his father or mother is dishonoring his parents. They asked you have you done your assignments and you said yes when you are even yet to start them. Because you don’t want to do the house chore, you tell your parents you have to do some assignments or you have test on Monday. These are lies and they have consequences. Many even lie to get extra pocket money. All because you do not want your parents to ask you for money; you tell them you are out of work when you are actually full time employed, it is still a lie. I know you are a wise fellow and I know you will repent immediately.

Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory. Daniel 12:3 says that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament. Do you know that the prayers of your parents are very potent? The prayers of your parents carry more power than that of men of God. Do you know that if your father or mother tells you,’my son it shall be well with you’, even the devil cannot change it? When you study your bible very well you will notice that no pastor or prophet prayed for Israel and Isaac yet they became very mighty. The Lord blessed these men because their parents prayed for them. Do everything possible to earn the prayers of your parents. If you are not in talking terms with your parents you better settle with them as soon as possible.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please forgive me for dishonoring my parents. Please let it be well with me.

PROFITTING FROM WISDOM PT2 – WISDOM SETTLES MATTERS QUICKLY

Ephesians 4:26 be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 17, Luke 20, Job 35, 2 Cor 5

Proverbs 24:3 says through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established. The house referred to in this passage is not only a physical house but relationships. One thing you cannot avoid in relationships is disagreements and misunderstandings. When these come up, it is better to settle them quickly and move on. A wise person would settle matters before they get out of hand but an unwise person would allow it to get out of hand before settling. Not settling matters or issues or disagreements quickly can destroy a marriage that has been built over the years. What most people do not know is that when they settle misunderstanding or disagreements quickly they move on and are able to benefit from the relationship. One thing I will advise is never grow to an extent where you will say I will never need a particular brother or sister. There is no one the Lord cannot use to open doors for you even those people you look down on or believe you will never need their help. Ephesians 4:26 says be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  The problem with not settling matters quickly is that you might need the help of the other party and you will not able to approach them for help.

I once heard the testimony of a pastor. Two years into the ministry he invited a great man of God to come and minister at their second year church anniversary. The man of God gave him his word so he added his name to the list of guest ministers. He put this man’s picture and name on flyers, radio jingles even in advertisements in Christian magazine. Few weeks to the anniversary, this great man of God called the pastor and told him to take his name of the guest list that he was not attending. After spending several thousands of pounds in advertisement and printing flyers, this pastor had no choice than to withdraw all the flyers and reprint them. He also cancelled the radio jingles and made a new one. The anniversary came and went. Instead of deciding never to contact this great man of God again or begin to nurture thoughts that the man of God did that to humiliate him or make him fail, he went to greet him at home. They talked as usual and things moved on from there. Five years later, when this pastor was looking to buy a church property, it was this great man of God that gave him the needed contact. Today, this pastor has a church building of his own courtesy of the contact this great man of God gave to him. The next time you have a disagreement or a misunderstanding, before doing anything ask yourself this question, is this matter enough to destroy a life-long relationship or is this matter enough to destroy all the opportunities I could get from this relationship. By not settling matters quickly in that relationship you complicate things. What most people do not realize is that a bad person today can become a good person tomorrow. There are many who have put themselves in unnecessary problems as a result of not solving matters easily. The next time you are stopped by the police instead of arguing with them, apologize if need be. At work settle matters quickly with your managers and colleagues.

PRAYER POINT: Father as from now on help to profit from wisdom.

PROFITTING FROM WISDOM

Proverbs 11:17 the merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 12, Luke 15, Job 30, 1 Cor 16 

What is wisdom? Wisdom is simply the application of knowledge. It is founded on the fear of the Lord. Psalms 111: 10 says the fear of the Lord is beginning of Lord. One thing with the wise people is that they are always reflecting. They reflect on the consequences of their actions and words. Before they reply an email or text messages in anger they sit and think. It is very unwise to reply or send e-mails or text messages in anger or engage in a heated conversation with your spouse in the kitchen.  The bible admonishes us to pray and watch, Matthew 26:41. Many pray day and night but do not watch. Applying wisdom is a form of keeping watch. God has answered many prayer requests but the lack of wisdom has delayed the manifestation. There are many today who have lost their advantage in Christ by not applying wisdom. 

 The question is how does one profit from wisdom? I will share a story which will shed light on the importance of wisdom. Some police men went to arrest a young man. Whilst trying to arrest this man, there was a bit of misunderstanding. The senior brother of this man heard people shouting and ran out. When he came out, he saw around four police men with his brother and instead of asking what the problem was, he ran and grabbed an iron rod and broke the windscreen on the police car. The police men shot him right on the spot and he died. The case was taking to court and the police defended their action by saying they shot him in self defence. Looking at the damage done to the police vehicle, they were freed. The disappointing thing was the brother of the diseased was later found innocent. Although they paid him compensation, the senior brother lost his life because of few moments of anger .If only he had asked what the problem was; he could still be alive now. Proverbs 11:17 says the merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubelth his own flesh. Some years ago myself and a member of staff engaged in a heated argument. She stormed out and joined her colleague. Ten minutes later, I called her colleague to check something with him and i overheard her in the background threatening to slap me .I was angry and the fact that it was coming from a junior member of staff in public did not help matters. I had the option of conducting a 1-2-1 and that would have led to her dismissal because she was threatening a management staff but I reflected on the consequences and decided to address the issue later. I tried to discuss the matter with her but she gave me a terrible attitude. God so good I knew a brother who attended the same church with her so I contacted her pastor. After a brief a chat with the pastor, the sister apologised and we moved on. Two years later, I heard a major challenge at work and I was suspended. During this period the only person who called me to give me inside information of what the management were planning against me was this lady. It was not because others did not care, they cared but this lady was the only one who could get me this information. God mightily used her during this period. The question is if I had reacted in anger and orchestrated her sack, who would helped me get during the challenge?

PRAYER POINT: Father as from now on help to profit from wisdom.

Profit in all Labour

Proverbs 14:23: In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty

Asides pride and lukewarmness, one thing God does not condone is laziness. The scriptures says that if anyone will not work; neither shall he eat - 2 Thessalonians 3:10.  In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 , Paul admonished the Thessalonians  to work with their hands. Proverbs 10:4 says the only thing lazy hands bring is poverty. There are many of God’s children who are yet to fulfill God’s plans for their lives because of laziness. God has opened doors for so many but through laziness they have not been able to take advantage of these open doors.  Many have lost their destinies because of procrastination, something they should have done today they postponed it to a further date by the time the date comes they further postponed it and before you know it is too late. A man who took advantage of his open door was Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:28. He was just an ordinary laborer in the king’s court but he worked so hard that Solomon noticed and promoted him. Jeroboam’s hard work so much impressed God that He made him king over Israel in 1 Kings 14:7. Hard work can turn common a laborer to a king. There were princes in Israel at that time but Jeroboam became the king. Hard work gives you things that belong to the kings. There are many of us who God has opened doors of employment to or for. Through hard work God can make us the CEO of the organization we are working for. There are many business owners who God is ready to bless to the extent that they will lend to nations; all these are functions of hard work.

Proverbs 14:23 says in all labor there is profit. Hard work brings result but the result varies with  field. 1 Timothy 4:8 says for bodily exercise profit a little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. If there is anything to labor in, it is in the things of God. If we can work hard for God, we will see great results in every other areas of our life. Matthew 6:33 says seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and other all these will be given to you as well.

ACTION POINT: If  you are not in any group in your church please join one, if you are in one already you can join another or strive to be the best in your current group remember been the best in anything requires putting more efforts than others.