Sr. Pastor-Teacher: Rev. Mark A. Cain 

LESSON:  AN EDUCATION IN WISDOM  

Text:   Proverbs 1:1-9

Memory Verse—"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7(NASB)

While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.

 FIVE WISE PRINCIPLES TO CONSIDER

1. God's plan requires that you do a right thing in a right way. The right thing is to study and apply Bible Doctrine (BD) daily. Remember how Jesus responded each time Satan tempted Him? His replies to Satan's temptations always begin in the same way: "As it is written in the Scriptures..." Your defense against bad advice lies in your being filled with the Holy Spirit and BD resident in your soul, Rom. 16:19.

2. Bad decisions can limit future options. Bad Decisions = Wasted Opportunities, Good Decisions = Wonderful Blessings. God can open new doors for you in the future, but you will never recover the time and blessings wasted in the past. "For they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" Hosea 8:7. "So teach us to number (organize) our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12.

3. Blessing or cursing is a choice. We choose whether or not we will be perpetually carnal or consistently spiritual. Through the consistent exposure to sound Biblical teaching we will learn to become spiritually self-sustaining, 2 Peter 3:18. Remember that adversity is inevitable, but stress is optional, John 16:33.

4. God does not think as you think. You must learn to think like Christ if you want to share in His happiness. Man thinks human viewpoint. God thinks divine viewpoint. God wants you to think the thoughts that Christ had in His humanity on earth. The New Testament epistles give a pattern of the thinking of Christ for you to copy, Philippians 2:5, 8; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 55:8-9.

5. Learning to think like Christ leads to Christian growth. To think like Christ we must possess humility. Humility is respect for authority and the absence of arrogance. Humility is a relaxed mental attitude (RMA) that produces rest. Arrogance is an attitude that produces turmoil and discontent, James 4:6; Job 5:7; 14:1. Humility = the absence of arrogance + respect for authority (especially for BD).

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