Feb 5 - Proverbs 16:22

Wisdom is a fountain of life

Proverbs 16:22

^NRSV

 

I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. But I sure picked a lousy time for my worst sermon ever. It was at my son Paul’s wedding.

    

As a pastor, you learn to read a room. You feed off of feedback. And this wedding sanctuary was quiet and still. Dead. “Oh, well,” I mumbled to myself, as I wandered back to my seat.

    

After the wedding, however, something strange happened. One-by-one my son’s friends came up to me. They were thanking me. “I just started dating this young lady. Now I know what to do.” “We just got married a few months ago. We needed to be reminded of what marriage is all about.”

    

I was shocked. I didn’t do anything profound. I just pointed to the Bible. I simply said, “Here’s some timeless wisdom.”

    

If the state of marriage today testifies to the health of our contemporary culture, then there’s clearly a poverty of wisdom in our modern world. Oddly, that’s producing a huge opportunity because there’s a huge hunger for hope and wisdom … as evidenced by my son’s friends.

    

Scripture tells us that “wisdom is a fountain of life.” Well, so is marriage! God designed marriage to be a fountain of blessing … for a husband … and a wife … and their children … and everyone they come in contact with.

    

Have you tasted the sweetness of a good marriage? Have you witnessed the character of long-standing relationships -- of your parents or grandparents, for example – as they’ve disciplined their tongues, practiced forgiveness, weathered inevitable trials, and learned how to serve? It’s beautiful. It’s a fountain – a wellspring of life. And it’s a testimony. Indeed, the best of marriages testify to God’s greatest gifts to us: Love. Covenant. Purpose. Passion. Joy. A good marriage gives the world hope.

    

And that’s God’s plan.

 

Our Lord designed marriage to bless a husband … a wife … and the world.

    

Question of the Day: see below

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who might botch a big sermon,

but can’t go wrong pointing to

God’s Word and God’s wisdom

 

Question of the Day

Getting Married and Newlyweds: Do you want your marriage to matter? Do you want to more than even love, joy, and forgiveness? Do you want to discover a greater purpose in life through God’s institution of marriage? Do you want to be part of an adventure that can transform the world with hope? If so, then I invite you and your beloved to commit to join me through a series of daily devotions. And it starts with this question: Are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?

Married: Do you want your marriage to matter more? Do you want to more than even love, joy, and forgiveness? Do you want to discover a greater purpose in life through God’s institution of marriage? Do you want to be part of an adventure that can transform the world with hope? If so, then I invite you and your spouse to commit to join me through a series of daily devotions. And it starts with this question: Are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?

Not Married and Newlyweds: You are in relationships too. Most of the logic that is applied to marriage can be applied to friendships. So … do you want your relationships to be more joyful and purposeful?

If so, are you willing to submit to a logic that is bigger than your own? God’s! Indeed, do you believe that his wisdom (rather than your own) is the true fountain of life?