Closed Sunday: Making the Best Use of the Time

Ephesians 5:15 provides us motivation to study and apply Proverbs to our lives—“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” Verse 16 continues, “making the best use of the time because the days are evil.” In Ecclesiastes 12:1, Solomon expresses the same sediment about the fleeting nature of our days when he writes, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come…” If we are going to walk wisely, we must become wise stewards of our days (time).

On Sunday we observed that the sluggard—

1. Considered himself the owner of his days (time).

2. Wrongly believes that there would always be a tomorrow.

The wise—

1. Acknowledge their days belong to God, therefore, they accurately see themselves as stewards not owners of their time.

2. Live with a view to the eternal.

A great example of someone who walked wisely with his days, is Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A Restaurants. In 1946 when Truett opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia he closed the restaurant on Sundays out of his conviction that Sunday was the Lord’s Day, stating, “Closing Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business.” “This practice continued even as Chick-fil-A grew rapidly. As of April 2012, Chick-fil-A had 1,614 restaurants in 39 states and is looking to future growth in the Midwest, and internationally in the Philippines, and Mexico.

No doubt there were many opportunities to have second thoughts about this decision during the early days of the restaurant. Like the sluggard who in fear shouts, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” (Proverbs 26:13) Truett Cathy could have cowered in fear of lost sales and opportunities and simply followed the practice of every other retailer. He didn’t. He acknowledged that his days belong to God and in the end wisdom was proved right. Need proof? Just head out to the food court at Monmouth Mall any day of the week, except Sunday, observe which restaurant has the longest line. By the way, while you are there I recommend the Sweet Tea!

Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Walk Wisely-- Stewards of Time Questions for Discussion and Reflection

Proverbs 8:23 declares of Wisdom personified, “Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” Wisdom is eternal. The wise recognize themselves as stewards of the time with which they have been entrusted. In the Proverbs the “sluggard” is one is characterized by slothfulness and idleness. He or she is clueless about the fleeting nature of time. What do the following Proverbs reveal about wise and foolish use of time?

Proverbs 6:6-8; 12:27; 15:19; 19:24—

Proverbs 6:9; 26:14—

Proverbs 22:13; 26:13—

Proverbs 13:4; 20:4; 21:25-26—

Proverbs 6:10-11; 10:4-5; 12:24; 18:9; 19:15—

Proverbs 10:26—

Proverbs 26:16—

Read Ecclesiastes 12.How does this scripture describe life from an eternal perspective?

Summer Reading

Walking Wisely: Real Guidance for Life's Journey By Charles Stanley / Thomas Nelson In Scripture, wisdom is portrayed as a most important treasure, something to be sought after with consistent discipline. You, like many other Christians, may think of wisdom as something to be attained - an ideal to which you aspire. Charles Stanley contends that genuine wisdom is evidenced in how you live. The truly wise person's values, perspectives, career goals, and daily decisions are all shaped by the wisdom found in Christ. Walking Wisely teaches how to apply God's wisdom as you handle finances, relate to others, care for your physical health, and carry out day-to-day duties. Wisdom can be more than an aspired ideal; let it become a way of life!

Walk Wisely-- Fathers and Wisdom Questions for Reflection and Discussion

In Proverbs 4:3-4, Solomon honors his father David by passing on his words of wisdom to his son, “When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.” What do the following Proverbs reveal about bringing honor to our fathers?

Proverbs 4:1--

Proverbs 13:1—

Proverbs 15:20—

Proverbs 22:28—

Proverbs 23:22—

Proverbs 27:10—

Proverbs 28:7—

Proverbs 29:3—

Thoughts on "the fear of the Lord"

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."

Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” It is important for Christians to distinguish between a “healthy” fear of the Lord and an “unhealthy” fear of the Lord.  An unhealthy fear of the Lord is based in a sense of condemnation resulting in pulling back from God and avoiding Him as much as possible. In Christ, we do not live in fear of condemnation or punishment because, as Romans 8:1 reveals, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is why John writes, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18).

The starting point for walking wisely is a healthy, or as Professor Peter Steveson in his excellent work on Proverbs puts it, a “wholesome” fear of the Lord. Dr. Steveson observes that Solomon uses the "covenant name of Yahweh"... show(ing) Himself in mercy to mankind. This revelation calls forth a worshipful response from mankind." Likewise, Edward Welch, in his book When People are Big and God is Small, connects reverence and worship defining the fear of the Lord, "reverent submission that leads to obedience, and it is interchangeable with "worship," "rely on," "trust," and "hope in." (Pg. 97)

So how does a healty "reverence/worship" fear of the Lord enable us to walk wisely? The fear of the Lord sets us free from the fear of anything else! Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Because Jesus fully satisfied God's wrath over sin, we are set free from the fear of anyone or anything else. Romans 8:31 declares, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" This is where a wise walk begins.

Looking for more insight on the fear of the Lord? I recommend Edward Welch's book When People are Big and God is Small.



When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man By Edward T. Welch / P & R Publishing "In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" So sings the Psalmist. But quote that to a crime victim or a junior high student and they'll tell you fear of "mortal men" can prove a formidable obstacle! Here Welch offers biblical insight and solutions for a pervasive weakness in today's church. 239 pages, softcover from P&R.

Men's Summer LifeGroup

Truthfully, I usually start off Wednesday mornings a bit groggy as Tuesday nights are typically late meeting nights. By 7:00 AM after spending an hour in the Word with several other men I'm jazzed and ready for the day. It's a blessing to experience the truth of Ecclesiastes 4:12, "And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (ESV).This summer we're studying the New Testament book of Titus Wednesday mornings at 6:00 AM. Each week we listen to a message by Pastor Scott Thomas of Mars Hill Church then discuss personal application of the passage. You can listen to Pastor Scott's first message here: In addition to the Wednesday morning group, there is a men's group meeting Monday nights at Gary Creasy's and several couple's groups throughout the week. Check out www.nmbchurch.org for a complete listing. Fight Club (Men's Bible-study & Breakfast) meets every second Saturday of the month: July 14th and August 11th at 8:00 AM.

Our last Game Plan for Life study dealt with the topic of Sin and Addiction. Here are three video clips from Joe Gibb's interview with Ravi Zacharias.







Walk Wisely-- What is Wisdom? Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Read Proverbs 1:1-7. In verses 2 thru 6 Solomon uses five synonyms for wisdom. How does each of these synonyms demonstrate a unique “shade” of wisdom?

Read Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and God’s response in 1 Kings 3:7-14. What was God’s response to Solomon’s prayer? Read 1 Kings 4:20-34. Reflect on God’s fulfillment of His promise to Solomon. Read 1 Kings 11:9-13. What consequences did Solomon face for turning away from the Lord?

Read Proverbs 4. Why is Solomon’s plea to his son so urgent?

There are literally hundreds of benefits of walking wisely in the Proverbs. What benefits do you observe in the following Proverbs?

Proverbs 3:7-8—

Proverbs 8:14—

Proverbs 9:11—

Proverbs 24:5-6—

Proverbs 27:9—

Proverbs 28:16—