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Wisdom of Sirach 17:5-8 LXX

He gave mankind the ability to deliberate,
And a tongue, eyes and ears, and a heart to think with.
He filled them with the skill of comprehension
And showed them good and evil.
He set His eye upon their hearts
To show them the majesty of His works.
They will praise His holy name
So as to fully describe the majesty of His works.

Encouraging Words

We were created in the image of God and oh what a glorious image that is. We are set apart from the rest of creation because of this and there is quite a responsibility that this goes with this. I love how this passage points out that we have been created with a heart to think. We have become so enamored with the intellect, logic, and reason, that we have forgotten that it is within our heart that our Lord and Savior has taken up residence and that is from there that we should govern our lives. And to reinforce this we are also told that He will show us the majesty of His works through His eye that is placed on our hearts. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 14:20-22 LXX

Blessed is the man who practices wisdom
And discourses with insight.
Whoever ponders the ways of wisdom in his heart
Will also reflect on her secrets.
Pursue wisdom like a tracker
And lie in wait on her paths.

Personal Challenge

I wonder how many people in this, my generation, have ever tracked an animal. In my youth, I used to do this. It is a lot of work and takes much patience. First you must be willing to be silent and do everything that you can to disappear into your surroundings. then you must focus so intently on the object that you are tracking that you almost become one with it. Where it looks, you look. When it breathes, you breathe. When it moves, you move. You get so lost into the animal and the tracking that you no longer exist. What an awesome metaphor this author uses for how we should pursue Wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ. We must be so intent on our focus of finding Him that we disappear and He appears. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 11:7-8 LXX

Do not find fault before you examine a situation.
First, understand it, and then make your judgment.
Do not answer before you have listened,
And do not interrupt someone while he is talking.

Personal Challenge

I have often heard it said that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we could listen twice as much as we speak. I know the truths of this passage and the great value of exercising it in my life, however I find myself so often doing just the opposite. I often jump to the solution of an issue before I take the time to undersrtand it. This always ends in disaster. And if I am not interupting someone so that I can have my say in the conversation then I am often formulating what I am going to say while the other person is talking and missing what they are saying. Both of these practices lead to arrogance, pride, and misunderstandings with those whom I am supposed to be loving. Sounds like I have been shown something that I can work on during Great Lent this year. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 7:20-21 LXX

Do not mistreat a servant who does his work in truth
Nor a hired worker who devotes himself to you.
Let your soul love an intelligent servant;
Do not deprive him of his freedom.

Personal Challenge

We do not live in a culture or time where servanthood is prevalent, but we do have many opportunities to be in leader/follower situations. For me personally, I am a project manager and at any given time I have scores of people that I am leading, or managing, to get something done. I am also a Sunday School teacher, so leading and directing youth on a regular basis. I am also a husband, a father, and a grandfather, with many opportunities to be leading my loved ones. In all of these cases, it is imperative that I lead with the heart of Jesus and be loving and caring of those under my charge. There is no room and no excuse for mistreatment and infringement upon their personhood and freedom. Only this way can I shine the light of Jesus in this role. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom of Sirach 7:1-3 LXX

Do no evil things,
And evil will never overtake you.
Stay away from wrongdoing,
And it will turn away from you.
My son, do not sow on the furrows of wrongdoing,
And you will not reap the same things sevenfold.

Wisdom of Sirach 6:18-19 LXX

My son, from your youth up, choose instruction,
And you will find wisdom also into old age.
Come to her as one who plows and sows,
And wait expectantly for her good fruits;
For in her work you will labor a little while,
Then you will quickly eat of her fruit.

Personal Challenge

Our journey toward theosis, or being in the image of Christ, is a lifelong endeavor and not a one time event. In order to effectively traverse this journey, we must be ready, even eager, to receive instruction or correction if we are to truly find Wisdom. We live in a society of fast food and instant gratification and have lost the experience of being a farmer who has to toil to prepare his soil, plant his seeds, tend the crop by pulling the weeds and chasing off predators, patiently waiting for his crop to burst forth. This is how we must olive our lives as we pursue Wisdom, our Lord and Savior, and a life that embraces and glorifies Him. Glory be to God.

Wisdom of Sirach 6:14-17 LXX

A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
And he who finds one finds a treasure.
There is nothing that can take the place of a faithful friend,
And there is no way to measure his worth.
A faithful friend is a medicine of life,
And those who fear the Lord will find him.
He who fears the Lord guides his friendship rightly,
Because as he is, so also is his neighbor.

Personal Challenge

Friendship! What a valuable part of our human state. I can say that in my life I can only remember one friend that has this close to me, and then I moved half way across the country. Why is it that men have such a hard time making close and intimate friendships such as this massage elicits? Could it be that we have fallen prey to the belief that individualism is what makes us real men? This is such a shame because we are missing so much that could improve our lives as well as the lives of others. I am so blessed to have a wife who is not only my partner in life, but also is my best friend, but there is also that need for a Barnabas in my life, such as Paul had. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 5:10-11 LXX

Be established in your understanding
And let your word be consistent.
Be quick to listen
And give your answer with patience.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own, personal knowledge and understanding and believe that we are doing things God’s way. If we are not focusing on God’s Wisdom (Christ) and God’s understanding then we are destined to make decisions that are inconsistent with Him. Once we start yielding our lives to Him and desire His way and His Wisdom, then we must strive to keep our words consistent with His. Part of this comes from being quick to listen and slow to speak. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 3:18-19

The greater you are, the more humble you must be,
And you will find grace before the Lord;
Because great is the power of the Lord,
And He is honored by the humble.

Encouraging Words

I remember the day so well when my father had a mystical experience with our Lord Jesus Christ. From that day on my father was a living miracle. To see the transformation that God could do in a man’s life has been an inspiration in my life ever since and was a beacon to so many lives that knew my father. Because of this mystical experience my father began his journey of becoming humble, and it is so fitting that this passage would be the one that fell upon today, the day that would have been his 89th birthday. Now he is celebrating it with the heavenly host. Glory be to God. Happy birthday, Dad! You are loved and missed!