Sirach 14:20-22

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

Wisdom is such an important part of a healthy and productive life. Also, it is important to remember that wisdom is not the same as knowledge or information gathering. What really helps to set wisdom apart and to help us recognize its value and importance is to understand that the early church fathers identified wisdom in the Old Testament as another name for Jesus. Substitute “Jesus” in for “wisdom” in this passage and its power becomes manifested. Glory be to God!

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Personal Challenge

Paul ends up his letter to the people of Thessalonica, and us, with this exhortation on how we should treat each other. We are to warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and to be patient with all. He goes on to exhort us to not render evil for evil to anyone and to always pursue what is good for all. Some teach that this would only apply toward the brothers and sisters in one’s local church. However, align this with the teachings of Jesus and the expectation would be that we behave this way towards all people. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 14:12-14

Remember that death does not delay,
And the covenant of Hades has not been shown to you.
Before you die, do good to a friend,
And reach out and give to him based on your ability.
Do not let a day go by without doing something good,
And do not let any of your desire for doing good escape you.

Personal Challenge

I have heard that there are only two things certain in life… death and taxes. Sirach reminds that death will not delay with any of us. We all have that day out there, somewhere on our timeline, when we will die. It is inevitable. He also encourages us to do good in our lives before we die. Do good to a friend. Jesus expanded that to say that we should do good to our neighbor. We are to give to others from our abundance, whether friend or stranger. We should never let the desire for doing good escape us. Glory be to God!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Encouraging Words

If you were to ask me, as a follower of Christ, to prove that there is life after death, I would have to tell you that I cannot prove it to your satisfaction. As followers of Christ, we believe that Jesus died and rose again. We believe the eyewitness accounts that were recorded in the scriptures and in apocryphal writings. That is not going to be the proof that you are asking for. So be it. It is in our belief, our faith, that we have a hope for eternal life. Glory be to God!

Sirach 11:9

Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
And do not sit together with sinners when they judge a case.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the Scriptures there are many instances of guidelines on how to live a righteous life. We must take these guidelines as boundaries to live our lives within and not absolute laws or rules. Effectively, Jesus left us with only two rules, or commandments, in order to be recognized as His followers. They are to love God and love your neighbor. These guidelines presented here in Sirach can help us through life on a smoother road. It does me no good, as well as no good to others, to enter into the argument about a matter that does not concern me. Another way to say this is, “Mind my own business!” The other guideline is not to join in with those who are in the wrong when they judge others. Great food for thought. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Encouraging Words

Paul sends this prayer for Christians to the church in Thessalonica. It is still relevant for today. Our desire as followers of Christ should always be to live our lives with blameless hearts. This passage reminds us that one thing we can do to achieve this desire is to increase and abound in love to another and to all. If we can learn to practice the two commandments that Jesus gave us, then this becomes an attainable goal. These commandments are to love God and love our neighbor. Glory be to God!

Sirach 11:7-8

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

There are so many tidbits of great wisdom spread throughout the scriptures. We just need to take the time to find them and then most importantly, apply them to our lives. Here we find advise from Sirach to slow down before we respond to situations. Before we pass judgment, we are to examine the situation and understand it. Before we answer someone, we should listen to them and not interrupt them with our commentary. I guess I have opportunities for improvement before me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Personal Challenge

As a follower of Christ, my responsibility is to say and do things that please God. I am not to worry how other people will accept my words or actions as long as I am striving to please God. We must remember to put this in the context of God’s commandments to love Him and to love our neighbor. Pleasing God means saying and doing everything from these perspectives of love. By doing this my actions will show respect and love for all others. This is often a far cry from how we see those who proclaim to be Christians behaving today. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

IN GOD’S HAND

Sirach 10:4

The authority of the earth is in the hand of the Lord,
And He will raise up the right man for an appointed time.

Encouraging Words