January 18th Launching Bible Reading Plan!
As promised, we are going to launch the Bible reading plan one week from today, January 18th!
Why should you care?
- If you're like me, you've started reading the Bible only to get to Genesis 24 and then flicker out... not anymore, we're going to do this together...
- If we believe what we believe and as we learned in the story of Solomon, reading the Bible will help pour wisdom into our lives and inevitably will help our choices, decision-making, and give us some unique opportunities to encounter God... This is one of the few factors we CAN control...
- Thanks to YouVersion, the Bible now is more than something to read, the Bible is now a place where Community can occur! We get to do life together embedded in the Bible as we share thoughts, questions, notes together...
- Join me and those who've already committed to exchange the least helpful 15 minutes of our day for 15 minutes of life-giving Truth. Think about it... 15 minutes of the home shopping network, organizing your socks, brushing your cat, waiting on hold, stuck in traffic... for 15 minutes of God given wisdom...
How do I get started?
- Create an account at http://www.youversion.com . No hassle, you can build your profile and add any additional information you like...
- Here is the "Group" we've set-up where we'll be together: http://www.youversion.com/groups/grangerbiblejourney2010 (FYI, we're working on editing the description a bit but this is the right group...
- Here is the Reading Plan we'll tackle together: http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/old-testament-and-new-testament If you fall in love with another reading plan, go with it! We'd still love to have you part of our group...
- We can make contributions together, learn together, and get to learn this great tool of the Bible via the web or your mobile phone!
- We'll make some additional resources and blog posts here throughout the year to track the Journey. Get started late? Fall behind? Stay with us, keep pressing in...
Really, shift 15 minutes of the most useless part of your day for accomplishing a great feat this year that will add huge value to your life. You game?
You may be Smart, But You Ain’t Wise”
There are a lot of smart people that have had their lives unravel because of the decisions they've made. A Congressman or world-class golfer has an affair and suddenly life is dramatically different. Thousands have lost fortunes betting on real estate booms that have turn to busts... We work with them, we live near them, and we see them in the news.... smart people that just seem to have a hard time managing life decisions and direction. If I'm honest, I've certainly been there done that...
It's one thing to be smart, it's special to be wise... So how can we gain wisdom?
- Ask for it. A great prayer, "God, please give me wisdom for Your people..." King Solomon's one request from God was to have wisdom to govern God's people... God poured more favor and blessing on his life beyond what he asked for... regarded as the wisest man to ever live, his wisdom came from God
- Stay in love with God. Solomon became "half-hearted" in his devotion to God, unintended consequences come when we fall out of love with God...
- Read the Bible. If we aren't praying+ acknowledging Him+ reading the Bible= Lack of Wisdom
- Proactive Choices. What are we filling our minds with? What are we doing day to day, week to week? Attending a church can help fill our minds with God's truths... Surrounding ourselves with people trying to seek after God is another great step... Some of these things we simply need to put first in our lives...
Other Wisdom Nuggets:
- Wisdom is not about having a lot of facts and information.... It's about having information and using it wisely...
- Just because Solomon had all the wisdom in the world, he still didn't always use it! Having it doesn't mean you'll use it...
- Life without God = Small vision... We get to choose, our way and our priorities or God's plan for our lives...
So what can be my next step?
Join us January 18th to launch into a youversion.com reading plan. Together we will read the entire Bible in one year! Check out youversion.com for a sneak peek... We will have more information on this site soon with the details! I need wisdom in my life. Let's do this!
You may still be wondering if this God-thing, the Bible, and all this stuff about wisdom is legitimate... You're skeptical. That's OK. Keep checking things out, keep asking questions.... We believe you have a purpose and matter to God and thanks for hanging around...
Watch Mark Beeson's message here on wisdom...
Proverbs 4:5 - Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Proverbs 4:7 - Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Proverbs 16:16 - How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
Proverbs 17:16 - Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?
Proverbs 19:8 - He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
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