Category: Wisdom (Page 2 of 13)

Psalm 22:22-31¹NIV New International Version Translations 
22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him—may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it.

Background²http://www.easyenglish.info/psalms/psalm022-taw.htm

We do not know when David wrote Psalm 22. He was very ill, or he was hurt badly. He writes about his suffering. But he also writes about the sufferings of other people. Here is an example. People often torture other people. Torture means to hurt very much. Near Judah was a place called Tyre. In Tyre this is how they tortured people: they fixed them to wood with nails. The nails went through their hands and feet. A nail is a piece of sharp iron, a few inches long. Psalm 22:16 talks about this.

So Psalm 22 is more than a psalm about the sufferings of David. His own agony made him think about the agony of other people. Christians believe he wrote about the agony of one very special person. We call that person the Messiah, or Christ. The Bible has 2 parts. The Old Testament tells us what happened before Jesus came to earth. The New Testament tells us about Jesus and the Church. One of the books in the New Testament is Acts. In Acts 2 is something that Peter said. He said it 7 weeks after Jesus died and rose again. In Acts 2:30 Peter said, “David was a prophet. He wrote about Christ”. Christ is another name for Jesus. A prophet says what will happen in the future.

In the New Testament are 4 Gospels. They all tell us about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection was when God raised Jesus from the dead. Someone said, “Psalm 22 is like the story of the death of Jesus in a 5th Gospel!” Jesus was killed by crucifixion. This means he was fixed to a cross of wood. They fixed him to it with nails. He hung on the cross until he was dead. 2 days before Easter is Good Friday. On Good Friday Christians remember how Jesus died. Many of them read (or sing) Psalm 22 on Good Friday. They believe that it is not only about the suffering of David. It is about the suffering of Jesus. Though he was God, Jesus was also a servant. We call him the suffering servant. From Psalm 22:22 to the end the psalm becomes happy. This is because God raised Jesus from the dead. Because Jesus died for us, we believe that God will raise us from the dead too. We must thank God for the death of Jesus for us!

Biblical Truths and Theology³http://www.easyenglish.info/psalms/psalm022-taw.htm

Psalm 22: 22: From here to the end the psalm changes. It is not about suffering. It is full of praise. This is because God heard when David prayed. This psalm is not only about David. It is also about Jesus. Near the end of the Bible is a book called Hebrews. In it, Jesus says: I will tell your name to my brothers. I will sing praises to you in the church. (Hebrews 2:12) This is wonderful! Jesus sings praises to God with us in church.

Psalm 22: 23: People in awe of God love him, but also know how great he is. They do not become too friendly. Seed is a special Bible word. In the Old Testament it sometimes means the Jews. In the New Testament it often means Christians.

Psalm 22: 24: “the man” and “him” mean David. David suffered. David prayed. God answered David. This is also true of Jesus. Jesus suffered when he died for us. But God raised Jesus from the dead. God answered when Jesus prayed. Jesus died for us so that God would save us!

Psalm 22: 25: Jesus will keep his promises to us. We must believe!

Psalm 22: 26 – 31: There is a book in the Bible that we call Leviticus. It is full of rules. One rule is in Leviticus 7:16. It says, “Eat your sacrifice on the day that you make your promise”. A sacrifice was an animal that the Jews killed. They burned part of it. This was God’s part. They ate the other part. Verses 26 and 29 are about this. The rich and the poor will eat the sacrifice. As a result people will praise God (verse 26) and worship God (verse 29).

On the evening before he died, Jesus ate supper with his friends. To us, this was Thursday evening. To the Jews it was the start of Friday! We call this supper the Last Supper. On that Friday, Jesus was the sacrifice. He went to heaven, where God lives. That was God’s part. Our part is the Lord’s Supper. When we eat the Lord’s Supper:

• We remember that Jesus died for us
• We tell everybody that Jesus died for us
• We remember that Jesus will come back to the earth

Psalm 22: 26 – 31: gives us help to remember all this. It is very important to tell our children. What do we tell them? We tell them that GOD HAS DONE IT! Jesus was God. Jesus died for us. Psalm 22:1-21 is about this. But Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive today. He is alive in Heaven. He is alive in the Church. Psalm 22:22-31 is about this.

Items for Discussion

• How accurate do you find this prophecy about Jesus? How does this strengthen your faith?
• What are the specific points of this prophecy? What parts can you relate to Christ’s death on the cross?
• What can we learn about eternal life in this Psalm?
• Why would someone find David’s perspective on eternal life of comfort?
• Can religion exist without a belief in the afterlife?
• What is different in the Christian’s view of eternity?

Romans 4:13-25
13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Background⁴http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.Rom.v.html Matthew Henry Commentaries

Chapter four discusses the great gospel doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the law was so very contrary to the notions the Jews had learned from those that sat in Moses’ chair, that it would hardly go down with them; and therefore the apostle insists very largely upon it, and labors much in the confirmation and illustration of it. He had before proved it by reason and argument, now in this chapter he proves it by example, which in some places serves for confirmation as well as illustration. The example he pitches upon is that of Abraham, whom he chooses to mention because the Jews gloried much in their relation to Abraham, put it in the first rank of their external privileges that they were Abraham’s seed, and truly they had Abraham for their father. Therefore this instance was likely to be more taking and convincing to the Jews than any other. Paul’s argument stands thus: “All that are saved are justified in the same way as Abraham was; but Abraham was justified by faith, and not by works; therefore all that are saved are so justified;” for it would easily be acknowledged that Abraham was the father of the faithful. Now this is an argument, not only à pari—from an equal case, as they say, but à fortiori—from a stronger case. If Abraham, a man so famous for works, so eminent in holiness and obedience, was nevertheless justified by faith only, and not by those works, how much less can any other, especially any of those that spring from him, and come so far short of him in works, set up for a justification by their own works? And it proves likewise, ex abundanti—the more abundantly, as some observe, that we are not justified, no not by those good works which flow from faith, as the matter of our righteousness; for such were Abraham’s works, and are we better than he? The whole chapter is taken up with his discourse upon this instance, and there is this in it, which hath a particular reference to the close of the foregoing chapter, where he has asserted that, in the business of justification, Jews and Gentiles stand upon the same level. Now in this chapter, with a great deal of cogency of argument:

• He proves that Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith, ver. 1-8.
• He observes when and why he was so justified, ver. 9-17.
• He describes and commends that faith of his, ver. 17-22.
• He applies all this to us, ver. 22-25.

And, if he had now been in the school of Tyrannus, he could not have disputed more argumentatively.

Biblical Truths and Theology⁵http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jamieson/jfb.xi.vi.v.html Jamieson Commentaries (Jamieson used KJV Version of the Bible)

13-15. For the promise,—This is merely an enlargement of the foregoing reasoning, applying to the law what had just been said of circumcision.

• that he should be the heir of the world—or, that “all the families of the earth should be blessed in him.”
• was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law—in virtue of obedience to the law.
• but through the righteousness of faith—in virtue of his simple faith in the divine promises.

14. For if they which are of the law be heirs—If the blessing is to be earned by obedience to the law.
faith is made void—the whole divine method is subverted.

15. Because the law worketh wrath—has nothing to give to those who break is but condemnation and vengeance.

for where there is no law, there is no transgression—It is just the law that makes transgression, in the case of those who break it; nor can the one exist without the other.

• 16, 17. Therefore,—A general summary: “Thus justification is by faith, in order that its purely gracious character may be seen, and that all who follow in the steps of Abraham’s faith—whether of his natural seed or no—may be assured of the like justification with the parent believer.”

17. As it is written,—(Ge 17:5). This is quoted to justify his calling Abraham the “father of us all,” and is to be viewed as a parenthesis.
before—that is, “in the reckoning of.”

• him whom he believed—that is, “Thus Abraham, in the reckoning of Him whom he believed, is the father of us all, in order that all may be assured, that doing as he did, they shall be treated as he was.”
  even God, quickeneth the dead—The nature and greatness of that faith of Abraham which we are to copy is here strikingly described. What he was required to believe being above nature, his faith had to fasten upon God’s power to surmount physical incapacity, and call into being what did not then exist. But God having made the promise, Abraham believed Him in spite of those obstacles. This is still further illustrated in what follows.

18-22. Who against hope—when no ground for hope appeared.

• believed in hope—that is, cherished the believing expectation.
• that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be—that is, Such “as the stars of heaven,” Ge 15:5.

19. he considered not,—paid no attention to those physical obstacles, both in himself and in Sarah, which might seem to render the fulfillment hopeless.

20. He staggered—hesitated

• not … but was strong in faith, giving glory to God—as able to make good His own word in spite of all obstacles.

21. And being fully persuaded,—that is, the glory which Abraham’s faith gave to God consisted in this, that, firm in the persuasion of God’s ability to fulfil his promise, no difficulties shook him.

22. And therefore it was imputed,—”Let all then take notice that this was not because of anything meritorious in Abraham, but merely because he so believed.”

23-25. Now,—Here is the application of this whole argument about Abraham: These things were not recorded as mere historical facts, but as illustrations for all time of God’s method of justification by faith.

Items for Discussion

• Does it matter which comes first – faith or good works?
• How do faith and good works work together?
• Can a person be saved by faith without good works?
• How do faith and good works work together over the life of the believer to enhance a believer’s worldly and spiritual life?

Discussion Challenge

• While the roll of the Church is clear when it comes to faith building, what is its roll in good works?

• 1
  NIV New International Version Translations
• 2
  http://www.easyenglish.info/psalms/psalm022-taw.htm
• 3
  http://www.easyenglish.info/psalms/psalm022-taw.htm
• 4
  http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.Rom.v.html Matthew Henry Commentaries
• 5
  http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jamieson/jfb.xi.vi.v.html Jamieson Commentaries (Jamieson used KJV Version of the Bible)

Hosea 14:4-6¹NIV New International Version Translations
4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; 6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

Background²http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=28&c=0

Hosea is supposed to have been of the kingdom of Israel. He lived and prophesied during a long period. The scope of his predictions appears to be, to detect, reprove, and convince the Jewish nation in general, and the Israelites in particular, of their many sins, particularly their idolatry: the corrupt state of the kingdom is also noticed. But he invites them to repentance, with promises of mercy, and gospel predictions of the future restoration of the Israelites and of the Jews, and their final conversion to Christianity.

Biblical Truths³http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=28&c=14

Israel seeks God’s face, and they shall not seek it in vain. His anger is turned from them. Whom God loves, he loves freely; not because they deserve it, but of his own good pleasure. God will be to them all they need. The graces of the Spirit are the hidden manna, hidden in the dew; the grace thus freely bestowed on them shall not be in vain. They shall grow upward, and be more flourishing; shall grow as the lily. The lily, when come to its height, is a lovely flower, Matthew 6:28,29. They shall grow downward, and be more firm. With the flower of the lily shall be the strong root of the cedar of Lebanon. Spiritual growth consists most in the growth of the root, which is out of sight. They shall also spread as the vine, whose branches extend very widely. When believers abound in good works, then their branches spread. They shall be acceptable both to God and man. Holiness is the beauty of a soul.

The church is compared to the vine and the olive, which bring forth useful fruits. God’s promises pertain to those only that attend on his ordinances; not such as flee to this shadow only for shelter in a hot gleam, but all who dwell under it. When a man is brought to God, all who dwell under his shadow fare the better. The sanctifying fruits shall appear in his life. Thus believers grow up into the experience and fruitfulness of the gospel. Ephraim shall say, God will put it into his heart to say it, What have I to do any more with idols! God’s promises to us are more our security and our strength for mortifying sin, than our promises to God. See the power of Divine grace. God will work such a change in him, that he shall loathe the idols as much as ever he loved them. See the benefit of sanctified afflictions. Ephraim smarted for his idolatry, and this is the fruit, even the taking away his sin, Isaiah 27:9. See the nature of repentance; it is a firm and fixed resolution to have no more to do with sin. The Lord meets penitents with mercy, as the father of the prodigal met his returning son. God will be to all true converts both a delight and a defense; they shall sit under his shadow with delight. And as the root of a tree; From me is thy fruit found: from Him we receive grace and strength to enable us to do our duty.

Items for Discussion

• God says He will “heal” not “stop” the tendency of the Israelites to wander away from their God – What is the differences between healing versus stopping?
• God says “dew” (it means like manna) so how would you interpret God’s actions with someone who has wandered away?
• What would the similarities of someone be who is saved with that of the lily?
• What would the “roots” of salvation look like?
• What would the “splendor” of salvation look like?
• What would the “fragrance” of salvation look like?

Philippians 1:21-30
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Life Worthy of the Gospel 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Background⁴http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=50&c=0

The Philippians felt a very deep interest for the apostle. The scope of the epistle is to confirm them in the faith, to encourage them to walk as becomes the gospel of Christ, to caution them against Judaizing teachers, and to express gratitude for their Christian bounty. This letter is the only one, among those written by St. Paul, in which no censures are implied or expressed. Full commendation and confidence are in every part, and the Philippians are addressed with a peculiar affection, which every serious reader will perceive.

Bible Truths⁵http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=50&c=1

Death is a great loss to a carnal, worldly man, for he loses all his earthly comforts and all his hopes; but to a true believer it is gain, for it is the end of all his weakness and misery. It delivers him from all the evils of life, and brings him to possess the chief good. The apostle’s difficulty was not between living in this world and living in heaven; between these two there is no comparison; but between serving Christ in this world and enjoying him in another. Not between two evil things, but between two good things; living to Christ and being with him. See the power of faith and of Divine grace; it can make us willing to die. In this world we are compassed with sin; but when with Christ, we shall escape sin and temptation, sorrow and death, forever. But those who have most reason to desire to depart, should be willing to remain in the world as long as God has any work for them to do. And the more unexpected mercies are before they come, the more of God will be seen in them.

Those who profess the gospel of Christ, should live as becomes those who believe gospel truths, submit to gospel laws, and depend upon gospel promises. The original word “conversation” denotes the conduct of citizens who seek the credit, safety, peace, and prosperity of their city. There is that in the faith of the gospel, which is worth striving for; there is much opposition, and there is need of striving. A man may sleep and go to hell; but he who would go to heaven, must look about him and be diligent. There may be oneness of heart and affection among Christians, where there is diversity of judgment about many things. Faith is God’s gift on the behalf of Christ; the ability and disposition to believe are from God. And if we suffer reproach and loss for Christ, we are to reckon them a gift, and prize them accordingly. Yet salvation must not be ascribed to bodily afflictions, as though afflictions and worldly persecutions deserved it; but from God only is salvation: faith and patience are his gifts.

Items for Discussion

• Paul struggles with two good things, dying and being with Christ and being with Christ in life, both good – What is being with Christ in life mean to you?
• What might the happiness be like in the life of a person who is living with Christ in life?
• Paul tells us not to be afraid of our faith, yet many are persecuted for what they believe – what do you think he meant?
• In what ways is the Christian life difficult in today’s world?
• How is it different in other parts of the world?
• Why is the struggle important to go through and win?
•  Paul is encouraged by others at Philippi and he, in turn is encouraging to them – Why is this so important to Christ’s plans for salvation?

Discussion Challenge

• How can we help others with living in this world with Christ?

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  NIV New International Version Translations
• 2
  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=28&c=0
• 3
  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=28&c=14
• 4
  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=50&c=0
• 5
  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=50&c=1

Proverbs 22:1-4¹NIV New International Version Translations
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 2 Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. 3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. 4 Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.

Background²http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/proverbs10-22-lbw.htm

The second major section in the Book of Proverbs is Proverbs 10:1, to Proverbs 22:16. This section contains 375 short poems. Most poems have two lines, and each poem is one verse long. Each poem is in itself is a ‘proverb’.
The structure of this section is unusual. Solomon did not separate the proverbs into groups. The proverbs change from one subject to another. However, their order does matter. Solomon uses an ‘organic’ (that is, ‘natural’) order. This order is similar to a conversation. For example, one proverb might explain the previous one. Another proverb might contrast with the previous one.

Together, these proverbs are like a conversation. Imagine Solomon talking to his children about wisdom. His conversation would be similar to this section of the Book of Proverbs. The proverbs describe daily living, often describing both good things and bad things. They do not always explain whether something is good or bad. Here is where you need to use your own wisdom to decide.

Biblical Truths³http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=20&c=22&com=mhc

1. We should be more careful to do that by which we may get and keep a good name, than to raise or add to great wealth.
2. Divine Providence has so ordered it, that some are rich, and others poor, but all are guilty before God; and at the throne of God’s grace the poor are as welcome as the rich.
3. Through our faith we foresee the evil coming upon sinners, and therefore, look to Jesus Christ as the sure refuge from the storm.
4. Where the fear of God is, there will be humility. And much is to be enjoyed by it; spiritual riches, and eternal life.

Items for Discussion

• What is some of the wisdom that you were given from your parents or grandparents? What are some of their “proverbs” that have been passed down to you?
• What are the sources for today’s wisdom? Which ones are reliable and which ones are not reliable?
• What are the attributes of the person(s) who gives good wisdom?
• What are the attributes of the person(s) who give bad wisdom?
• Where should the next generation of adults and leaders be obtaining their wisdom from?
• What are the risks to society when bad sources of wisdom dominate the foundation of human thinking?

Luke 14:7-14
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Background⁴http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/luke1-4-im-lbw.htm

The Gospel of Luke does not mention Luke’s name as the author. But few people doubt that Luke did write this book. Also, he wrote the Book of Acts. He sent both books to the same person called Theophilus (Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1). Luke was not a Jew. We know this from Colossians 4:11-14. Paul names the three Jews who were with him in Rome. Luke was not one of them but he was with Paul there. All the other writers of the New Testament were Jews. Luke travelled with Paul on some of his journeys. The evidence for this is that, in several places in Acts, Luke uses the words, ‘we’ or ‘us’. Luke was a medical doctor by profession (Colossians 4:14). There is a tradition that he was born in the city called Antioch in Syria.

Luke was not one of the original disciples of Christ. But he studied the accounts of Christ’s life that were available to him. And he talked with those people who had been with Jesus. Some of the detail shows that probably Luke spoke with Mary the mother of Jesus. We do not know whether Luke wrote this book in Israel, Rome, or somewhere else. He probably wrote it sometime between 59 AD and 63 AD.

Luke’s purpose was to write a good and true account of the life of Jesus. This Gospel tells the story of Jesus from the time before he was born. And it ends when Jesus went back to heaven. Luke wanted Theophilus and all people to know the truth about Jesus. The Gospel of Luke tells us about the things that Jesus said. And it tells us about the things that he did. This helps us to understand how God saves people from sin. Luke shows us that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Sin ruins people’s lives. And after death, punishment is certain. People cannot save themselves. But Jesus came to look for and to save those people. Luke shows that Jesus was also a real man as well as the Son of God. Our verses today focus on Jesus teaching us humility.

Bible Truth⁵http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=42&c=14&com=mhc

Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious gatherings, but at our tables within our homes. We see in many cases, that a man’s pride will bring him low, and before honor is humility. Our Savior here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving generosity should be rewarded. Christ taught His precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be observed with love.

Items for Discussion

• The placement of guests at a table is often a reflection of importance. What other common actions in life can you think of that contrast one’s humility with self-admiration?
• What affect do acts of humility have on those around us?
• Why do you think that God loves humility so much?
• Contrast humility with introversion, shyness, fear – how is it different?

Discussion Challenge

• What are the effects on society if humility is abundant? If these affects are good, how do we learn it and teach it?

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  NIV New International Version Translations
• 2
  http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/proverbs10-22-lbw.htm
• 3
  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=20&c=22&com=mhc
• 4
  http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/luke1-4-im-lbw.htm
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  http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=42&c=14&com=mhc

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She is best known for her autobiographical books: All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995), The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994), Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing? (1983), Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975), and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie (1971), which was nominated for the Pulitzer prize.

In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1961 to 1962 she was associate editor of The Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East, and from 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana. She returned to the U.S. in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1981 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered a poem, “On The Pulse of the Morning,” at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request.

The first black woman director in Hollywood, Angelou has written, produced, directed, and starred in productions for stage, film, and television. In 1971, she wrote the original screenplay and musical score for the film Georgia, Georgia, and was both author and executive producer of a five-part television miniseries “Three Way Choice.” She has also written and produced several prize-winning documentaries, including “Afro-Americans in the Arts,” a PBS special for which she received the Golden Eagle Award. Maya Angelou was twice nominated for a Tony award for acting: once for her Broadway debut in Look Away (1973), and again for her performance in Roots (1977).

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”

“While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation.”

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”

“Life loves the liver of it.”

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”

“We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.”

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”

The holidays brings out the deepest thoughts in so many people. This section of LostPine is dedicated to those who have shared their favorite holiday quotes with us.

“The most vivid memories of Christmas are not of gifts given or received, but of the spirit of love, the special warmth of Christmas worship, and the little habits of the home.”
– Lois Rand

“For somehow not only at Christmas but all the long year through, the joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.”
– John Greenleaf Whittier

“Recall it as often as you wish, A happy memory never wears out.
– Libbie Fudim

“If we celebrate the years behind us, they become stepping stones of strength and joy for the years ahead.”
– Unknown

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
– Norman Vincent Peale

There are many great quotes that are sent to me where the is unknown. This section is dedicated to those anonymous intellects that have provided wisdom without recognition. If you read one of these and can connect them to the , please email the information to Lostpine.

“Somewhere there’s someone who dreams of your smile,
and finds in your presence a life that’s worthwhile.
So when you are lonely remember it’s true:
Somebody somewhere is thinking of you.”

“Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money.”

“Experience is what you get when you do not get what you want.”

“There is no failure. Only feedback.”

“Failure is the path of least persistence.”

“He was going to be all that a mortal could be–tomorrow.
No one would be kinder or braver than he–tomorrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew,
Who’d be glad of a lift and who needed it too;
On him he would call and see what he could do–tomorrow.

Each morning he’d stack up the letters he’d write–tomorrow.
And thought of the folks he would fill with delight–tomorrow.
It was too bad, indeed, he was busy today,
and hadn’t a minute to stop on his way,
“More time I will have to give others,” he’d say–tomorrow.

The greatest of workers he would have been–tomorrow.
The world would have known him, had he ever seen–tomorrow.
But the fact is, he died, and he faded from view,
And all that he left here, when living was through,
Was a mountain of things he intended to do…
Tomorrow.”

The Cherokee

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside of me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.”

“One is evil: He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good: He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going inside you — and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply answered, “The one you feed.”

Found by my father’s bed stand:

RESOLUTIONS

No one ever gets out of this world alive. Resolve, therefore, to maintain a sense of values.

Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone’s major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is virtually impossible.

Resolve to be cheerful and helpful. People will repay in kind.

Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.

Resolve to listen more and talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking.

Be wary of giving advice. Wise men don’t need it, and fools won’t heed it.

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life you will have been all of these.

Do not equate money with success. The world abounds with big money makers who are miserable failures as human beings. What counts most about success is how a person achieves it.

Ten Rules for Living

1. Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel” that directs the right path throughout.

2. So why is a car’s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.

3. Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4. All things in life are temporary. If it’s going well, enjoy it, that won’t last long. If it’s going badly, don’t worry, that won’t last long either.

5. Old friends are gold! New friends are diamond! If you get a diamond, don’t forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end!”

7. When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when God doesn’t solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.

8. A blind person asked St. Anthony, “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?” He replied, “Yes, losing your vision!”

9. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace .

Anonymous Greek Proverb

Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Meaning of Life

Once a wise man was asked what is the meaning of life?

He replied …..

Life has no meaning,  life is an opportunity to create a meaning.

(8/30/1797 to 2/1/1851) The only daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary met a young poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1812 and eloped with him to France in July of 1814. The couple were married two years later, after Shelley’s first wife had committed suicide. After Percy Shelley’s death in 1822, she returned to England and devoted herself to publicizing Shelley’s writings and to educating their only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley. She published her late husband’s Posthumous Poems (1824); she also edited his Poetical Works (1839), with long and invaluable notes, and his prose works. Her Journal provides a rich source for Shelley’s biography.

Mary Shelley’s best-known book is Frankenstein (1818, revised on 1831), a text that is part Gothic novel and part philosophical novel. It is also often considered an early example of science fiction documenting the consequences that arise after a scientist artificially creates a human being. She wrote several other novels, including Valperga (1823), The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (1830), Lodore (1835), and Falkner (1837); and The Last Man (1826), an account of the future destruction of the human race by a plague. The Last Man is often ranked as her best work. She also wrote several travel books based on her personal journeys. Some of Mary’s casual writings and journals were published later in the 20th century by others.

“Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.”

“It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.”

“Every political good carried to the extreme must be productive of evil.”

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose – a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.”

He was born in Virginia in 1856, the son of a Presbyterian minister who during the Civil War was a pastor in Augusta, Georgia, and during Reconstruction a professor in the charred city of Columbia, South Carolina.

After graduation from Princeton (then the College of New Jersey) and the University of Virginia Law School, Wilson earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University and entered upon an academic career. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson. Wilson advanced rapidly as a conservative young professor of political science and became president of Princeton in 1902.

His growing national reputation led some conservative Democrats to consider him Presidential timber. Wilson first ran for Governor of New Jersey in 1910. He was nominated for President at the 1912 Democratic Convention and campaigned on a program called the New Freedom, which stressed individualism and states’ rights. In the three-way election he received only 42 percent of the popular vote but an overwhelming electoral vote.

Wilson is credited with moving through Congress three major pieces of legislation. The first was a lower tariff, the Underwood Act; attached to the measure was a graduated Federal income tax. The passage of the Federal Reserve Act provided the Nation with the more elastic money supply it badly needed. In 1914 antitrust legislation established a Federal Trade Commission to prohibit unfair business practices.

In 1916, another new law prohibited child labor; another limited railroad workers to an eight-hour day. By virtue of this legislation and the slogan “he kept us out of war,” Wilson narrowly won re-election.

But after the election Wilson concluded that America could not remain neutral in the World War. On April 2,1917, he asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

The President, against the warnings of his doctors, had made a national tour to mobilize public sentiment for the treaty of Versailes, containing the covenant of the League of Nations. Exhausted, he suffered a stroke and nearly died. Nursed by his second wife, Edith Bolling Galt, he lived until 1924.

“A man is not as big as his belief in himself; he is as big as the number of persons who believe in him.”

“I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose.”

“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

“One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat.”

“The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation.”

“Uncompromising thought is the luxury of the closeted recluse.”

“We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who hope that their dreams will come true.”

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

“At every crisis in one’s life, it is absolute salvation to have some sympathetic friend to whom you can think aloud without restraint or misgiving.”

“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.”

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin to unconventional parents – his mother Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-96), was an poet and journalist. Her pen name was Speranza. His father was Sir William Wilde, an Irish antiquarian, gifted writer, and specialist in diseases of the eye and ear. Wilde studied at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh (1864-71), Trinity College, Dublin (1871-74) and Magdalen College, Oxford (1874-78). In Oxford, Wilde shocked the faculty and other students with his irreverent attitude towards religion and his eccentric clothes. He collected blue china and peacock’s feathers, and later his velvet knee-breeches drew much attention.

In 1878 Wilde received his B.A. and on the same year he moved to London. His lifestyle and humorous wit made him soon spokesman for Aestheticism, the late 19th century movement in England that advocated art for art’s sake. He worked as art reviewer (1881), lectured in the United States and Canada (1882), and lived in Paris (1883). Between the years 1883 and 1884 he lectured in Britain. From the mid-1880s he was regular contributor for Pall Mall Gazette and Dramatic View. In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd (died 1898). In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, fairy-stories written for his two sons. The Picture of Dorian Gray followed in 1890 and next year he brought out more fairy tales. The marriage ended in 1893. Wilde had met an few years earlier Lord Alfred Douglas (‘Bosie’), an athlete and a poet, who became both the love of the ‘s life and his downfall.

Although married and the father of two children, Wilde’s personal life and years of triumph ended dramatically, when his intimate association with Alfred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality (then illegal in Britain). He was sentenced two years hard labor for the crime of sodomy. Wilde was first in Wandsworth prison, London, and then Reading Gaol. When he was at last allowed pen and paper after more than 19 months of deprivation, Wilde had became inclined to take opposite views on the potential of humankind toward perfection. During this time he wrote DE PROFUNDIS (1905), a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Alfred Douglas.

After his release in 1897 Wilde lived under the name Sebastian Melmoth in Berneval, near Dieppe, then in Paris. He wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, revealing his concern for inhumane prison conditions. It is said, that on his death bed Wilde became a Roman Catholic. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel at the age of 46.

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.”

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”

“We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow.”

“I am not young enough to know everything.”

“Questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are.”

“There is much to be said in favor of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.”

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”

‘The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life. And the body is born young and grows old. That is life’s tragedy.”

“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”

“A man’s very highest moment is, I have no doubt at all, when he kneels in the dust, and beats his breast, and tells all the sins of his life.”

“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”

John Wesley (1703-1791) is remembered today as the founder of the Methodist movement. He was converted to Christ at the age of 35. Before his conversion, he had done missionary work among the American Indians as an Anglican minister. He was forced to leave the Anglican Church and spent the rest of his life preaching in the fields and on the streets and wherever he was able to. He was up each morning before 5:00 for prayer and Bible study, and often rode on horseback 15 to 20 miles a day, preaching four or five times daily. During his lifetime, Wesley traveled 250,000 miles, preaching a total of 42,000 sermons. He died at the age of 88 and preached up to the very month in which he died.

“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”

“Without faith we cannot be thus saved; for we cannot rightly serve God unless we love him. And we cannot love him unless we know him; neither can we know God unless by faith. Therefore, salvation by faith is only, in other words, the love of God by the knowledge of God; or, the recovery of the image of God, by a true, spiritual acquaintance with him.”

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

“Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness.”

“The points we chiefly insisted upon were . . .that orthodoxy, or right opinions, is, at best, but a very slender part of religion, if it can be allowed to be any part of it at all; that neither does religion consist in negatives, in bare harmlessness of any kind; nor merely in externals, in doing good, or using the means of grace, in works of piety (so called) or of charity; that it is nothing short of, or different from, the mind that was in Christ; the image of God stamped upon the heart; inward righteousness, attended with the peace of God; and joy in the Holy Ghost.

“Make all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.”

“By salvation I mean, not barely, according to the vulgar notion, deliverance from hell, or going to heaven; but a present deliverance from sin, a restoration of the soul to its primitive health, its original purity; a recovery of the divine nature; the renewal of our souls after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, in justice, mercy, and truth.”

“The more I converse with this people, the more I am amazed. That God hath wrought a great work among them is manifest; and yet the main of them, believers and unbelievers, are not able to give a rational account of the plainest principles of religion. It is plain, God begins His work at the heart; then the inspiration of the highest giveth understanding.