Sunday Scripture - Proverbs 22 v 17-21

Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.

Today I am looking at Proverbs  22 v 17-21

Some Bibles will have a heading for this passage which will be something like


The Sayings of the Wise


Firstly let's read through these verses



Proverbs 22 v 17-21

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;

18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,

19 So that your trust may be in the Lord;
I have instructed you today, even you.

20 Have I not written to you excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,

21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may answer words of truth
To those who send to you?

Each of those verses gives us good advice


Listen to the knowledge and keep it in your heart really lets us know that this is a serious thing so we should not just listen and then forget, something of which I know I am very guilty.

It is good to keep this knowledge in our hearts, and then have these words ready to speak.  Again it is so important that we need not just keep it to ourselves but be ready to tell others.

Do you know the importance of Listening, Knowledge, Wisdom and Truth?

The Wisdom we have heard is not just for us to have knowledge but for us to know, understand and through this develop trust.

Not just good knowledge but excellent knowledge.

Here we have what is at the heart of it all - we will know what is the truth and we will be able to convey truth to others.

Sunday Scripture - Psalm 34 v 1

Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.

Today I am looking at Psalm 34 v 1

This verse happens to be one of my favourite verses but I am not focusing on it today for that reason.

Today I have chosen this verse because it chose me; I woke up with this verse on my lips this morning and so I want to share it with you all.

I have mentioned this Psalm briefly in a previous Sunday Scripture Post in July this year but it was not the main focus of my post that time however if any of my church friends are reading this it may be of interest to them to read it as well.


I also wrote a Pondering the Psalms Post on this Psalm 3 years ago but in that case it was an overview of the whole Psalm but you may like to read it as well.


Today this verse kept repeating over and over in my head as I lay in bed and it impressed on me that no matter where I am this can be true for me.  Oh I have thought that at times before but normally I am thinking about the necessity of praising the Lord continually.


Today I'm on this other train of thought


Wherever we are this can be true for us, 

                whatever situation we are in this can be true for us, 

                              whatever frame of mind we are in this can STILL be true for us.



Of course no matter where or when or in whatever frame of mind we are we must always keep any verse in it's context so let's consider the first 10 verses.


Psalm 34 v 1-10

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

As I was lying in bed thinking on this first verse two other verses joined my thoughts

which is of course the third verse of the Psalm.

As good as it is to Bless the Lord on our own as our personal act of worship it is also good to do so with others who love and trust Him too.  As we exhibit the right behavour of speaking verse 1 and then acting on what we have said and keeping our word others will be heartened and encouraged and there will be that bond between us as well as our bond with God.

And then

the 8th verse

Here we go that step further and make a plea to others to step out in faith and trust God, test His Word and find that it is True and He will Bless us as He has already promised in His Word.


In this Psalm we see how we go through from making a commitment to Bless the Lord ourselves, to encouraging others to do the same and then being an example and witness to others that they can trust Him too and all of us see the

Blessing and Goodness of God.

What God is Doing: Old Testament Object Lessons for Kids - Book Review

Disclaimer:
There is an affiliate link on this blogpost.

I was very excited when I saw that this book was being written.

Then I was even more excited when I was given the opportunity to review a free copy from the author Anne Marie Gosnell

Anne Marie blogs at Future Flying Saucers  and I had dropped in to her blog on and off during the last few years so I was somewhat familiar with her work.


I'm often happy to see new materials for Children's Work but also I'm often disappointed because they are very costly and because they are just so apparently appealing to look at but when you get down to reading and reading and reading everything that is written for each lesson they are not as appealing at all.


As a Kids Church leader for more than 40 years I have always been on the lookout for new materials that are kid friendly and teacher friendly as it does make a difference if both sides involved are really hooked by the products for the best reasons.


For me as a teacher, mother and grandmother those reasons have always been good solid Bible teaching in a way that is easy for me to work with and to encourage others to work with.  I need to know that it is not difficult to get materials to follow someone's lesson plan or to remember just how to make these materials fit in with the Bible Truth I'm teaching.

For the children the products we use need to be entertaining without distracting from the lesson and relevant so that it is the Bible message they go out remembering rather than just the visuals or fun time they have had.

Teachers for Sunday School and Kid's Church etc. are usually people who want to teach the Bible Truths but do not have days and days to read and prepare for each lesson they teach.

We need good, brief, to the point, easy to follow lessons that we know we will actually feel competent about doing with our children.
We do not want to find that the materials we are expected to use will involve us spending hours in shops trying to find.

This book is definitely in the former category and not the latter.

Here we have a product that is easy to follow, not complicated to put into practice and will certainly entertain but throughout it the Word of God is obviously at the centre and there will be no doubt that the children are pointed towards what God is doing in the Old Testament and therefore also to what Jesus has done for us all.

Looking for more info?
Then head on over to  What God is Doing: Old Testament Object Lessons for Kids

Oh and did I forget to mention there are beautiful posters to accompany 
each of the

25 Object Lessons.  

I can envisage this book being used to form the main part of a Children's Church lesson, or a Sunday School lesson or as the Bible Truth for Messy Church or a Kid's Craft Day.

AND

I can also envisage using this book with my grandchildren in the years to come.

Interested in purchasing?

Then head on over to

Disclaimer:
I received a free copy of this ebook, however this review has been written not because I was obliged to do so but because  I know I will use this book with my grandchildren as well as with children from church.
Also if buying on Amazon I get a little commission but that does not mean any extra expense to you.