First Baptist Church P.O. Box 324~ 71 Grace Ave. Waldoboro, ME 04572 Phone: (207) 832-7659 Fax: 866-291-9919 www.fbcwaldoboro.org “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34 Dear Family and Friends of First Baptist Waldoboro, I hope this letter finds you well. I hope that amid all the change that is blowing through the land, you are rooted and grounded in God through our Lord Jesus Christ and that you are experiencing His goodness and mercy that is new every morning as you are empowered to live the Christian life by the Holy Spirit-our Comforter, Guide, Helper and Strength. I have been reading through the Proverbs lately. The amount of wisdom that is in this book is truly remarkable and nothing short of God given. The first seven verses provide a great introduction. 1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Right out of the gate we discover that the simple can learn caution, the young can learn discretion, one can increase learning and one who already has understanding can attain further wise counsel. This journey begins with the fear and reverence for the Lord, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. While God lays out the path to a blessed life, there are those who the Bible says are fools and the whole course of their existence is in despising the wisdom and instruction of God. Righteousness is what exalts a nation, a people, a family, a person, a city, a town, a community. Sin is the treacherous enemy of all people in all times and in all places. Sin is a reproach. Meaning sin brings disgrace and shame whereas righteousness brings healthy pride and honor. Sin is an abusive reflection cast by a culture that glories in its own shame. Sin gets God’s attention and it does not bring His blessing, but creates an environment where the inhabitants are seen as objects of contempt and wrath (Eph 2:3).
9
Embed
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to ...storage.cloversites.com/firstbaptistchurchofwaldoborome/documents... · “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
First Baptist Church P.O. Box 324~ 71 Grace Ave. Waldoboro, ME 04572
May 4th—Corn Chowder—Grilled Cheese—Tossed Salad May 11th—Ham Subs—Tossed Salad May 18th—Baked Beans—Mac n Cheese—Hotdogs May 25th—Spaghetti / Meatballs—Tossed Salad