Bill Johnson’s devotional, The Pursuit of Wisdom, is a journey through the book of Proverbs and life of Solomon. This compilation of sessions 5-8 encourages listeners to pursue and live by the timeless and practical wisdom found in proverbs. This wisdom can be applied to every area of life, and leads us into deeper trust in the Lord as He makes our paths straight. Heeding these instructions from the Lord impacts not only our relationship with Him, but our family, relationships, employment, business, how we manage our resources, and community life. These are proverbs to live by. 0:00 Session 5 (Proverbs 2), The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom 8:34 Session 6 (Proverbs 3), God Is Making Your Path Straight 18:18 Session 7 (Proverbs 4), Heart Health 101: Keeping Your Heart Healthy 26:14 Session 8 (Proverbs 5), Relationships That Bring Out Your Best & Cover Your Blind Spots The Pursuit of Wisdom Series (new videos added weekly):    • The Pursuit of Wisdom Devotional | Bi…   Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube

Connect with Bill Johnson Ministries: Website: http://bjm.org/

Facebook: https://bit.ly/bjmFacebook

Instagram: https://bit.ly/bjmInstagram

Mailing List: https://bit.ly/bjmMailingList

Additional Resources: https://shop.bethel.com/collections/b…

Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #Wisdom

crying out for wisdom it’s not a passive

thing it’s not well if it comes it comes

if it’s God’s will he’ll give it to me

it’s I have it in Christ now there is

the deliberate pursuit of wisdom in

James he says if you ask for wisdom he

will give it to you and he’ll give it to

you extravagantly

abundantly well hey there thanks for

joining us once again um as I mentioned

last week I wanted you to take a look at

Proverbs Chapter 2 and uh so if you’re

able you have a Bible with you open it

to chapter 2 we’re going to read a few

verses here um I’m I’m impressed with

the role of passion in wisdom now I’ve

heard said I I I don’t know who said it

but I I grew up listening to people talk

about wisdom and and that wisdom was um

kind of stoic and without emotion it was

just kind of this cerebral approach to

life and it just isn’t wisdom is filled

with emotion in fact we’ll look at it

later in chapter 8 where the person of

wisdom rejoices in the Sons and

Daughters of men there’s this

celebratory element to wisdom so it’s

not like Spock on the Star Trek or

something it’s not the the person

without emotion and that’s often times

in the church that’s what’s held up as

the example of wisdom and it’s just not

wisdom is celebratory nature so let’s

take a look at this we’re going to look

at the first five verses verse one my

son if you receive my words and treasure

my my commands within you so that you

incline your ear to wisdom apply your

heart to understanding yes if you cry

out for discernment lift up your voice

for understanding if you seek her as

silver and search for her as for Hidden

Treasure then you will understand the

fear of the Lord and find the knowledge

of God this is interesting

in the pursuit of wisdom the pursuit

itself has an effect on our

perception it actually it changes what

we learn to see and to recognize in life

I don’t know you’ve probably’ had this

happen where you buy a certain kind of

car and then and then you know you

didn’t see that color of Car anywhere or

that model of Car anywhere and then all

of a sudden it’s everywhere uh you you

become pattern to recognize certain

things in the Kingdom that is even more

so true where we set our hearts and

Minds on specific things and in doing

so we we pick up the hints of God all

through life where he’s speaking to us

here’s what stands out to me out of this

pursuit of wisdom number one we see

often in

Scripture that uh often in Proverbs uh

Solomon will say wisdom is better than

gold silver is better than rubies there

will be these statements now think about

this

if

if I truly value wisdom above silver and

gold above money above things if that’s

reality in my life then I will be able

to point to places in my life where it

cost me to choose wisdom it has to be

measurable it’s not a philosophic thing

it’s not just this where we talk about

wisdom and all these flowery terms it’s

actually a state M of fact I have chosen

wisdom I chose this direction and it

cost me now we know from reading the

study the study of wisdom that it always

ends up better and more prosperous if

you will it’s a strange thing choose

wisdom instead of money and yet wisdom

brings increase of resource but that’s

it’s very similar to seek first the

kingdom of God and his righteousness and

all these things will be added to you

don’t seek the things seek the kingdom

and he’ll add add these other elements

to your life it’s exactly the same with

wisdom and that’s why I think they run a

parallel course so back to the subject

here if you cry out for discernment if

you seek her silver uh search for her uh

as for Hidden Treasure then you will

understand the fear of the Lord here’s

one of the most um necessary

elements um let me rephrase it one of

the most missing elements in this

culture right now the fear of God and we

have uh many who attempt to make it to

to make it palatable to make the fear of

God anything but what it is uh well it

just means a reverence well actually it

it’s a whole lot more than reverence the

fear of God is the fear of God it’s a

fear of

God however the fear of God biblically

draws us to him brings us into

dependency upon

him the fear that is not from God drives

people away from him and there is that

distinction and that difference the

pursuit of wisdom gives us that

clarifying perception on the value of

the fear of the Lord in fact in the

Psalms it says the fear of God is

actually the beginning of wisdom so it’s

pretty tough to develop a lifestyle of

wisdom without the fear of God it’s

actually the foundation upon which this

subject is built that’s why we see in

Solomon that’s why we see in David

the prevailing themes of the fear of God

God I’m a child I don’t know what to do

I’m going to have to hear from you

you’ll have to show me what to do give

me the directions to take because I

couldn’t do it on my own there’s this

absolute dependency and that kind of

trust is The Offspring if you will of

the fear of God because the fear of God

brings me to him it doesn’t drive me

from

him I love uh it goes on to say here

that if you seek for her silver Hidden

Treasures you’ll understand the fear of

the Lord and find the knowledge of God I

don’t know if that fascinates anybody

else but he’s pretty smart he knows a

lot of stuff and he’s actually invited

us into this it’s like a journey where

he would share secrets with us in fact

we see it in John chapter 3 he says uh

he says that he would uh that he knows

what has happened in life and he wants

to share that his mystery that testimony

with his own children we see it with

scripture that uh in the Book of Daniel

that he has reserved mysteries for his

own children we see it in the Gospel of

Luke where he says he is it’s his

Delight to give us the mysteries of the

Kingdom so we we live in a world where

it’s so easy to become burdened down

with the problems and the cares of life

that we forget the Delight of

discovering the actual knowledge of God

what he knows about life itself because

every time he reveals knowledge that

knowledge empowers personal

transformation and personal place of an

extended um opportunity or lifestyle of

actual worship and

surrender I I want to pray that for you

in fact I do I just I pray that that

together we would learn the passion

first of all you see crying out for

wisdom it’s not a passive thing it’s not

well if it comes it comes if it’s God’s

will he’ll give it to me or it’s it’s

it’s I have it in Christ now there is

the deliberate pursuit of wisdom in

James he says if you ask for wisdom he

will give it to you and he’ll give it to

you extravagantly abundantly so we do

that we pray God give us wisdom the

knowledge of God open up to us the joy

and the Delight of discovering hidden

things let that be the pursuit of this

particular generation in our heart for

you and let it be with true expression

of emotion and passion uh to apprehend

and the Very purpose for which we were

created I pray that in Jesus name in

Jesus name next week we’re going to look

at chapter three uh of Proverbs and U

we’re going to go to one of my most

favorite portions uh of scripture in the

whole Bible it’s absolutely true in fact

the next two we’re going to we’re going

to cover key passages in my life and uh

next week we’re going to look at

Proverbs 3:5 and6 trust in the Lord with

all your heart lean not on your own

understanding we’re going to take a good

look at that one and I pray something

opens up for every one of us to really

expand our dependency on God I bless you

in Jesus

name I pray that every one of us in

these this next week would discover some

of the wonderful wonderful ways that God

has set us up to experience him to know

what you’re like father and then to see

you straighten up paths that used to be

so twisted in in

kiry well hey there welcome once again

glad uh that you’re able to join us I

mentioned last week I wanted to uh cover

uh one of the most important portions of

scripture in my life there are several

of course for all of us but this passage

in Proverbs 35 and 6 I think I memorized

this just because I heard my grandma say

it a lot I don’t think I ever memorized

it as a child because I tried to meor

memorize it I just think I heard it a

lot from her she was one who would

memorize great portions of scripture and

quote it and I would sit there and and

uh check her as she would quote these

scriptures but here is the verse that I

want to uh want us to take a look at

today says trust in the Lord with all

your heart lean not on your own

understanding in all your ways

acknowledge Him and He will direct your

paths another translation says and he

will make your path stra stra so in

other words he’s going to take the

course of your life and he’s going to

make it not only doable it’s going to be

smooth it’s going to be successful

you’re going to accomplish easily in a

sense what he is assigned free to do so

look at the verse again trust in the

Lord with all your heart trust is a hard

issue trust is a hard issue trust in the

Lord uh what I’ve been uh learning to do

lately even in my my older years um just

to say out loud I trust you I’m in a

situation I don’t know what to do uh

there’s pressure maybe there’s many

options and I’m clueless could be any

number of things where there’s a problem

I don’t know how to fix it I’ll stop in

the middle and I’ll just say it out loud

I I have found a certain sense of relief

if you will to hear my own mouth confess

what I need to confess father I trust

you I don’t know what to do but I trust

you it’s a hard issue and never resist

an opportunity to surrender surrender is

the place of life for all of us that’s

where he is capable or able uh to do

what he is designed to do in our Liv so

here it is again trust in the Lord with

all your heart lean not on your own

understanding it doesn’t mean the mind

is is not important it just means

sometimes we lean on our understanding

that is in opposition to his and the

mind of Christ

is not to be fought against is to be

surrendered

to so leaning not on your own

understanding if uh if if your uh

intellectualism doesn’t lead you to

Faith uh it doesn’t lead you to

surrender then you know the wrong thing

so here it is lean not on your un own

understanding in all your ways

acknowledge Him and He will direct your

paths here’s what I wanted to point out

in this passage before we read just a

couple more verses uh in verse 6 it says

in all your ways acknowledge Him First

of all how many ways do you have in your

life this is what this looks like for me

I I uh I’m a husband so there’s a

there’s a certain way in my life that is

loving and caring for my wife for my

children I’m a dad I’m a

grandfather um I’m a

pastor um I’m a

neighbor I am an author I I have a a lot

of different roles in life these are the

ways of life and this says in each of

those ways acknowledge Him now here’s

what I found that I didn’t know until

just a couple years ago when it says to

acknowledge Him it doesn’t mean uh you

know you’re you’re in this way as a dad

you go hey Lord I acknowledge you I

recognize you you’re a father it’s more

than that this word to acknowledge is

the same word the same basic word that

is used to describe an Adam new knew

Eve and she conceived and bore a

son fascinating Adam knew Eve so there’s

intercourse there’s relationship there’s

there’s a knowing on a much deeper level

so when it says to acknowledge Him it

means that in that aspect of your life

it’s not just recognizing that he exists

or that he’s smarter than you or that he

has the answer and you don’t it’s bigger

than that it’s coming to know him

experience eventually come to

acknowledge Him all right I’m a dad I

don’t know what to do in this situation

but you’re my father and you come into a

place where you you acknowledge you

recognize him and you experience his

love in your own heart as a father for

you and that in that relationship where

you get to discover okay I’m an author

right so you’re an author you write

you’re the author the finisher of my

faith and so I I come to recognize

but I come to experience him in that

area and what happens is from the

encounter with the Lord from that

experience with his grace his kindness

to me in that area of my life things

just begin to sort themselves out the

path gets made straight somehow I am

capable of doing what I couldn’t do

earlier some of the things that I’ve

learned to do as a dad um for my own

kids now my grandchildren I actually

learned because of the way he treats

treats me it was the way he treated me I

would I could oh I need to do that I

I many people know I I buy gifts for my

children or my grandchildren on my

birthday and my the driving point is I

only have one lifetime to illustrate

what he’s like he’s a very kind and

generous father so I want to make sure

that my children and my grandchildren

grow up with the understanding of what

he’s like and so that’s that’s one of

the ways that I choose to do it but the

point is is that said I come to know him

in all my ways and whenever I do things

work out better than they ever used to

before he will make your path straight

does that make sense come to know him in

each of the areas of life in Ephesians

uh 3 it says to know the love of Christ

that surpasses knowledge to know what is

beyond

knowledge that’s a paradoxical verse

till you understand the original

language it basically means this that

you can know know by experience what is

beyond

comprehension you can know by experience

what’s beyond comprehension your heart

can fit in places your head can’t your

heart can experience the love of God in

ways that you could never possibly wrap

your head around but it will Mark you

for life that’s the invitation of

scripture trust him because as you come

to know him in each of the areas of

responsibility and the assignments you

have in life as you do that you have a

Grace to function outside of your norm

and that really is the outcome of this

particular passage I want to read uh

just H one more verse here two more

verses for you verses 9 and 10 honor the

Lord with your possessions the first

fruits of your increase so that your

barns will be filled with plenty and

your Vats will overflow with new

wine let me just uh let me just say

this I know that the subject of

prosperity has been so messed up by so

many people but it’s still in the book

it’s still in the Bible so Prosperity is

supposed to have a Divine Purpose it’s

not for building personal Empires it’s

but it’s to Resource me with the

capacity to affect and change people’s

lives that’s the blessing of the Lord

and here this thing of wisdom positions

me to acknowledge Him in all my ways to

the point where I give him the first and

I give him the best out of everything

that comes into my life that really is

the life of wisdom so I pray that for

you I pray that every one of us in these

this next week would discover some of

the wonderful wonderful ways that God

has set us up to experience him to know

what you’re like father and then to see

you straighten up paths that used to be

so twisted and and curvy and uh and I

pray that that You’ be exalted by by our

own success by our own uh breakthroughs

I pray that in Jesus name

amen next week we’re going to look at

chapter 4 and uh and actually a verse

that is

probably one of the top two or three key

verses of my life and we’ll open that up

chapter 4 next week bless

you a number of occasions sat down with

my whole family I said you guys know all

I want to do is honor Jesus all I want

to do everything with my life is simply

to bring Jesus Glory if you see anything

that is not consistent with that I’m not

just giving you permission to point it

out I’m asking you to point it

out well hey there welcome back glad uh

so glad that you’re joining us um have

you thought it all about last week

Proverbs 3:5 and 6 I don’t want to spend

a lot of time there but there’s one

thought or one point that I think would

be worth making and that is it says in

all your ways acknowledge Him if you

remember from last week we talked about

all of us have different areas like

maybe you’re a school teacher you have

that way of your life you may be in

charge of a committee you may be a uh in

charge of a neighborhood group you have

all these different responsibilities in

life and what the challenge is for us is

to recognize God in that assignment but

then come to experience him in that

assignment and here’s the point I wanted

to make it explains to me why some times

you’ll have a guy uh that will be uh a

genius in business and really represent

the lord well he’ll uh be generous he’ll

be kind he’ll uh only do business that’s

a win-win situation so that everybody

involved uh prospers the business that

they buy from the people they sell to so

it’s a win-win so Godly in that sense

and so you find this a businessman who

has come to know the Lord as a Steward

of resource and ideas and people but he

never came to know the Lord as husband

or maybe father and so his home life

sometimes is really a mess and it’s not

because it’s not because he uh doesn’t

know the Lord It’s just literally he’s

never come to know the Lord in that way

that would influence his life to

represent Jesus well in that part of his

life here’s the invitation I throw it

out again every one of us can come to

know Jesus

experientially that means the encounter

with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ

experientially in such a way that he

impacts the course of our life and this

success and that is a biblical term the

success of that direction in our life

all right now let’s go to chapter uh

four of Proverbs and I had a friend oh

goodness this would be um it was it was

a few months before I was married and

I’ve been married 48 years so it was it

was actually it was actually about 49

years ago I had a friend come to me and

he said bill I want to share this verse

with you it’s it’s like one of the most

important verses of my life and it’s in

Proverbs 4:23 just take a look at it

says keep your heart or the the

translation I learned it in watch over

your heart with all diligence because

from it flows the issues of life and as

soon as he shared that with me it from

literally from that I believe it was a

December a December of

19 uh

72 he shared that verse with me and it’s

so pierced me that it has shaped my

thinking my values ever since then watch

over your heart I don’t believe that’s

an invitation to be introspective

because I know for me introspection just

really cost me a lot hurt me a lot

because you know I I’ve never met

anybody that went deep inside soul

searching and came out encouraged I mean

I’ve never met anybody that came out

saying wow wait till you see what I

found you know it doesn’t happen that

way we go soul searching we find

problems so I don’t think it’s that I

don’t think the Lord is inviting us to

that kind of a naval gazing approach to

life but what it is is it’s it’s an

alarm that says watch over your heart

because attitudes and values come out of

that place of your heart and if you see

uh uh impatience you see uh certain

things that are not

right they suddenly become appealing

where there’s an appetite for something

that’s not right not healthy as soon as

those things begin to just take any form

or shape immediately they have to be

repented of and dealt with immediately

we used to do this with our children we

um our our discipline in our home in

raising our kids as we discipline based

on attitude we based we based it on on

heart and that way we actually prevented

a lot of bad conduct we would see

something develop of impatience or uh

bitterness or you know whatever just the

stuff that you go through is is as

people and we would see that in a child

and we’d say all right son go to your

room I’m going to give you 10 minutes

take care of that and they would learn

over time that they had to really they

weren’t controlled by the people around

them but they had Mastery if you will

Mastery over their own hearts and that

was something that we required of them

just in growing up and had to learn it

ourselves I actually uh a number of

occasions sat down with my whole family

I said you guys know all I want to do is

honor Jesus all I want to do everything

with my life is simply to bring Jesus

Glory if you see anything that is not

consistent with that I’m not just giving

you permission to point it out I’m

asking you to point it out address it

even my children I did that now

obviously they still have to maintain

respect all the other parts of protocol

for family you figure that out in your

own home but for me there were times I I

remember uh this a guy that almost uh

almost hit us with his car and I I laid

into my horn I was very very angry with

him and later pulled over the fam I said

guys I am so sorry I I responded outside

of uh the character of Christ and I

don’t remember how I how I worded it I

just I turned to them and I said I was

so wrong and I remember Eric my oldest

son he says yeah dad you were really

wrong that was

wrong and and I couldn’t get mad at him

because I actually invited him to do

that I want I want people around me to

say um it feels like you’re getting

careless here it feels like you should

pay more attention there what is that

it’s watching over the heart why because

everything in your life flows out of

that one place that one place the heart

is the seat of affection listen to this

out of the heart man believes so the

heart is the place where faith is

nurtured and developed all the things

that are are valuable to us the love of

God God flows to us and through us from

our own Hearts to humanity around us

everything about our life that is of

great significance is connected to the

heart and so it’s really

vital that when you when you see uh um

you taste salt water coming out of that

part of your life you go H that’s not

right that’s not right that’s that that

has a tinge of resentment or or sarcasm

or whatever it might be that’s not good

I’ve got to make sure to clean that up

so we get before the Lord we repent

repent deeply we’re going to wrap it up

with just a couple more verses

here it says

um in verse uh 22 it says for they are

like these are the words of of God the

words of wisdom they are life to those

who find them and health to all their

flesh here’s what I want to do I want to

throw something out that I’m going to

cover more thoroughly in weeks to

come wisdom by Nature has Divine Health

attached to

it wisdom by Nature has abundance

attached to it there are certain things

that they it’s almost like they come

with the package it’s in the design of

those who reign in life to have the

resources they need to accomplish their

purpose and to be radically generous to

affect the people around them wisdom has

with it the attachment of a Divine

Health a way of approaching life that

keeps us in a place of physical strength

emotional mental strength so I pray that

for you I pray that that every one of us

would get to not just explore but

actually Delight in and enjoy in the

coming uh weeks and months the

manifestation of wisdom as it affects

Health as it affects our finances as it

affects our family life our

relationships that every one of us would

see the beautiful fruit of reigning and

life I pray that over you right now in

Jesus name I bless you with that amen

amen next week we’re going to uh take a

look at uh a very interesting verse out

of Proverbs 5 and this whole concept of

of the purpose of the community that’s

what we’ll look at next join

us if I’m not administrative then I’m

going to make sure that I bring into

this organization administrative people

if I’m not good at foresight then I’m

going to have those that are very

intuitive around me the point is is that

we we want to make up for what we’re

lacking well what is it like in the body

of Christ is that we are connected to

people that will not only bring our

strengths to the surface but also help

us to see the blind

spots well hey there welcome back so

glad uh that you’re able to join us this

pursuit of wisdom the pursuit of the

lifestyle of wisdom not just a insight

for specific problem but actually the

partnership in C- laboring with Christ

that the mind of Christ becomes revealed

in and through us until it actually

impacts and affects the course of

history for everyone under our influence

that’s my prayer that’s a mouthful right

there but that really is the heart of

God for every one of us I’ve got this

very interesting verse and what I’m

trying to do is pull a um a verse or two

or a half a dozen or whatever out of a

particular chapter that we look at every

week and we’re going to start with just

one and then try to create the context

um it’s uh in Proverbs Chapter 5 and

it’s verse 14 a very sobering verse I

was on the verge of total ruin in the

midst of the assembly and congregation

think about that I was on the verge of

total ruin I was at the point of

collapse of loss of death of despairing

of life itself in the middle of the

congregation this is a this is a huge

subject and certainly bigger than we

will have time for today but let me just

say this there really is safety in

numbers and it’s not just being in the

room with people it’s actually being

connected to people what we have here is

we have in this context we have somebody

who hated correction in fact if you look

at the preceding verses he says in verse

12 how I have hated instruction my heart

despised correction I’ve not obeyed the

voice of my teachers nor incline my ear

to those who instructed me it’s in that

context of being resistant to input that

enables somebody to die alone in the

middle of a

crowd and there is a very unusual

warning here on a relational component

that exists in every one of our lives

this warning of how how you can be uh

associated in a sense of uh in in the

right you can be in the the right church

you can be in the right small group you

can be in the right business the right

business associates whatever it might be

you can be connected to all the right

people but if you’ve got that thing

going on in your heart where you hate

correction you don’t want to receive

things that will adjust your life to

improve your life if that’s the posture

you take you can die alone in the middle

of a crowd you can run out of gas right

in the middle of a fuel station not not

know how to draw from the life of the

people that have actually been put into

your life to make you stronger healthier

and better we actually are made much

more complete the the scripture makes it

pretty clear we are

individually members of one another

members of a

body there’s a seamless attachment from

my finger to my hand to my wrist to my

arm to my shoulder my torso the whole

point is is there’s the seamless

connection of every part of the body and

it’s the same in the church we we by

Design have been uh created to have

meaningful relationship with

people and just make me better I’m I’m

better because I have certain people in

my life and it’s not just um it’s not

just those who flatter you know it’s

it’s those who just complete you here’s

one of the most amazing things I’ve ever

seen in the Bible and I I just I just

picked this up again just maybe four or

five years ago

and you remember the verse that that

talks about a husband or wife and it

says it says and I will make a help meat

for

her that word I I don’t know why I

always thought it was it was U that the

Lord uh created a wife to be the helper

of the husband to assist him to

accomplish what he was designed to do

there’s certainly that element in for

all for both of us going both directions

where we had that kind of a role of

support to each other but that word is a

lot different than what I thought it was

it’s a word helpmate is actually a word

that God uses to describe himself in his

relationship with

Israel he’s certainly not one that comes

under the control and influence of

Israel he instead is there to complete

Israel and what the word actually comes

to mean that I want to draw out of this

this concept here in in Proverbs 5 what

this word actually comes to mean is that

a wife who is at help meet she is fully

equipped to

stand my wife is able to stand to me

face to face making up in me everything

I lack that’s a relationships that’s

what we do is we connect with people

that are strong where we’re weak any

president of a country any CEO of a

corporation any uh person who has a a

club or a gathering of any kind is is

going to attract people that are weak

excuse me are strong where they are weak

if I’m not administrative then I’m going

to make sure that I bring into this

organization administrative people if

I’m not good at foresight then I’m going

to have those that are very intuitive

around me that tend to see things that

are hard for somebody like me to pick up

whatever it might be the point is is

that we we want to make up for what

we’re lacking well what is it like in

the body of Christ is that we are

connected to people that will not only

bring our strengths to the surface to

the Forefront but also help us to see

the blind spots and so here we have this

this crazy warning said I was I was in

total ruin in the middle of the crowd in

the middle of the the assembly the

congregation I remember hearing this

quote from uh the late comic genius

comic at that Robin Williams I’m not

going to get the quote exactly right but

it was something like this is he said

the worst thing in the world is not uh

to be alone but is to actually be with

people who make you feel

alone it’s really

easy to have just surface level shake

the hand high five and go our way and

have no meaningful

exchange I I purposefully I’m I’m a shy

person by by Nature I purposefully have

to go out of my away make eye contact

with a person when I ask them how

they’re doing I wait to hear and then

make sure that I understand what they’re

saying yesterday a good friend of mine

said how you doing said doing okay I

said just okay she said yeah and then

went on to tell me uh a very close

friend of hers just lost their baby so

there’s this moment to connect and to

partner we don’t get the opportunity to

do that with every human but we can do

it with somebody we can do it have

meaningful connection with people where

we partner with them I remember years

ago we had a group of people come to

visit the church and the guy had a real

bad back and I I didn’t know him at all

excepting that one acquaintance and uh

so we were able to pray for him and talk

with him and minister to him and I saw

him yet uh I think it’s like two years

later and I just remembered he had that

back issue and I wasn’t trying to you

know impress him I was just interested

in how he was doing and I I said hey

how’s that back issue and he was shocked

that anybody would remember that he had

that kind of an issue that’s that’s what

it is is it’s it’s eye to eye connection

and concern we can’t fix everything but

we’re related to a father who has all

the answers and while I may not be able

to give you the $100,000 you need or be

able to fix this cancer that’s in your

body I can pray and I’m connected to a

father has unlimited resources and yes

he can and together we will pray for the

destruction of that

cancer being in the middle of the

congregation is supposed to mean

something I encourage you make sure that

you’re connected to people in a

meaningful way so I bless you with that

and Jesus wonderful wonderful name our

next session we’re going to look at

chapter six and we’re going to take a

quick look at how wisdom affects our

entire world wellbeing it should be fun

join us