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