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The latest at Irvington United Methodist Church

Stay up to date with the happenings of Irvington United Methodist Church by visiting our blog. You'll find information such as announcements, sermon notes and thoughts from our pastor to encourage and challenge your walk with the Lord.

The Wise Listen to Advice

by: Denise Robinson

11/20/2020

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Chapter 12 of Proverbs continues with random comparisons of righteousness vs  wickedness. The chapter begins with the warning that to love knowledge is to love (or accept) discipline or rebuke. Those who hate to be corrected are called "stupid" - a word we would consider insulting, but one that works in opposition to "wisdom." The wise person heeds these admonitions and changes their lives accordingly and, as v. 2 says, gains favor with G...
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The Generous Person Will Be Enriched

by: Denise Robinson

11/19/2020

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Today's litany of verses looks at generosity. What does one do with wealth? Remember that when Solomon is writing these verses there were no banking accounts, retirement plans, long-term investments, etc.  The means of holding onto wealth generally consisted of buying land, livestock, gold or silver or spending it on a house. This meant that the differences between the wealthy and the poor were immediately obvious. So, what does Solomon (who as king was ...
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The Righteous Will Live

by: Denise Robinson

11/18/2020

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The contrasts between one who is "righteous" (lives according to God's laws and will and for the good of others) and one who is "wicked" (lives according to their own will and for the good of themselves) continue. Every now and then, the verses that draw the contrast between how one lives righteously (as opposed to those who live wickedly) pause to remember what is at stake. V. 21, our concluding verse for today, is one such pause:
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Making Good Life Choices

by: Denise Robinson

11/17/2020

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Today's verses continue with seemingly random words of wisdom ("admonitions" or "warnings"), one following another with no apparent connection or unifying theme. It's important to remember that Proverbs is not like other books of the Bible: it doesn't introduce us to any historical people, it doesn't tell the story of the Israelite people, and it's not prophecy. In this book are collected sayings that were held as true by t...
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Choose to Live the Wisdom Way

by: Denise Robinson

11/16/2020

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Last week, at we opened Ch. 10 of Proverbs, we looked at a seemingly random list of wise sayings from Solomon and today that list continues. The first "theme" centered on having a reliable work ethic and being honest in our dealings with others. The second focused on speech: how we speak to one another, choosing our words wisely, and letting love guide what we say. Today's collection seems to jump from one topic to another, but there is a common thr...
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Love Covers All Offenses

by: Denise Robinson

11/13/2020

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Yesterday we looked at a seemingly random list of wise sayings from Solomon and today that list continues. Yesterday's "theme" centered on having a reliable work ethic and being honest in our dealings with others. Today's verses seems to focus on speech: how we speak to one another, choosing our words wisely, and letting love guide what we say.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the...
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Wise Sayings of Solomon

by: Denise Robinson

11/12/2020

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Proverbs 9 began with Wisdom calling out to those in need of instruction and knowledge and ends with folly's call. Folly, or foolishness, is loud and ignorant, and makes promises that on the surface seem enticing, but which lead to emptiness and death. Now, in chapter 10, we get, one after another, "wise sayings" of Solomon. For your morning meditation, I encourage you to read each one of the following slowly and reflect on how they might impact you...
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Gaining in Learning

by: Denise Robinson

11/11/2020

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The 9th chapter of Proverbs opens with Wisdom calling out for attention. But then it jumps to a series of verses dealing with "scoffers" - people who make fun of or mock other people or treat them with contempt; they are disagreeable just for the sake of being disagreeable. So, what does Wisdom have to say? Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse; whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt. A scoffer who is r...
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Wisdom Was Created By God

by: Denise Robinson

11/10/2020

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If "Wisdom" is viewed as a person who cries out for us to respond, seeks us out when we ignore her, and offers us the gifts of insight, discernment, the ability to distinguish between what is righteous vs. evil, etc. (yesterday's verses), then how did Wisdom come into being? Today's verses tell us about Wisdom's beginning.

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Age...
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I Will Speak Noble Things

by: Denise Robinson

11/09/2020

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Our verses for today once again personalize wisdom. She calls out to us, encourages us to listen, and offers us gifts. What are wisdom's gifts? As you read these verses, see if you can come up with a list. Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries ou...
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Call Wisdom Your Sister

by: Denise Robinson

11/06/2020

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Today's verses are written from a father to a son about what he sees when he looks out the window, particularly when it comes to relationships between the sexes. The young men appear to act without thought or sense, while the women act intentionally and seductively. Can these verses be discarded by us as outdated? Are they the product of thinking that blames the woman and casts the man as a victim? Or is there more to the story? First, read the words; then we...
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Bind God's Word on Your Heart

by: Denise Robinson

11/05/2020

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Today we conclude the practical advice in the sixth chapter of Proverbs. On the face of it, these verses seem to be about adultery (a topic which will also be discussed in our next chapter); perhaps Solomon has so much to say about adultery because he had seen and was fully aware of its consequences - to the father (King David), to the woman (his mother, Bathsheba), and to the child (himself). However, as you read these verses look for a deeper, more general, app...
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Things God Hates

by: Denise Robinson

11/04/2020

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Solomon's litany of "practical admonitions" continues today as he provides a list of things that God hates. As you read through the list, you will read that there are seven - six that God plainly "hates" and then a seventh which is (even worse) an abomination to God and, when considered with everything else, turns everything listed into an abomination. What is the difference between something God hates and something God views as an abomina...
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Lessons from an Ant

by: Denise Robinson

11/03/2020

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Today we continue with practical admonitions (practical advice) for living. Yesterday warned against cosigning for another's loans - although the advice more broadly spoke against speaking and acting before thinking and making promises that cannot be kept. The verses for today discuss the work ethic we are to have if we wish to succeed in life. 

"Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without ha...
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Think Before Speaking....

by: Denise Robinson

11/02/2020

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Our next chapter, which we will look at over the next several days, concerns itself with "practical admonitions." Although still written in the form of instructions from a parent to a child, the concerns are for adult children focusing on personal and financial responsibility. The words are good reminders for all of us in living God's "way of wisdom."

The first admonition has to do with the danger of pledgin...
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