16–22 June 2019. Proverbs 31 (click to read). In the ancient world, Proverbs was often the first textbook that young Jewish boys would have encountered. The wisdom of Proverbs was simple and easy to understand, and it was focused on the practical challenges of daily life. And so the first step in the education of […]
9–15 June 2019. Proverbs 24 (click to read). Proverbs 24 opens with the simple words: “Don’t envy evil people.” This plea is then repeated again in verse 19: “don’t envy the wicked”. At first it sounds like strange advice. Why would we ever envy evil and wicked people? But sadly this temptation is very common, very […]
2–8 June 2019. Proverbs 16 (click to read). In the church we spend a lot of time talking about right behaviour. We all want people to do what is right, and to avoid doing wrong. In principle, that’s fine. It’s good that we have high expectations of ourselves and of others; it’s good that we want […]
11–17 March 2018. Proverbs 11 (click to read). One of the big questions we have to face in life is: How should we live? What is the principle that should guide our lives and guide our behaviour? As parents we want to make sure that our children are following the right path; but these questions […]
4–10 March 2018. Proverbs 4 (click to read). It’s so frustrating when people don’t listen to us. Husbands complain that their wives don’t listen, wives complain their husbands don’t listen; parents complain their children don’t listen, and children complain that no one listens to them at all! How many times have we shouted out in […]
26 June – 2 July 2016. 1 Samuel 26 (click to read). When people do horrible things to us, straightaway we start to think how we can get back at them. How can we make them suffer for hurting us so badly? Sometimes people even think that taking revenge is what God wants them to […]
26 July – 1 August 2015. Proverbs 28 (click to read). In Taiwan, the election season is approaching again. The KMT and DPP are starting to put forward their candidates for president, and the newspapers seem full of stories every day about who has more popular support, who is most likely to be elected, and […]
19–25 July 2015. Proverbs 22 (click to read). In past centuries, people in the West had some very strange ideas about mission. Some churches thought that God lived in Europe and America, and that we Christians needed to pack God into our backpacks and carry him into the rest of the world. Today we know […]
12–18 July 2015. Proverbs 15 (click to read). Today we still talk about the seven wonders of the ancient world. Like the pyramids of Egypt, these ancient wonders were impressive structures and buildings that people even in ancient times thought were amazing. They are things we still find impressive today. We read about these places […]
5–11 July 2015. Proverbs 7–8 (click to read). There are so many voices in today’s culture that encourage people simply to follow their heart. So many songs and movies tell us that the heart never lies, so we can depend on our hearts, depend on our feelings to guide us. While sometimes that can be […]