In college, I had a friend who always gave the best advice. All of us would bring our problems to him, and he would help us sort out our lives. I used to joke with him that if his future business career didn’t work out, he could always grow a long beard, move to a hut on top of a mountain, and dispense wisdom to anyone who made it up the steep climb.

Sometimes I still think that getting wisdom stereotypically demands a long, uphill journey to find a silent and stoic sage. But is this really where God’s wisdom is found?

Perhaps surprisingly, the book of Proverbs shows us that God has playfully woven wisdom into all the world around us. In fact, wisdom is even now “delighting in the children of man” (Prov. 8:31). In our second week of our FamilyWise series, we will look more closely at the joy of wisdom discovered in the way of wonder.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)



Date: July 5, 2015  // Title: GET WISDOM!

 

Scripture: Proverbs 4:7-9

 

SERMON REVIEW  5-10 minutes

This week as we continued our Family Wise series together through the book of Proverbs, Jon talked about how to find wisdom and what the goal of wisdom is once we find it. The stunning truth is that wisdom is all around us. Finding wisdom often means seeing everything through the fear and fun of God. The fear of God helps us live connected to God as we stand in awe of who He is and what He has done. The fun of God helps us enjoy God and live in a sense of delight. The word wonder brings this sense of awe and delight, to which the fear and fun of God has led us, together. And as we live in wonder, we allow it to form God’s goal of goodness in our lives.

 

THE MAIN THOUGHT: “The GOAL of wisdom is GOODNESS”

5 Questions to help us grow or SEE IT

  1. What is the goal of wisdom?
    Discuss how wisdom is not about getting everything you want; it is about choosing what is good in any situation—and growing in goodness as we do.
  2. How does the FEAR of the Lord help us find wisdom?
    Discuss how to live in the awe of God by distinguishing the difference between bad fear (that paralyzes us) and good fear (that mobilizes us)
  3. How does the FUN of the Lord help us find wisdom?
    Discuss how wisdom is found in play and how it leads us to delight in God.
  4. When is the last time you were gripped with wonder?
    Discuss the last time you were amazed by something. Why did it amaze you? What things filled your heart when you were amazed?
  5. What is one way each of you could live with a sense of wonder this week?
    Have each person name one way they could learn to live with awe and delight.

 

Three exercises to help us go or BE IT–choose at least one

 

UP (Our relationship with God): Family Prayers

 

Take some time to live into WONDER together as a family this week. As you gather for meals this week, share together where you lived in fear (either bad or good) or fun each day. Talk together about how each of these experiences might be a chance to live in the AWE of God. Then read from Proverbs together by choosing one chapter of Proverbs 9-16 to read as a family.

 

IN (Our relationships with each other): Family Mantra

 

Choose something FUN to do as a family this week that may help you live into WONDER. Here are a few suggestions: hike up Stone Mountain and take in the view, go to the aquarium or zoo and look at the animals, watch or rent a movie together and make it a Family Fun Night, or play in the pool as a family (mom and dad included).

 

OUT (Our relationship with the world): Family Give

 

Choose a family mission to do together this week, with the goal being that someone might experience something WONDERFUL. You might want to come as a family to Generation Salaam on Wednesday night. Or you might consider doing something special for your neighbors. Use your creativity as a family to come up with at least one thing to do for someone that they might think is WONDERFUL.