[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":94},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fwisdom-on-the-go":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwisdom-on-the-go-surround":83},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":65,"date":66,"description":16,"extension":67,"image":68,"meta":69,"minRead":70,"navigation":71,"path":72,"postType":73,"publication":74,"publicationUrl":68,"seo":75,"stem":76,"topics":77,"__hash__":82},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fwisdom-on-the-go.md","Wisdom on the Go",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":62},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,40,47,50,53,56,59],[14,15,16],"p",{},"I love the book of Proverbs.",[14,18,19],{},"It's a jewelry box filled with nuggets of spiritual gold.",[14,21,22],{},"It's a toolbox full of blue-collar common sense—hardworking truths that wound us and heal us, break us and mend our broken places.",[14,24,25],{},"It's a manual for fathering and mothering, for managing a business, for leadership and friendship and stewardship.",[14,27,28],{},"It's a handbook of godly wisdom about all kinds of real-life issues like anger, justice, marriage, money, and sexuality.",[14,30,31],{},"This book doesn't tell a story, but it helps us separate truth from falsehood in all the other stories we hear.",[14,33,34,35,39],{},"Over the years, though, I've found myself feeling frustrated because the book of Proverbs isn't topically arranged. Have you ever found it difficult to locate a specific proverb when you need it? You wonder, ",[36,37,38],"em",{},"Where is that verse about gossip?"," and then after a bit of research you discover not one but several verses about the tongue scattered randomly throughout the book.",[14,41,42,43,46],{},"I don't mean to second-guess the Lord, but it would have been a big help if the book were arranged in a systematic and orderly fashion. Why not put all the subjects in alphabetical order for easy reference? Years ago I actually put together a topical listing for my own study called an ",[36,44,45],{},"Encyclopedia of Proverbs",", which I have found handy in sermon and lesson preparation.",[14,48,49],{},"And yet, it's possible to find significance not only in the proverbs themselves, but even in the way they're arranged. Many of the verses seem randomly scattered, but then, daily life contains a lot of randomness too. I need wisdom not only when everything goes according to plan, but even when—especially when—my best-laid plans give way to disarray. I need wisdom to handle the unexpected phone call, the unplanned encounter with a neighbor, the disturbing piece of news, and the dangerously alluring temptation that comes out of the blue.",[14,51,52],{},"Life doesn't happen topically in a well-ordered sequence of events moving smoothly from one subject to the next. Like the book of Proverbs, life requires us to practice wisdom on the go.",[14,54,55],{},"Viewed that way, the book of Proverbs makes perfect sense. It's about wisdom on the go. Do an honest day's work. Don't be lazy. Control your temper. Be faithful to your wife. Give your children proper discipline. Don't eat too much. Cultivate healthy friendships. Spend, save, and give money prudently. Control your tongue. Replace self-destructive habits with constructive ones. Listen not only to the voice of reason, but to the voice of God.",[14,57,58],{},"I don't need an easy-to-read reference with alphabetical tabs as much as I need the discernment to weave God's wisdom into the give-and-take of my daily life with all its random events. Evidently the book of Proverbs is even wiser than I realized, including the way it's arranged. I'm sorry I ever questioned it.",[14,60,61],{},"Now where is that verse about repentance?",{"title":9,"searchDepth":63,"depth":63,"links":64},2,[],"First Look","2007-10-07","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwisdom-on-the-go","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fwisdom-on-the-go",[78,79,80,81],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","Intergenerational Ministry","cHGMa_fWTYwp24AO6joDOHsgdt6l-Y_YoueFITP3D3E",[84,89],{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87,"description":88,"children":-1},"Winning the Battle With Temptation","\u002Farticles\u002Fwinning-the-battle-with-temptation","articles\u002Fwinning-the-battle-with-temptation","I asked members of a Bible college faculty to take a piece of paper and write down a temptation they struggle to overcome. I joked that they also should feel free to write down a temptation they suspect others in the room struggle with. One professor glanced at the guy sitting next to him and quipped that he needed a bigger piece of paper!",{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"description":93,"children":-1},"With Open Arms","\u002Farticles\u002Fwith-open-arms","articles\u002Fwith-open-arms","What would it be like if God himself came to earth?",1790466197000]