Pastor Chris' Blog

Day 8  God offers us His wisdom. It transcends the universe and those who live by it it are truly blessed Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 8:27-32 I was there when He made the heavens and rounded out the planet in the palm of His hands. I was there when He shaped the oceans and told them how to flow. I was right there beside Him when He designed the earth, like His head engineer. He was thrilled with me and I loved Him and the world He made and the people He created. So now listen to me children: if you live out my principles, you’ll be truly blessed. So many people chase an elusive happiness. But when we live by God's wisdom, we find something even better--blessedness. Prayer "Lord of Heaven and Earth, Creator of the universe and all that exists, help me to seek wisdom above all else and live by her principles every day and thus find blessing that goes so far beyond happiness. Amen." Read Proverbs Chapter 8
New American Standard Bible	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase
Proverbs 8 The Commendation of Wisdom 1 Does not wisdom call, And understanding [a]lift up her voice? 2 On top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 3 Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out: 4 “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. 5 “O [b]naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand [c]wisdom. 6 “Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things. 7 “For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. 9 “They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. 10 “Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. 11 “For wisdom is better than [d]jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her. 12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion. 13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate. 14 “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine. 15 “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 “By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly. 17 “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. 18 “Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. 19 “My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver. 20 “I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, 21 To endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. 22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works [e]of old. 23 “From everlasting I was [f]established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. 24 “When there were no depths I was [g]brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. 25 “Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was [h]brought forth; 26 While He had not yet made the earth and the [i]fields, Nor the first dust of the world. 27 “When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became [j]fixed, 29 When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His [k]command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, [l]Rejoicing always before Him, 31 [m]Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men. 32 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways. 33 “Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it. 34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts. 35 “For he who finds me finds life And obtains favor from the Lord. 36 “But he who [n]sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.” Footnotes: 1.    Proverbs 8:1 Lit give 2.   Proverbs 8:5 Lit simple 3.   Proverbs 8:5 Lit heart 4.   Proverbs 8:11 Lit corals 5.   Proverbs 8:22 Lit from then 6.   Proverbs 8:23 Or consecrated 7.   Proverbs 8:24 Or born 8.   Proverbs 8:25 Or born 9.   Proverbs 8:26 Lit outside places 10. Proverbs 8:28 Lit strong 11. Proverbs 8:29 Lit mouth 12. Proverbs 8:30 Or Playing 13. Proverbs 8:31 Or Playing 14. Proverbs 8:36 Or misses me	Proverbs 8 Wisdom’s Gifts 1-3 Can't you hear wisdom calling? Don't you hear reason preaching boldly? She stands where everyone can see her, where everyone goes, at the busiest intersections, at the city’s welcome center, where everyone goes in to do business.  She broadcasts this message: 4-11 “Here’s a message for every living person.  Oh naive little children, grow up and be careful!  If you're immature, learn as much as you can.  Listen to me, because these are the most important things.  What I say is true. Evil and lies are disgusting to my mouth. My words are holy, never twisted or corrupt. They’re clear to anyone who understands and perfect for all who have a little sense. Accept what I say. Choose it over gold or silver. Wisdom is better than jewels or anything else you could ever want. Nothing else even comes close.” 12-16 “I am Wisdom and I’ve lived with crafty people.  I know how to figure out cunning plans.  In order to revere the Lord, you have to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, evil, and twisted tongues.  I have advice that’s worth hearing.  I know what’s really going on.  I have real power.  Kings reign because of me and leaders make good laws.  I enable leaders to exercise true authority, including volunteers and helpers, everyone who makes good decisions. 17-19 “I love everyone who loves me.  People who get up early in the morning and search all day will find me.  I have wealth and honor as well as goodness and treasures of eternal value.  My rewards are better than gold--even the purest gold--and my bonus is better than sterling silver.   20-21 I lead people down the well-marked path of goodness and wise decisions, making those who love me wealthy with more in the bank.  22-26 The Lord made me at the very start of it all. It was the very first thing He did. He put me in place eons ago, before the earth even existed.  I was deep before there was depth. I was refreshing before there were springs of water. I was on high before there were mountains or hills, growing and producing before there was even soil to farm. 27-31 I was there when He made the heavens and rounded out the planet in the palm of His hands. I was there when He shaped the oceans and told them how to flow. I was right there beside Him when He designed the earth, like His head engineer. He was thrilled with me and I loved Him and the world He made and the people He created. 32-36 So now listen to me children: if you live out my principles, you’ll be truly blessed.  Hear my teaching and let it make you wise, don’t ignore it.  People who listen to me are so happy they watch outside my gate everyday, waiting for me to come out my door, because whoever finds me finds life and gets a blessing from the Lord.  People who aren’t paying attention might miss me and really hurt themselves; those who hate me love death.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs (PCP) Copyright © 2018 by Chris Mullis