Friends, I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s coming up over the next few weeks.
In just two Sundays, we’ll wrap up our summer series, “A Better Way,” as we’ve been walking through the wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and more. My hope is that this series hasn’t simply helped us become people who know more about wisdom, but people who actually live wisely.
That’s really the lesson of Solomon’s life. When God invited him to ask for anything, Solomon asked for wisdom and God generously gave it to him (1 Kings 3). He became the wisest man of his generation and wrote many of the Proverbs we’ve been studying. Yet Solomon’s story is also a sobering reminder that wisdom learned must become wisdom lived.
He warned others about the dangers of sexual temptation, yet he married many foreign wives who eventually turned his heart away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1–8).
He taught that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), yet over time he trusted in wealth, power, and political alliances, accumulating extraordinary riches, horses, and military strength in ways God had specifically warned Israel’s kings against (1 Kings 10:14–29; Deuteronomy 17:16–17).
Solomon possessed remarkable wisdom, but he didn’t always apply it—and the consequences were devastating. His heart drifted from the Lord and after his reign the kingdom was divided (1 Kings 11:9–13).
As we finish our wisdom series, that’s the invitation for all of us. The goal isn’t simply to know God’s wisdom; it’s to practice it. Apply it. Wisdom isn’t complete until it shapes the way we actually live.
Then, beginning August 23, we’ll start a brand-new journey through the book of “Philippians.” If Proverbs teaches us the skill of living wisely, Philippians teaches us the secret of living joyfully in Christ. It’s one of the most encouraging books in the New Testament and I truly believe God is going to use it to strengthen our faith and deepen our joy.
I hope you’ll be with us for these final two weeks in “A Better Way” and then invite a friend as we begin Philippians together. We can’t wait to see what God has in store this Fall.
Thomas Milburn, Senior Pastor
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