Proverbs (Studies on the Go) - Softcover

Olshine, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310285488 ISBN 13: 9780310285489

Publisher: Zondervan, 2009

Synopsis

Knowledge may get your students pretty far in life, but it won’t be enough to get them through some of the daily challenges they will face as Christians. And it won’t help them grow in their faith. What students really need is God's wisdom, and for that there’s no better place to start than the book of Proverbs. Through engaging activities and thought-provoking questions that get right to the heart of Proverbs, your students will see that even though this book was written thousands of years ago, the instructions still apply to them. By the end of this study, your students will know how to answer questions that include: • How do I know what path to take? • What does God have to say about premarital sex? • How should I respond to money? • How should I treat other people? • How should I handle criticism? Written with the busy youth worker in mind, Studies on the Go: Proverbs provides Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageable time frame. The questions are real, down-to-earth, and straight to the point to get students quickly into Proverbs so they can hear God’s word on a practical level. Designed for Sunday school classes, youth groups, and small groups, this curriculum is guaranteed to get your students excited about and engaged with the Bible.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. David Olshine is professor and director of the Youth Ministry, Family and Culture Department at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. David was raised in a Jewish family and came to know Jesus as his Messiah in high school. He speaks across the United States annually to thousands of youth, youth workers and parents. Dr. Olshine has authored and co-authored twenty books, including Studies on the Go: Proverbs and Studies on the Go: Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians. David is the co-founder of Youth Ministry Coaches, an organization that coaches and consults churches for effective youth ministry strategies. David is married to Rhonda and they have two great kids, Rachel and Andrew.

From the Back Cover

Knowledge may get your students pretty far in life, but it won't be enough to get them through some of the daily challenges they will face as Christians. And it won't help them grow in their faith. What students really need is God's wisdom, and for that there's no better place to start than the book of Proverbs. Through engaging activities and thought-provoking questions that get right to the heart of Proverbs, your students will see that even though this book was written thousands of years ago, the instructions still apply to them. By the end of this study, your students will know how to answer questions that include: * How do I know what path to take? * What does God have to say about premarital sex? * How should I respond to money? * How should I treat other people? * How should I handle criticism? Written with the busy youth worker in mind, Studies on the Go: Proverbs provides Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageable time frame. The questions are real, down-to-earth, and straight to the point to get students quickly into Proverbs so they can hear God's word on a practical level. Designed for Sunday school classes, youth groups, and small groups, this curriculum is guaranteed to get your students excited about and engaged with the Bible.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Studies on the Go: Proverbs

By David Olshine

Zondervan

Copyright © 2009 David Olshine
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-28548-9

Contents

Introduction: How to Use Studies on the Go................................11Background Insights for ProverbsSECTION ONE...............................................................14Session 1-Baby Steps: Proverbs 1..........................................19Session 2-Finding the Good Trails: Proverbs 2.............................24Session 3-Words to Know-It-Alls: Proverbs 3...............................29Session 4-Discover by Doing: Proverbs 4...................................34Session 5-Pain in the Gut: Proverbs 5.....................................39Session 6-What God Hates: Proverbs 6......................................44Session 7-Sex and the City: Proverbs 7....................................49Session 8-Wisdom at its Best: Proverbs 8 and 9............................54Session 9-Sticks and Stones: Proverbs 10..................................59Session 10-Crooks, Character, and Cheers: Proverbs 11SECTION TWO...............................................................66Session 11-Lifelong Learners: Proverbs 12.................................71Session 12-Tongue Taming: Proverbs 13.....................................76Session 13-Getting on Track: Proverbs 14..................................81Session 14-School of Hard Knocks: Proverbs 15.............................86Session 15-Leadership Development: Proverbs 16............................91Session 16-Weathering Relational Storms: Proverbs 17......................86Session 17-Handling Crashes: Proverbs 18..................................102Session 18-Accepting Correction: Proverbs 19..............................107Session 19-Honest to God? Proverbs 20.....................................112Session 20-Why You Do What You Do: Proverbs 21SECTION THREE.............................................................118Session 21-Guidelines from Above: Proverbs 22.............................123Session 22-The Dancing Heart: Proverbs 23.................................128Session 23-Falling to Pieces: Proverbs 24.................................133Session 24-Boxes of Chocolate: Proverbs 25................................138Session 25-Mad Dog: Proverbs 26...........................................143Session 26-Know Your Condition: Proverbs 27...............................148Session 27-Playing Favorites? Proverbs 28.................................153Session 28-Cynics or Sages? Proverbs 29...................................158Session 29-Repetition: Proverbs 30........................................163Session 30-Keep Focused: Proverbs 31

Chapter One

BABY STEPS Proverbs 1

* * *

LEADER'S INSIGHT

King Solomon was one of the wisest men ever to walk this planet. He penned these sayings, called "proverbs." The main theme throughout the 31 chapters is obtaining wisdom-but not just any wisdom. Proverbs is about a specific kind of wisdom: God's wisdom.

Proverbs doesn't refer to wisdom as information gathering; rather Proverbs talks about gaining God's information, called wisdom, which leads to transformation. In the same way a caterpillar morphs into a new species of being in the butterfly, when we allow God's wisdom to shape our thoughts and actions, we become different from those around us.

Author Eugene Peterson says in his introduction to Proverbs in his Bible translation THE MESSAGE, "Wisdom is the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves" (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002). The book of Proverbs teaches us how to live skillfully. We desperately need wisdom for handling money, resolving conflict, taming our tongues, honoring our parents, loving the needy, checking our attitudes, and knowing what to do when faced with temptations and evil.

Knowledge is not enough; we need wisdom-God's wisdom. In Chapter 1 we'll explore how to get right with God and live skillfully according to God's wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 is one of the best-known texts in all of the Bible: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." To experience this kind of life successfully, we need to begin as most children do-taking baby steps. Let's dig in.

SHARE

If you had 24 hours to spend with anyone, past or present, whom you consider full of wisdom, who would that person be?

What's one of the dumbest or most embarrassing things you've ever done?

What's something you wish you'd known a year ago that you know today?

OBSERVE

Read Proverbs 1:1-7. What was Solomon's explanation of the purpose of his book? Based on verse 7, why should we "fear the Lord"? What does it mean to "fear the Lord"?

Look at verses 8-19. What are some of the warnings listed? What did Solomon plead for in verse 15?

In verses 20-27 what was the writer saying about wisdom's rebuke?

Read verses 28-33. What's the result of rejecting God's wisdom?

THINK

Based on verses 1-7, why is wisdom such a big deal? What are some ways to gain wisdom mentioned in these passages?

Look at verses 8-10. What does listening to fathers' and mothers' instructions have to do with God's wisdom?

Read verses 29-33. From these verses, how might you move closer to God? Away from God?

APPLY

Which is harder-being corrected by a friend or by a parent? Why? Explain.

Do you tend to listen to your parents' instructions or resist their advice?

Are you a better listener or advice giver?

How open are you to being corrected by someone on a scale of 1 (no way) to 10 (absolutely)?

DO

Watch the opening scene of the movie What About Bob? (1991) when Bob (Bill Murray) is in the office with his psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss). Bob hears the explanation of Marvin's new book, Baby Steps, and then proceeds to practice walking in and out of the office. After the clip have the students discuss the process of taking baby steps on becoming wiser. Then allow a debriefing time for students to complete this statement: "This week one baby step I will take toward seeking and applying God's wisdom to my life is [BLANK]." Have them write their ideas down (things stick better when we jot them on paper). Follow up on this next week; ask students to share what steps they took.

QUIET TIME REFLECTIONS

Day one: Proverbs 1:1-7

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. Do you view yourself as a person of wisdom? Why or why not?

3. Think about the word wisdom. What does it mean for your life?

Day two: Proverbs 1:8-15

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. What advice is given to overcome temptation?

3. Which temptations are you most vulnerable to give in to? Which ones are you most able to overcome?

Day three: Proverbs 1:16-19

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. What do you think about the phrase "how useless to spread a net where every bird can see it"? What does this mean?

3. What are some ways to handle temptation?

Day four: Proverbs 1:20-22

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. What's your response to handling correction?

3. What are practical ways you can be a teachable person?

Day five: Proverbs 1:23-27

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. Does wisdom help us avoid bad choices, based on verses 26-27?

3. Think about the consequences of listening and learning. How does this impact the outcome of many situations?

Day six: Proverbs 1:28-33

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?

2. What does it mean that "they will eat the fruit of their ways" in verse 31?

3. How does God intend for us to make wise decisions?

Day seven: Proverbs 1:1-33

Read through the entire passage. Write down the one verse that impacted you the most this week. Commit the passage to memory.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Studies on the Go: Proverbsby David Olshine Copyright © 2009 by David Olshine. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0310285488
• ISBN 13: 9780310285489
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176