The Quest A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PROVERBS

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Justin Edwin McKinney
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1 N W E S The Quest A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PROVERBS A SIX-MONTH READING PLAN JANUARY JUNE 2015

2 A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PROVERBS Proverbs is probably one of the most frequently quoted books found in the Bible. A trip to the local Christian bookstore will reveal coffee mugs, T-shirts, plaques and paperweights emblazoned with verses from this remarkable book. And there are plenty to choose from, because the book is filled with all kinds of pithy statements, wise sayings, proverbial one-liners and collections of advice on everything from the benefits of good parenting and the dangers of excessive drinking to the keys to managing your time and the necessity of controlling your temper. During the coming months you re going to be reading through the Proverbs. You re going to look at what Solomon, David s son, successor and the wisest man who ever lived, has to tell us about a proper response to a growing knowledge or understanding of God. At the opening of the book, Solomon shares his purpose for writing his proverbs: to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser (Proverbs 1:1-5a, NLT). Our prayer is that through these daily readings, you will discover how the wise person the one who loves God and lives for Him responds to Him in worship, thankfulness, obedience, submission, prayer and a life of increasing godliness. We are using a weekday-only reading schedule, because we believe this allows people two days over the weekend to catch up should they fall behind. This reading plan is designed to encourage a more intensive time in the Word. The emphasis is on quality, not quantity. We encourage you to read the number of the Proverb that corresponds to the particular date on the calendar. So on the seventh day of the month you would read Proverbs 7. In doing this over a period of several months, you will end up reading through each Proverb several times. Since the Proverbs are not written in a certain order, this format works well. Be sure and use the S.O.A.P. acronym to help you get as much out of the passage as possible. S.O.A.P. ACRONYM S O A P Scripture. Read the daily passage. Write out a verse or two that speak to you. Observe. Make a note of what you observe in the text. Write down what you see. Keep it simple. Application. Write out any ways you can apply this passage to your life. Prayer. Express your response to God s Word in a word of prayer to God. Ask God to help you live out what you have learned. Write down anything you learned today that could be encouraging to someone else; share it with them this week via , a phone call or over coffee. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS READING PLAN: OLD TESTAMENT Prov Proverbs

3 SOME HELPFUL TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE As you begin this important journey through the Bible, we want to provide you with a few study tools that will help make your time in the Word more enjoyable and profitable. The Bible is the Word of God and is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16, NASB). You don t have to be a Bible scholar to understand it or apply it to your life. But you do have to read it with purpose and intentionality. Here are six steps you can follow as you read through the recommended passages each day. 1. Remember the context. Each day you will be reading one chapter at a time. This is important, because too many of us read isolated verses out of context, and so we fail to get the big picture. Each verse needs to be kept in context with the verses surrounding it. What s going on? What has been happening? Look at the chapters before and after the passage you are reading. Go back and look at the overall context of the book itself. Read slowly and thoughtfully, even taking notes to help you keep track of what is going on. 2. Search for clues. This is an important step that shouldn t be overlooked. Because Scripture is inspired by God, there are no wasted words. So look for key words, repeated phrases, people s names, locations, etc. anything that might help you better understand what is going on. Ask questions like, Who s speaking? Who is he speaking to? What s the location? What is being said? When did this take place? What is significant about this? Basically you are looking for one thing: The main subject of the passage. 3. Look for comparisons and contrasts in other passages. A handy tool that you might want to pick up is a good concordance. They are often found in the back of many study Bibles. You can also locate them at websites like or or in our bookstore at the Fort Worth Campus on the first floor of the Link Building. A good concordance will allow you to look up other passages that use similar words or phrases in order to compare and contrast their usage and meaning. The best way to study Scripture is by comparing it with Scripture. This can help you better understand a passage s meaning and prevent you from twisting or distorting it. 4. Clarify your thoughts using other resources. Along with a concordance, you might want to purchase a good Bible dictionary, Bible encyclopedia, Bible atlas or a commentary on the particular book you are reading. These resources can help shed light on a verse or give you insights into important cultural or historical facts. Again, you can find many of these online at the sites listed above or in our bookstore. But more than anything else, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you read. Think about the passage, meditate on it and allow God to speak to you personally through it. 5. Determine your conclusion. This is an important step. After all your reading and research, try to determine the main point or principle of the passage. Try to limit it to a single sentence that succinctly summarizes the entire passage. 6. Make a commitment. The reason we study the Bible is not for more knowledge, but for life transformation. We study God s Word to learn more about Him and so that we can become more like Him. In other words, our goal is to increase in godliness. That requires taking action applying what we learn and allowing it to change our lives from the inside out.

4 2015 READING SCHEDULE January Thursday, Jan. 1...Prov 1 Friday, Jan. 2...Prov 2 Monday, Jan. 5...Prov 5 Tuesday, Jan. 6...Prov 6 Wednesday, Jan. 7...Prov 7 Thursday, Jan. 8...Prov 8 Friday, Jan. 9...Prov 9 Monday, Jan Prov 12 Tuesday, Jan Prov 13 Wednesday, Jan Prov 14 Thursday, Jan Prov 15 Friday, Jan Prov 16 Monday, Jan Prov 19 Tuesday, Jan Prov 20 Wednesday, Jan Prov 21 Thursday, Jan Prov 22 Friday, Jan Prov 23 Monday, Jan Prov 26 Tuesday, Jan Prov 27 Wednesday, Jan Prov 28 Thursday, Jan Prov 29 Friday, Jan Prov 30 February Monday, Feb. 2...Prov 2 Tuesday, Feb. 3...Prov 3 Wednesday, Feb. 4...Prov 4 Thursday, Feb. 5...Prov 5 Friday, Feb. 6...Prov 6 Monday, Feb. 9...Prov 9 Tuesday, Feb Prov 10 Wednesday, Feb Prov 11 Thursday, Feb Prov 12 Friday, Feb Prov 13 Monday, Feb Prov 16 Tuesday, Feb Prov 17 Wednesday, Feb Prov 18 Thursday, Feb Prov 19 Friday, Feb Prov 20 Monday, Feb Prov 23 Tuesday, Feb Prov 24 Wednesday, Feb Prov 25 Thursday, Feb Prov 26 Friday, Feb Prov 27 March Monday, March 2...Prov 2 Tuesday, March 3...Prov 3 Wednesday, March 4...Prov 4 Thursday, March 5...Prov 5 Friday, March 6...Prov 6 Monday, March 9...Prov 9 Tuesday, March Prov 10 Wednesday, March Prov 11 Thursday, March Prov 12 Friday, March Prov 13 Monday, March Prov 16 Tuesday, March Prov 17 Wednesday, March Prov 18 Thursday, March Prov 19 Friday, March 20...Prov 20 Monday, March 23...Prov 23 Tuesday, March Prov 24 Wednesday, March 25...Prov 25 Thursday, March 26...Prov 26 Friday, March 27...Prov 27 Monday, March 30...Prov 30 Tuesday, March Prov 31 April Wednesday, April 1...Prov 1 Thursday, April 2...Prov 2 Friday, April 3...Prov 3 Monday, April 6...Prov 6 Tuesday, April 7...Prov 7 Wednesday, April 8...Prov 8 Thursday, April 9...Prov 9 Friday, April Prov 10 Monday, April Prov 13 Tuesday, April Prov 14 Wednesday, April Prov 15 Thursday, April Prov 16 Friday, April Prov 17 Monday, April 20...Prov 20 Tuesday, April Prov 21 Wednesday, April 22...Prov 22 Thursday, April 23...Prov 23 Friday, April Prov 24

5 Monday, April 27...Prov 27 Tuesday, April 28...Prov 28 Wednesday, April 29...Prov 29 Thursday, April 30...Prov 30 Thursday, June 25...Prov 25 Friday, June 26...Prov 26 Monday, June 29...Prov 29 Tuesday, June 30...Prov 30 May Friday, May 1...Prov 1 Monday, May 4...Prov 4 Tuesday, May 5...Prov 5 Wednesday, May 6...Prov 6 Thursday, May 7...Prov 7 Friday, May 8...Prov 8 Monday, May Prov 11 Tuesday, May Prov 12 Wednesday, May Prov 13 Thursday, May Prov 14 Friday, May Prov 15 Monday, May Prov 18 Tuesday, May Prov 19 Wednesday, May 20...Prov 20 Thursday, May Prov 21 Friday, May 22...Prov 22 Monday, May 25...Prov 25 Tuesday, May 26...Prov 26 Wednesday, May 27...Prov 27 Thursday, May 28...Prov 28 Friday, May 29...Prov 29 June Monday, June 1...Prov 1 Tuesday, June 2...Prov 2 Wednesday, June 3...Prov 3 Thursday, June 4...Prov 4 Friday, June 5...Prov 5 Monday, June 8...Prov 8 Tuesday, June 9...Prov 9 Wednesday, June Prov 10 Thursday, June Prov 11 Friday, June Prov 12 Monday, June Prov 15 Tuesday, June Prov 16 Wednesday, June Prov 17 Thursday, June Prov 18 Friday, June Prov 19 Monday, June 22...Prov 22 Tuesday, June 23...Prov 23 Wednesday, June Prov 24

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The 5 ways to get a grip on the Bible: 1. HEAR The Bible So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

The 5 ways to get a grip on the Bible: 1. HEAR The Bible So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. HERITAGE BASICS: Lesson 2 KNOWING THE BIBLE Memory Verse 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.