Upwards Church

Wise Living – Proverbs 3:5-12

Posted on January 14, 2025 by dkoop

Have you every known an educated fool? Just because we have knowledge, doesn’t mean we know how to live. As we have seen, wisdom if from God and wisdom is the application of knowledge. Wisdom is right living, not just head knowledge. The Proverbs are trying to show us why we need to listen to God’s ways and God’s wisdom. The first two chapters have explained that God has wisdom for all generations. God gives this to us so that we can have a skillful, insightful, and successful life before God in this world. Wisdom is only found in God and is not found anywhere else. God’s wisdom is available to all people to keep us from the permanent damage that we can inflict on our lives. God is going to put before us the big idea and then show us three major ways to follow through with this teaching.

So let’s start with the big idea. Look at Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Trust God

Both the word “trust” and the word “rely” carry the picture of leaning on something for physical support. Some translations use the word “lean.” Think about what God is saying if we are going to find favor and good success before God and people. Lean on the Lord completely. Trust him with all your heart. We do not like to lean on something completely because it is frightening. What will happen if we lean on it and it moves? We are going to fall down and get hurt. So we are not interested in leaning completely on something. We are not interested in trusting in the Lord completely because we have trusted other people and been burned. We trusted in someone and they let us down. So we think we are never going to do that again. I am not going to be that fool again.

What does God mean by trusting in him with all our heart? What does it look like to lean on him? Look at verse 5. “Lean not on your own understanding.” Do not depend on your own insights. Trusting God means not relying on our own wisdom, our own way of thinking, our own logic, or our own understanding. Now notice the verse again. We will completely depend on the Lord which means we will have zero dependency on our own way of thinking. We will trust the Lord and not rely on our understanding when it comes to dating, sexual relations, marriage, parenting, job, finances and the future. We will trust in the Lord and not rely on our way of thinking when it comes to anger, bitterness, selfishness, and forgiveness. We will trust in the Lord, believing that he will care for us, and not depend on ourselves. We will trust in the Lord and give ourselves sacrificially to all and not rely on our own thoughts about why we are afraid to do this.

We have a lot of curious ways that we like to think that we are trusting in God. We like to say that we trust in the Lord. We like to tell other people to trust in the Lord. But listen to what that means. Trusting in the Lord means we do not rely on what we think is the right thing to do. Trusting in the Lord means that we do not do what we think is best. Trusting in the Lord means we will not listen to our own senses — what we see and what we feel — but will listen to him.

You will notice that this is what verse 6 says. “In all your ways acknowledge him”. We will listen and obey God in every decision we make. We will listen to him and not ourselves in every path we take. We will not listen to ourselves and then cross check with God later. We will look to God alone for every path we take. God says that if we will do this then he will make our paths straight. God will take you down the right road if you will depend on him and not on your own thinking. Jesus summed up this idea in a very simple sentence. Jesus said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). This is what it means to follow Jesus. We completely trust God’s ways and not our ways. This is what the people faith did. We do not have time to talk about people like Abraham who were asked to do things that were completely illogical in their walk of faith. But let me sum it up this way. If we need to understand and agree with everything we do, then we are not walking by faith. There is no room for faith. Everything is sight to you. You are relying on your own understanding and not leaning on God at all. So let’s talk about what this looks like in the next few verses.

Trusting in the Lord means being humble. Look at verse 7. “Do not be wise in your own eyes” (3:7). What is God telling us? Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t think you have life figured out. Don’t think you have superior wisdom. Don’t think that your wisdom is God’s wisdom. Why is this so important? Why can’t we be impressed with ourselves? The reason why is that we will never listen to God if we think we have things figured out. If you are wise in your own eyes, you are not going to listen to God. If you are wise in your own eyes, you are never going to listen to good Christian counsel from trusted, spiritual, godly people. No one is going to be able to help you because you are so smart.

All of this means that we are humble about our lives. It is not me; it is God. Just because something goes well in our lives does not mean that we are experts. It means God has blessed us. Don’t think you have all the answers. Do not rely on your understanding. Now listen to what God says about this. If we will be humble, it will be healing for our bodies and strength to our bones (3:8). Your life can be refreshing if you will stop thinking so much of yourself and rely on the wisdom of God. This is such an important picture. God can give your life wholeness. You do not have to feel empty. You do not have to feel like there is something missing. You do not have to have a hole in your life. You can be complete and satisfied because God will give you the nourishment and strength to your life.

Honor God with our Possessions

Trusting in the Lord means honoring the Lord with your possessions and wealth. Be generous and use your wealth in such a way so that God is honored. Now why is this a picture of trusting in the Lord and not relying on our own understanding? How we use our wealth shows if we trust God or if we are depending on ourselves. When we choose to not honor the Lord with our wealth and honor him with the first of what we receive, then we are saying that we have to take care of ourselves. My money is for me and I need to take care of me. But I want us to see how counterintuitive God’s wisdom is to our wisdom. We think that the only way we can have is if we think about ourselves first and rely on our own wisdom.

But look at verse 10. “If you will honor the Lord with your wealth, then your barns will be completely filled and your vats will overflow.” What is God saying? God is saying that he will take care of us if we will trust him with the wealth he has given to us. Do we believe that God is going to take care of us today? Do we believe that God will take care of us tomorrow? God strongly tried to show this truth to us. Think about what God showed the people of Israel in the wilderness. Pick up the manna from the ground but only as much as you need for today. I will take care of you tomorrow. If you try to pick up extra, I will make it rot. But if you will trust me with your wealth and believe that I will take care of you.

This is not only a picture to Israel but is a teaching for us also. In 2 Corinthians 9 the apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians to encourage them to have a generous heart to do God’s work. Look at how Paul presents why they should honor the Lord with their wealth.

” The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:6–11 ESV

God’s message is very simple. If you will not use your wealth the way I want you to, why I would give you more? But if you will honor the Lord with your wealth, God says in verse 8 that you will have what you need and still abound in every good work. But if we hold on tightly to our wealth and possessions, then we are not trusting in the Lord. We are relying on our own understanding. Think about how you can honor the Lord with what God has given to you.

Honor God through Hardships

Also honoring the Lord means being teachable. Look at Proverbs 3:11. Do not despise the Lord’s instruction and do not be weary of his discipline. God is going to do things in our lives to wake us up. God wants to teach us. God wants us to listen to him so that we will go down the right path. Please think about this question. What is God’s greatest desire for your life? God’s greatest desire is that no one would perish but all would come to repentance and be saved (cf. 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:30-31). So God is going to do all that he can toward that aim. We have noted many times that the scriptures tell us that God uses trials and suffering to teach us refine us and grow us. (James 1:1-4; 1 Peter 1:6-9).

This is what verse 12 says. The Lord disciplines the one he loves just as a father discipline the son in whom he delights. It is important to remember that the word “discipline” does not only mean punishment. Sometimes we think of using this word only in this way. But discipline is the idea of instruction, guidance, and correction. The Lord is correcting those he loves. The Lord is teaching and guiding those he loves. This passage is quoted by the writer of Hebrews.

For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up. 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives. 7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? Hebrews 12:3–7

The writer of Hebrews applies the text in the same way. We need to be teachable and God uses our life situations to teach us. If we are wise in our own eyes, then we will not be teachable. We will resist God’s correction. We will resist God’s training seasons. But God wants us to look at our suffering as discipline. He wants us to see it as a corrective for our lives. Trusting in the Lord means that we accept that we have areas in our lives that we need to change. We accept that our life direction needs course correction. We will allow ourselves to be taught and changed by what God allows us to experience in our lives. We will not resist it. We will not despise it. We will not resent it. We will not be weary from it because we know God is showing his love for us. God’s greatest desire is for our eternal good. So he will act to move us toward him.

God’s message is that we do not follow our heart. Rather, we trust in the Lord with all our heart. We will rely on the Lord and his ways, not our own understanding. This complete leaning on the Lord will be seen in our humility in life, our generosity toward God, and in our life corrections. Do not hate God when life does not go according to plan. It is a moment in your life that is a fork in the road. Will you trust in the Lord or will you trust in yourself? Blessing and success before God and before people is to trust God’s ways.

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Posted in Fool Proofing Your Life - Proverbs | Tagged discipline, Giving, hardship, Possessions, Proverbs 3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord, wealth | Leave a comment

Jesus in the Book of Proverbs

Posted on January 11, 2025 by dkoop

There’s no doubt that Proverbs is one of the best known Old Testament books both inside and outside of Christianity. Do Proverbs speak about Jesus? Jesus declared that the entire Old Testament was written about him (Luke 24:44). We have the remarkable opportunity to come to every book of the OT and see that connection to Him. Proverbs points to Jesus in its pursuit of wisdom (Proverbs 1:2).

Here are three ways Jesus can be found in Proverbs:

Jesus IS the wisdom described in Proverbs. The New Testament describes Jesus “As wisdom” more than a few times. Try reading Proverbs with Jesus as the thing being pursued; it fits perfectly. (Proverbs 8:12, 22-33) describes Jesus being there from the beginning, so does (Colossians 1:15-17). Jesus is the “Wisdom from God,” (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Him is “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” (Colossians 2:3), and Jesus is “The Son and radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3).

2. Jesus LIVED the wisdom described in Proverbs. Jesus’ life demonstrated continual wisdom. He perfectly lived the wisdom from Proverbs. He discussed theology with the teachers of the law (Luke 2:41-50). Young Jesus caused everyone to be “amazed at his understanding.” After that, he grew in even more wisdom (Luke 2:52). The entirety of Jesus’ adult life was marked by his display and use of wisdom.

3. Jesus GIVES the wisdom described in Proverbs. God calls us to choose between the path of wisdom and the path of folly in Proverbs, the life of Jesus does the same (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). Jesus promises to give wisdom to those who hear and receive his words. “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” (Luke 21:15). This gift is promised to the entire church throughout the ages (Ephesians 1:17). It’s a gift given and available for the asking (James 1:5). Jesus is the giver of wisdom…and he gives us the Book of Proverbs so we can gain wisdom.

The book of Proverbs reveals the glory of Jesus. Jesus is wisdom, He lived wisdom, and He gives wisdom. So, as we live wisely according to Proverbs, we are actually living more and more like Jesus.

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Sources: Adapted from A Proverbs Driven Life by Anthony Selvaggio, and https://pizzaranch.com/blog/friday-devotional-jesus-in-the-book-of-proverbs#:~:text=The%20New%20Testament%20describes%20Jesus,1%20Corinthians%201:30).

Posted in Fool Proofing Your Life - Proverbs | Tagged Jesus, Jesus in Proverbs, Proverbs | Leave a comment

The Source of Wisdom – Proverbs 1

Posted on January 10, 2025 by dkoop

What the book of Psalms is to prayer and devotional life, the book of Proverbs is to everyday life. Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living. This book is not just a collection of interesting tidbits; it contains deep spiritual insights drawn from experience. A proverb is a short, wise, easy-to-remember saying that calls a person to action. The book of Proverbs focuses on God—his character, works, and blessings—and it tells how we can live in close relationship to him.

Prov. 1:1 Solomon, the third king of Israel, son of the great king David, reigned during Israel’s golden age. When God said he would give him whatever he wanted, he asked for an understanding mind (1 Kings 3:5–14). God was pleased with this request. He not only made Solomon wise but also gave him great riches and power and an era of peace. Solomon built the glorious Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6) and wrote most of the book of Proverbs.

Wisdom is from God

1:7 In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot. It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life. The foundation of knowledge is to fear the Lord—to honor and respect God, to live in awe of his power, and to obey his Word. Faith in God should be the controlling principle for your understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. Trust in God—he will make you truly wise. Remember, only God knows it all.

Our Memory Verse: ⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV)

Wisdom’s call to salvation (Prov. 1:8–33)

This paragraph records three voices that the person reading Proverbs needs to identify.

The voice of instruction (vv. 8–10, 15–19). This is the voice of a godly father, urging his son to listen to Wisdom and obey what he hears. Note that both the father and the mother have been involved in teaching the boy,¹ and they both warn him not to abandon what he’s been told. These parents have obeyed the instructions of Moses (Deut. 6:6–9) and have faithfully taught their family the Word of God. But what will their children do with all this teaching?

The parents’ desire is that the children obey what they have learned, so that God’s truth will become a lovely ornament to beautify their lives, like a crown on a king or a necklace on a queen. Paul told Christian servants to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:10), which simply means to make the Bible beautiful to others by living a godly life. Peter exhorted Christian wives to win their lost husbands by focusing on the imperishable beauty of Christian character rather than the artificial beauty of man-made glamour (1 Peter 3:3–4).

In Proverbs 1:15–19, the father tells his son how to avoid yielding to temptation. First, he says, check carefully the path you’re on and don’t walk with the wrong crowd. (This sounds very much like Ps. 1:1 and 2 Cor. 6:14–18.) If you’re walking with the wrong crowd, you’ll end up doing the wrong things. Second, don’t play with temptation, because temptation always leads to a trap (Prov. 1:17). Birds don’t take bait when they can plainly see the trap, and people ought to be smarter than birds.²

Third, when you disobey God by harming others, you only harm yourself (vv. 18–19). You’re free to take what you want from life, but eventually you’ll have to pay for it, and the price you pay is higher than the value you gain. You end up sacrificing the permanent for the immediate, and that’s a bad investment.

The voice of temptation (vv. 11–14). Anybody who makes it easy for us to disobey God certainly isn’t a friend. The offer they made sounded exciting, but it only led to disaster. How tragic that a group of people would actually find enjoyment in doing evil, and how foolish of them to think their loot would satisfy their desires. They rejected the eternal treasures of wisdom (3:14–16; 16:16) for the cheap trinkets of this world, and they lost their souls in the bargain.

The voice of salvation (vv. 20–33). How does Wisdom speak? In a loud ringing voice that everybody can hear! Through both creation (Rom. 10:18; Ps. 19:1–4) and conscience (Rom. 2:14–16), “what may be known of God is manifest in them [the lost world], for God has shown it to them” (Rom. 1:19, NKJV). The church’s task is to proclaim the Gospel message so everybody can hear, believe, and be saved. Like Wisdom, we must herald the Word in an uncompromising way.

Where does Wisdom speak? In the crowded streets and public places where busy people gather to take care of the business of life. The message of God’s truth is made for the marketplace, not the ivory tower; we must share it “at the head of the noisy streets” (Prov. 1:21, NIV). Wisdom even went to the city gate where the leaders were transacting official business. No matter where people are, they need to hear Wisdom’s call.

To whom does Wisdom speak? To three classes of sinners: the simple ones, the scorners (scoffers, mockers, NIV), and the fools³ (v. 22). The simple are naive people who believe anything (14:15) but examine nothing. They’re gullible and easily led astray. Scorners think they know everything (21:24) and laugh at the things that are really important. While the simple one has a blank look on his face, the scorner wears a sneer. Fools are people who are ignorant of truth because they’re dull and stubborn. Their problem isn’t a low IQ or poor education; their problem is a lack of spiritual desire to seek and find God’s wisdom. Fools enjoy their foolishness but don’t know how foolish they are! The outlook of fools is purely materialistic and humanistic. They hate knowledge and have no interest in things eternal.

What does wisdom say to them? First, she brings an indictment against them (1:22) and asks how long they plan to remain in their dangerous spiritual condition. Wisdom has spoken to them time and time again, but they have refused to listen, and this will make their judgment even more severe. Then Wisdom issues an invitation that they turn from their evil ways and receive her gifts (v. 23). This is a call to repentance and faith. She promises to change their hearts and teach them the wisdom of God from the Word of God.

How do the simple, the scorners, and the fools respond to Wisdom? They refuse to obey her voice; they won’t take hold of her outstretched hand; they laugh at her warnings; and they mock her words. Note the word “also” in verse 26. Because they laughed at Wisdom, one day Wisdom will also laugh at them. Because they mocked her, she will mock them. Wisdom sees a storm of judgment coming that will bring distress and anguish to all who reject God’s invitation.

When that judgment arrives, sinners will call upon the Lord but it will be too late. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6, NKJV). Sinners will reap what they have sown. “Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Prov. 1:31, NKJV). They turned away their ears from hearing the truth (v. 32; see 2 Tim. 4:4) and were complacently comfortable with believing lies. In contrast to the judgment promised to unbelievers, wisdom promises security and peace to those who will listen to her and believe (Prov. 1:33).^[1]

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Notes/Sources:

¹ The father’s statement, “my son,” is found forty-one times in Proverbs, but the influence of the mother isn’t ignored. See 1:8; 4:3; 6:20; 10:1; 15:20; 19:26; 20:20; 23:22; 23:25; 28:24; 30:11, 17; 31:1ff.

² James 1:14 uses the images of hunting and fishing to get the same point across. The verbs “drawn away” and “enticed” carry the idea of “luring with bait,” whether baiting a trap or a fishing hook. Temptation is the bait, and Satan wants us to think we can grab the bait and avoid the consequences (Gen. 3:5). Alas, it never works that way.

³ In Proverbs, three Hebrew words are translated “fool”: kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the corrupt fool who is morally perverted; nabal, the stubborn, brutish fool whose mind is made up and won’t be convinced. For a vivid example of this third variety of fool, see 1 Samuel 25.

^[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Skillful, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 22–27.

Posted in Fool Proofing Your Life - Proverbs | Tagged Proverbs, Proverbs 1, Solomon | 1 Comment

Invitation and Introduction: Fool Proofing Your Life – Proverbs

Posted on January 4, 2025 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new series: Proverbs (Fool proofing Your Life). 4 weeks

Description: Are you wise or foolish? The book of Proverbs is primarily about how to
live with wisdom and avoid foolishness. Solomon gives us instructions on how to
build our lives on a foundation of wisdom for daily life: work, family, friendships, finances and God.

Dates Titles (Scriptures) Events
Jan. 5 – The Source of Wisdom (Prov. 1) Back to School
Jan. 12 – Wise Living (Prov.3)
Jan. 19 – Wisdom in Marriage (Prov. 5) Communion / MLK
Jan. 26 – Wise Relationships (Prov. 15)

Proverbs Overview:

Alphabet letters, vowels, and consonants formed into words, sentences, paragraphs, and books—spoken, signed, whispered, written, and printed. From friendly advice to impassioned speeches and from dusty volumes to daily tabloids, messages are sent and received, with each sender trying to impart knowledge … and wisdom.
Woven into human fabric is the desire to learn and understand. Our mind sets us apart from animals, and we analyze, conceptualize, theorize, discuss, and debate everything from science to the supernatural. We build schools, institutes, and universities, where learned professors can teach us about the world and about life.
Knowledge is good, but a vast difference stands between “knowledge” (having the facts) and “wisdom” (applying those facts to life). We may amass knowledge, but without wisdom our knowledge is useless. We must learn how to live out what we know.
The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, left us a legacy of written wisdom in three volumes—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. In these books, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he gives practical insights and guidelines for life.
In the first of these three volumes, Solomon passes on his practical advice in the form of proverbs. A proverb is a short, concise sentence that conveys moral truth. The book of Proverbs is a collection of these wise statements. The main theme of Proverbs, as we might expect, is the nature of true wisdom. Solomon writes, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (1:7). He then proceeds to give hundreds of practical examples of how to live according to godly wisdom.
Proverbs covers a wide range of topics, including youth and discipline, family life, self-control and resisting temptation, business matters, words and the tongue, knowing God, marriage, seeking the truth, wealth and poverty, immorality, and, of course, wisdom. These proverbs are short poems (usually in couplet form), containing a holy mixture of common sense and timely warnings. Although they are not meant to teach doctrine, a person who follows their advice will walk closely with God. The word proverb comes from a Hebrew word that means “to rule or to govern,” and these sayings, reminders, and admonitions provide profound advice for governing our lives.
As we read Proverbs, may we understand that knowing God is the key to wisdom. Lets listen to the thoughts and lessons from the world’s wisest man, and apply these truths to our lives.

Vital Statistics

Purpose: To teach people how to attain wisdom, discipline, and a prudent life, and how to do what is right, just, and fair (see 1:2, 3)—in short, to apply divine wisdom to daily life and to provide moral instruction

Author: Solomon wrote most of this book, with Agur and Lemuel contributing some of the later sections.

Original Audience: The people of Israel

Date Written: Solomon wrote and compiled most of these proverbs early in his reign.

Setting: This is a book of wise sayings, a textbook for teaching people how to live godly lives through the repetition of wise thoughts.

Key Verse: “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (1:7).

Special Features: The book uses varied literary forms: poems, brief parables, pointed questions, and couplets. Other literary devices include antithesis, comparison, and personification.

Proverbs Outline:

A. WISDOM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (1:1–9:18)
Solomon instructed the young people of his day like a father giving advice to his child. While many of these proverbs are directed toward young people, the principles supporting them are helpful to all believers, male and female, young and old. Anyone beginning his or her journey to discover more of wisdom will benefit greatly from these wise sayings.
B. WISDOM FOR ALL PEOPLE (10:1–24:34)
Solomon wanted to impart wisdom to all people, regardless of their age, sex, or position in society. These short, wise sayings give us practical wisdom for daily living. We should study them diligently and integrate them into our lives.
C. WISDOM FOR THE LEADERS (25:1–31:31)
In addition to the proverbs that Solomon collected, the advisers of Hezekiah collected many proverbs that Solomon and others wrote. While most of these are general in nature, many are directed specifically to the king and those who dealt with the king. These are particularly useful for leaders or those who aspire to be leaders.

Mega themes:

Wisdom
God wants his people to be wise. Two kinds of people portray two contrasting paths of life. The fool is the wicked, stubborn person who hates or ignores God. The wise person seeks to know and love God.
When we choose God’s way, he grants us wisdom. His Word, the Bible, leads us to live right, have right relationships, and make right decisions.
Relationships
Proverbs gives us advice for developing our personal relationships with friends, family members, and coworkers. In every relationship, we must show love, dedication, and high moral standards.
To relate to people, we need consistency, tact, and discipline to use the wisdom God gives us. If we don’t treat others according to the wisdom God gives, our relationships will suffer.
Speech
What we say shows our real attitude toward others. How we talk reveals what we’re really like. Our speech is a test of how wise we have become.
To be wise in our speech we need to use self-control. Our words should be honest and well chosen.
Work
God controls the final outcome of all we do. We are accountable to carry out our work with diligence and discipline, not laziness.
Because God evaluates how we live, we should work purposefully. We must never be lax or self-satisfied in using our skills.
Success
Although people work very hard for money and fame, God views success as having a good reputation, moral character, and the spiritual devotion to obey him.
A successful relationship with God counts for eternity. Everything else is perishable. All our resources, time, and talents come from God. We should strive to use them wisely.