Proverbs 4 shows us that wisdom and understanding are the key treasures of life: “wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Prov 4:7)

This theme is continued in the metaphor of a path or journey. I like the way the Message personifies these ideas: ”I’m writing with clear directions to Wisdom Way; I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys or wasting time making wrong turns… Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set a foot on that road.” (Prov 4:10-13)

As Jesus taught in Matthew 7, there are basically only two paths in life: the broad path that leads to destruction and the narrow path which leads to life. ” The ways of right-living people glow with light. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker – travellers can’t see a thing; they fall on their faces.” (Prov 4:18-19)

It doesn’t always look like that. The world is full of bright lights, making cities and towns shine even at night, whilst the narrow paths of the countryside can often seem shrouded in gloom.

But God’s Word is a lamp to our feet, a light to our paths (Ps 119:105).

We find that there is light for the journey: our job is to ‘watch our step’, neither looking to the right or left (Prov 4:26-27), but fixing our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2)

Today, the Moscow Boys’ Choir sing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’: today is Day 11! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-UomLNjcL4

In keeping with the Russian theme, today’s charity is Open Doors.
http://www.opendoorsuk.org

Open Doors (founded by Brother Andrew) exists to strengthen the church to be the church in the most hostile places. In over 50 countries, Open Doors supplies Bibles, trains church leaders, delivers Scripture-based literacy programmes and supports Christians who suffer for their faith. In the UK and Ireland, Open Doors strives to raise awareness of global persecution, mobilising prayer, support and action among Christians. It works hard to provide Bibles and Christian literature for persecuted believers, trains leadership to help believers grow in their faith and understanding and stand strong through the storm of persecution, helps those who have had to flee their countries because of persecution and speaks out in advocacy, providing various kinds of legal support and seeking positive policy change through private diplomacy and public campaigning.

Most of all, Open Doors encourages believers to pray and to get involved, fulfilling the command “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Heb 13:2). In 1982 they launched a seven-year campaign of prayer for the Communist Bloc. It ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 with the Soviet Union opened to the Gospel and Christian prisoners released.

If you’re interested in finding out more, the book ‘God’s Smuggler’ tells the story of the founding of Open Doors and is both a great read and an inspiration to all.

Proverbs 3 probably contains some of the most famous verses in the entire Bible:
”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:5-6) These verses were written out for me in the first Bible I was ever given as a child and it took me years to fathom why they were so important!

The Message version translates these verses as ”Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He’s the one who will keep you on track.”

Once again, we have the image of the road or path, rather like Isaiah says ‘Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ‘ (Is 30:21)

Many of us are used to the idea of maps and SatNavs guiding us on our way, and SatNavs even have voices (often irritating ones) telling us what to do (“At the next junction, turn left.” )

In essence, God wants to do the same thing for us, guiding us every day, leading us along right paths (or paths of righteousness) for His name’s sake (Ps 23:3). But it is not easy to learn to discern God’s voice. Jesus said that He was the good shepherd and His sheep know His voice (John 10: 4, 11), but there are plenty of other voices competing for our attention. Learning to trust God for direction, guidance and help is something we all need to do if we are to walk well on the road to life.

Today’s song comes from the Sinatra family! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5x4dSD_Vb8

Today’s charity is Compassionart http://www.compassionart.tv/

As someone involved with the musical life of the church and a passionate believer that worship is the very breath of our lives, this charity is very dear to my heart. Compassionart is “a charity that joins the dots between art and poverty.” It raises money to help breathe life into the poorest communities, restoring hope and igniting justice. It started with the belief that music really ought to be able to sit well with justice and involved a host of Christian artists (starting with Martin Smith from Delirious) creating music and using all the proceeds from album sales and royalty cheques to support those working among the world’s poorest communities. 12 songwriters from the world of Christian music went to Scotland for a week in January 2008 and wrote 22 songs, which were sold to raise money for a host of projects. An orphanage in China, community healthcare training in the Philippines, helping children who find themselves caught up in the crime and gun culture on the streets of South Africa, a children’s home in Kenya and helping ex-offenders in the UK are some of the projects supported from this. Every time we sing ‘King of Wonders’, we are supporting these projects! You can read the full update on projects at: http://www.compassionart.tv/changing/news/news_20100831.aspx

Wisdom requires commitment and effort; it’s not something that can be purchased in a shop or easily handled. Prov 2:2 tells us ”Tune your ears to the world of wisdom; set your heart on a life of understanding.”

We live in a world of instant gratification, where we don’t like to wait. That’s partly why credit cards are so popular, because they allow us instant access to what we desire. Unfortunately, this kind of attitude doesn’t translate well to the world of spiritual growth, which cannot be rushed or hurried and certainly cannot be bought. It takes time and effort to grow in God. We are urged to make insight our priority and the image is that of a prospector panning for gold or treasure (Prov 2:4) .That image conjures up in my mind the old films where the cowboys start looking for gold with their gold pans and tiny nuggets of gold can make their fortune. So it is with us.
Looking for wisdom requires the painstaking effort of searching through all life has to offer to find those nuggets of gold: common sense, insight, knowledge, understanding – all things that are under-rated in the world but valued and highly prized by God. Candour, honesty and integrity are the things that we should prize and should be aiming for in life.

The other image which features in Proverbs 2 and which is set to recur in the book is that of life as a journey or road to be navigated. Wisdom helps us to understand what is ‘right and just and fair – every good path’ (Prov 2:9) and we can then choose to walk on the right path (as Jesus taught His disciples, ‘small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ (Matt 7:14) and ‘lead us not into temptation’ (Matt 6:13).) Proverbs is a very practical book and warns of the pitfalls that are there in life (the adulteress is mentioned in Proverbs 2 and countless other temptations will be found along the way as we progress through this book.) The writer wants us to be wise so that we can avoid the pitfalls (think of the potholes in the roads last winter after the snow and how hard it was to drive on those roads and you get a fair idea of how difficult it can be to navigate life!) and live lives that are honouring to God.

A funny version from Donny Osmond (do any of you remember the original?!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5BPRJPtQa

Today’s charity is Care For the Family
http://www.careforthefamily.org.uk

Care for the Family is a national charity which aims to promote strong family life and to help those who face family difficulties. They are involved in strengthening marriages, supporting parents and helping the bereaved, which they do through events, resources, training and networks of befrienders. Their ministry is headed by Rob Parsons who has written excellent books such as ‘The Sixty Minute Father’, ‘The Sixty Minute Marriage’, ‘Teenagers! What every parent needs to know’, ‘Getting Your Kids Through Church Without Them Hating God’ and many others. These books are easy to read, very accessible and funny, but offer a wealth of practical advice.

This charity works tirelessly to help strengthen the family. They provide holidays for single parents who might otherwise not be able to afford such things; they help those who have suffered bereavement (either the loss of a partner or a child). They provide training and practical events to help, right from engagement through to marriage and parenting issues. I think the greatest thing they do is to remove the sense of isolation we often have, feeling that we are the only ones going through such issues. It helps to know we’re not and it helps to have practical strategies that can aid us through the ups and downs of family life.