Dig In Discipleship: Good Advice! by Youthworks

study 1

Remember this ...

PART 1 Download the Memory Test from www.discipleship.net.au. Study the picture for a full minute before placing it out of sight. Begin timing another minute, this time making a list of as many items from the Memory Test picture as you can remember. How many items did you remember in the time given? ___________ Check your Memory Test score in the answers section of this booklet. 1 What tactics did you use to remember things during the Memory Test? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2 What could you have done to help you get a better score? ___________________________________________________________________________

1 Look up the advice given in Proverbs 3:1. What does the author want his son to remember? ___________________________________________________________________________ 2 Considering the fact that open-heart surgery wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t performed until thousands of years after these words were written, what do you think verse 1 really means? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 14

The book of Proverbs is a collection of good advice and wise sayings written approximately 700 to 900 years before Jesus was born. Although many of these wise words are thought to be the work of King Solomon (the son of King David) some proverbs were probably written by other godly teachers or leaders of Israel.

1 Have you ever wished you knew exactly what to do in a particular situation? YES | NO 2 Have you ever rolled your eyes at someone after they did something stupid? YES | NO These are both situations where wisdom would have come in handy (either for you or someone else). Wisdom is not just smartness. Wisdom is more like rightness, sensibleness and goodness. When wisdom finds good advice, it follows it. True wisdom is a life lived God’s way.

PART 2 The book of Proverbs shows us how to find wisdom by: • showing us what wisdom looks like • warning us about foolishness (this is the opposite of wisdom) • challenging us to think about the choices we make • reminding us that actions have consequences • sharing lessons learned in life • pointing us to the source of all wisdom—God! And all of this is done in clever poetic sayings that, if we spoke Hebrew (the language they were originally written in), would have been such fun to roll off our tongues, recite and remember!

Here are some proverbs from around the world: All that glitters is not gold. (An English proverb) Do not think there are no crocodiles just because the water is calm. (A Malaysian proverb) Do not speak of a rhinoceros if there is no tree nearby. (A Zulu proverb) Now write two sayings that you have heard below. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Tick the sayings you’d consider to be good advice for your life.

CLIP #2 Ask several people to tell you a proverb they know, either from the Bible or around the world. Choose three of the most interesting answers and film them, one after the other.

The section of Proverbs we are studying for Good Advice! is addressed to ‘my son’. Does this mean we don’t need to listen to it? Not at all. That’s the brilliant thing about good advice: it’s been tested over time and is something that we can all use, share and pass on. Look at 2 Timothy 3:16 and write down one more reason why we can trust that the book of Proverbs contains good, sound advice for us. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 16

PART 3 Remember, true wisdom is a life lived God’s way.

If you ever need a perfect example of what a life lived God’s way looks like, just check it with Jesus! Although Jesus had an earthly father in Joseph, he knew from an early age that his heavenly Father was God. Did Jesus follow the advice of Proverbs 3:1? Read the story in Luke 2:41–50 and see what you think.

James 1:5 says, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you’. Would you like a little more wisdom? Why not ask God for some today?

How much of God’s word have you got hidden in your heart? Make a list of all the memory verses you remember. If you don’t know the references (which chapter or verse, etc.), just record the first few words of the verse. Bible verses you know as songs can also be counted.

What would your score on the ‘do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart’ chart be?

WOW!

OOPS! I’VE EITHER

I’VE REMEMBERED

FORGOTTEN

HEAPS, BUT THERE’S

EVERYTHING OR I

STILL SPACE FOR

NEVER REMEMBERED

MORE!

IT IN THE FIRST PLACE

Proverbs 3:1 One e effective method of memorising Bible verses is to begin saying the verse starting at the very last word and gradually adding words until you’ve recited the whole thing. Try this technique today with Proverbs 3:1. Begin here: ‘heart.’ ‘your heart.’ ‘in your heart.’ ‘commands in your heart.’ etc. Once you can recite the whole verse, get someone to check it for you.

Test date

Checked by Person #1

Checked by Person #2

Memorised? Yes/No

Proverbs 3:1

Study 5: Trust who? Part 1: Dig it up! Where would Proverbs 3:1–2 sit on this scale? ALWAYS TRUE

NEVER TRUE

Does this mean we shouldn’t follow the good advice found in the Bible? No. It is still advice that holds true in many circumstances. For the times when bad things happen (even when we are doing the right thing) we can trust that God can and will use everything for our good if we love and serve him. (See Romans 8:28.) Where would Proverbs 3:3–4 sit on this scale? ALWAYS TRUE

NEVER TRUE

Does this mean we shouldn’t bother trying to live a life of love and faithfulness? No. God’s way is to show love, even to those who do not deserve it. If we choose to follow Jesus then we choose to show love and faithfulness to everyone, even those who hate us. (See Matthew 5:44.) You never know what difference your kindness might make in someone’s life—it might lead them to peace with God!

Study 6: Straight paths Part 1: Dig it up! ACROSS:

X 4

S 5

5. We need to trust God in __________ we do.

H E

DOWN:

2. This is the _______ verse of Proverbs chapter 3.

3. Proverbs is a book of _____ sayings.

1. God will make our _____ straight.

7. This verse is about listening and trusting ___.

T R

G O O

4. God will ____ us. 6. This verse is very ______ advice.