Proverbs and Romans

I read through Proverbs the beginning of the week. I could probably read Proverbs every single day and not grasp it all! That one book alone is so full of wisdom, it's hard to grasp.
Tony Morgan has the absolute best summaries when he writes about his Bible Studies, so I found his summary for the book of Proverbs to post for you! He took one proverb from each chapter and put it in his own words. Enjoy :)

"When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are."
"Join the company of good men and women, keep your feet on the tried and true paths."
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own."
"Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart!"
"Enjoy the wife you married as a young man! Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose–don’t ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!"
"Sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path."
"Treasure my careful instructions."
"Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth."
"Don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse."
"Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth."
"Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."
"Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up."
"A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them."
"The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following."
"God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers."
"We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it."
"A cheerful disposition is good for your health."
"Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights."
"People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?"
"After careful scrutiny, a wise leader makes a clean sweep of rebels and dolts."
"Do your best, prepare for the worst–then trust God to bring victory."
"A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered."
"Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk; don’t eat too much food and get fat."
"Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help."
"Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses."
"Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool; you’ll only look foolish yourself."
"Don’t call attention to yourself; let others do that for you."
"Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions."
"If you let people treat you like a doormat, you’ll be quite forgotten in the end."
"Don’t curse your father or fail to bless your mother."
"A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it."


Also.. yesterday I read through the book of Romans. One of my waitresses Camille, grew up in a catholic home. She has been asking a lot of questions about Chritianity, and I even told her how to ask Christ into her heart. Yesterday I brought her a life application Bible to read. I didn't get the right chance to give it to her, but I will try again next week. Please keep praying for Camille. She needs Jesus. So..I chose Romans to read, because Romans explains so much about Christianity. I think it's also true about Romans, the way I feel about Proverbs. I could read it again and again and again...and still not wrap my brain around it! Paul reveals so much about theology in Romans. Thank you Jesus for the gift of your words to help us get through life. Without them, we would be so lost.
Here are Tony Morgan's summaries on Romans. He's good, isn't he? : )

We receive two gifts in Christ: 1) the "generous gift of his life," and 2) the "urgent task of passing it on to others." We sometimes forget that urgent part.
"Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors." Amen.
"God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change."
"Recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics." Wouldn’t it be something if Christians considered "am I a legalistic critic?" and then did something about that? Of course, we might have fewer blogs to read if that happened.
"Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade." I confess–I’m pretty sure God wrote that verse just for me.
The troubles and challenges I face build passion and patience.
I think it’s interesting that God offered his Son to die on the cross for us, "while we were of no use whatever to him." It’s confirmation that God loves us and wants us just as we are. We don’t have to be perfect to know God. He just wants us to turn directions and begin to follow him wherever we are.
Baptism represents what Jesus did for us. "When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus."
"Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time [not just on Sunday]…into God’s way of doing things."
"…you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!" Some people think following Christ is about following rules that restrict our freedoms. That’s not what the Bible says.
God doesn’t want me to experience a "timid, grave-tending life." He wants me to be "adventurously expectant." I love the adventure part of my faith.
Nothing can separate me from God’s love. He has embraced me.
"Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help." I’ve tested that. It works.
"Unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to." The corollary is unless people are present, no one hears the preaching. "How can they hear if nobody tells them?" I believe part of our "urgent task" is to figure out how we can tell as many people as possible.
Paul focused on reaching the "outsiders." Most churches are only focused on reaching the insiders–those that are already convinced about the claims of Jesus Christ.
I firmly believe God wants our churches to be grow and reach more people. He wants us to create churches that "open things up to all the outsiders so that we end up with a full house."
There are mysteries of the faith that I will never understand. I’m OK with that.
"Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God." Who is influencing whom? Am I influencing the culture or is the culture influencing me? If I’m not influencing the culture, I think that’s also sin.
"The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him." True that.
"Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder." I have responsibility in this.
God wants me to be a good citizen of Indiana. Rats.
"Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with… If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help." Again, why do certain blog sites come to mind when I read this? "So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault." Funny how we’re quick to point out Bible passages to fix other people, and we ignore the Bible passages that indicate we’re being idiots.