“Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;
²⁶ hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷ locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

In Proverbs 30-31 we hear from Augur and Lemuel. Perhaps they are both nicknames for Solomon. Jewish tradition says that Lemuel (which means “belongs to God”) is Solomon and Proverbs 31 is what his mother Bathsheba taught him.

Staying Curious

The verses I quote at the beginning of this email challenge me.

• What can I learn from an ant?
• From a hyrax (about the size of a woodchuck)?
• From a locust (grasshopper)?
• From a lizard?

The author invites us to look around at nature and learn and be amazed. 

Today, it might be called the argument for creation called "Intelligent Design." Stay curious and appreciate the amazing knowledge God has planted into the minds of the smallest creatures. These small creatures today helped me see again the "bigness" of our God. 

Staying Curious: What should I pray for?

⁷ “Two things I ask of you, LORD;
    do not refuse me before I die:
⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.

What is the "daily bread" that I should be praying for? What can I learn from Christians in the past whose lifestyle is so different from my own? Am I content with "daily bread"?

Staying Curious: Learning from your mom

Many women struggle with Proverbs 31:10-31 because it is so easy to make comparisons to this “Wife of Noble Character” and see yourself in a bad light.

The author isn’t telling women to do anything in this section. The author is simply listing what a typical loving wife and mother might do in those days.

This is a mom telling her adult son how to treat his wife. Men can become so accustomed to all that their wives are doing that someone has to step in and say: "Open your eyes and appreciate all that she is doing for you and your children!"

Lemuel's mom isn't telling her daughter-in-law to do more. She is telling her son, "Stop taking her for granted!" 

"Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gates” (Proverbs 31:31). 

Staying Curious: Learning generosity from subsistence farmers

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul mentions how he had used the Corinthians as a model of generosity to teach the Macedonian Christians. We can learn from each other. 

We can learn from farmers. In the days of subsistence farming, sowing seed was an act of faith. You were throwing out seed that could feed your family. But you trusted that the Lord would provide a harvest.

In the same way, Paul encourages us to sow generously. Then comes a promise that builds the faith necessary to give generously. Note that five times "all" or "every" [same word in Greek] is used in this promise:

"God is able to bless you abundantly [with every joy], so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

The chapter closes with the encouragement that our generosity unites God's church in thanksgiving to God. 

This is the wonderful thing about offerings... Through my offerings I enjoy a partnership with Christians all over the world. 

Below is a screenshot of the World Missions map of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. (You can download an original here.) Pray over this map... what more can I do to sow the seed of the Word through my own generosity?

Do I trust the promise that my offerings can make a difference for eternity?

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”