June 9-13
[M] Proverbs 16-18; Romans 15
[T] Proverbs 19-21; Ps 40; Rom 16
[W] Proverbs 22-23; Ps 117; 1 Thess 1
[T] Proverbs 24-25; Ps 41; 1 Thess 2
[F] Proverbs 26-28; 1 Thess 3
Dwell Plan Day 116-120 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF
Notes from Jon & Chris
Monday
Proverbs 16:16, 19 | The American Dream promises that money and status will satisfy our souls, but Proverbs 16:16 & 19 points to a better treasure. “How much better to get wisdom than gold,” verse 16 says, because gold and silver are temporary, but God’s wisdom in Christ is eternal. Verse 19 reminds us that it’s better to be humble and lowly in spirit, because God’s grace meets us there. In Christ, we find a beauty and fulfillment that money can’t buy; He is the wisdom of God, and the only One who can truly satisfy our deepest longings. Money can fill our pockets, but it can’t fill our hearts. When Christ is our treasure, money loses its hold and we find freedom in living for what truly matters.
Proverbs 17:1 | We read this and we think, “I want a spouse like that!” But the gospel reorients us to ask, “How can I be that kind of spouse?” Jesus gave up His own comfort to make peace for us—laying down His life so we could be reconciled to God and one another. His self-giving love empowers us to be peacemakers in our homes, even when it means dying to our own desires. In Him, we find the strength to bring quiet to a world full of strife.
Proverbs 18:4 | The things that we say—the words we use and the things we think about—are all like deep water. Deep water is murky and dark, you can’t see the bottom and you can’t see what’s in the water. Deep water is an image of death. Most folks in the ancient world couldn’t swim, so it’s often used as a metaphor for dying and death. As a picture of human words and human communication, it’s insightful. When we pick apart what people say to us, when we try to figure out what they mean and what they intend, we can often be left wondering what’s true and what isn’t. It’s all murky and opaque in the human heart, and our words reveal that.
But what is wisdom like? It’s like a happy stream, burbling and gushing and clear. This becomes a quick and easy way to recognize when you’re being wise versus being foolish. Wisdom is clear and transparent, like the commands of God. Our own personal ideas are unclear, and our own moral opinions can be a completely misguided and inaccurate soup of personal opinion. If you find yourself being confused about a moral situation or question, if there’s a lot of “talk” around you and inside your mind, confusing and clouding your judgment, back up and pray and read a chapter of Proverbs. This little verse can help you out of plenty of scrapes and dead ends, just by looking for simplicity and clarity from the Scripture and the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 18:9 | The writer of Proverbs really attacks laziness. That’s what all these verses about slothfulness are targeting. You can find them all over this book, and the teacher is unsparing in his condemnation of it. This verse is meant to cut into our hearts, to show us what’s at stake in indolence and sloth. The person who is lazy is just like the person who destroys things. Passive destruction is what laziness is, vividly sharpened in this proverb to pierce our conscience. Have you ever considered that your procrastination, your own inaction and passivity, is the true partner of destruction? Wow. Is there anyone who this does not call to repentance?
Romans 15:5-7 | This passage reminds us that real community isn’t just built on shared interests, but on the love of Jesus Himself. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, Paul writes, showing that unity is a gift from God. Verse 6 says, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, highlighting how our harmony points to His greatness. And verse 7 brings it home: Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. In Jesus, we’re not just a group of people who tolerate each other; we’re a family redeemed by His love. His welcome makes our church community amazing because it’s rooted in grace, not performance.
Romans 15:29 | Paul predicts, with his gospel and spiritual authority, that when he finally does get to Rome, it’s going to be this way: in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. So how did Paul finally get to Rome? In chains! He goes to Rome as a prisoner waiting for a trial date. Does this make his prediction a mockery? Is he foolish? Did his prediction fail? Only if we buy into a prosperity gospel would that be true. If we’re trusting in Christ’s kingdom we shouldn’t be surprised; Christ told us the blessing of His kingdom would include enduring His rejection and suffering from the world. That’s right where Paul is. Remember Paul himself realized that weakness was the theater, the setup and stage for God’s power to be displayed. This is completely consistent and fulfills that. What are your expectations about the future? Do they track with Paul and the gospel of Jesus’ kingdom?
Tuesday
Proverbs 20:2 | What is true of earthly kings points us to what is true of the King of kings. Jesus is not just the humble Savior, but also the righteous Judge of the world. Revelation calls Him the Lion of Judah and warns of the “wrath of the Lamb”—a fearsome reality for those who reject Him. But the gospel assures us that His people don’t have to face that wrath because Jesus bore it for us on the cross. Through faith in Him, we’re welcomed into the safety of His kingdom rather than driven out by His holy anger.
Proverbs 20:9 | None of us can say yes to that question—we all fall short. But Jesus can. Because of His perfect life and sacrificial death, when God looks at us, He sees pure hearts, washed clean by the blood of Christ. In Him, we’re free to live in the light of His grace, not in the shame of our sin.
Proverbs 21:1 | If you’ve ever seen a river from an aerial perspective, from an airplane or just studying a map, you can see just how twisty and winding and completely random it seems. And our mayors, governors, and presidents can seem to be just the same way. Don’t you believe it for a minute. It isn’t true. You may not like it, it may look evil or preposterous or foolish, but it’s not random. And it isn’t guided by the folks who imagine they’re making the decisions. It comes from our God, and sometimes it comes as God’s judgment and sometimes as His mercy. He isn’t the author or creator of evil. He never will be; He is our good Father. When evil choices are made by leaders, our God is permitting that too. This is a call to complete trust, and it’s also a call to prayer. After all, we are the ones who have access to the One who directs the king’s heart.
Psalm 40 | This psalm captures the cry of a heart that’s been rescued by God. It’s fitting that U2 ends every concert with the song “40,” echoing the psalmist’s prayer of deliverance and trust; their repeated line, “How long to sing this song?” taps into the tension between the already and not-yet of God’s kingdom—our hope is real, but we’re still waiting for the full redemption. This longing for rescue and restoration is only answered in Christ, who came to lift us from the pit and set our feet upon the rock. In Him, our waiting and our singing find their deepest meaning.
Romans 16:25 | Paul refers to “my gospel” in his doxology. That can seem a bit odd at first. We tend to think of the gospel as something that belongs to Jesus. After all, it’s good news about Him. But if it’s true, it’s also good news for us, which would make it ours. So Paul is modeling something for us here, something vital for us. We need to make the gospel, this good news about Jesus, our own personal story. It’s ours in the most important sense, and only if it’s ours will it be something we use and claim. Only when your knowing God is personal can the gospel be personal too. This is saving faith, and here we see it’s also living faith. We worship a God who is a Person, and that’s the only way you can know Him. How can you make the gospel your own personal “good news” today?
Wednesday
Proverbs 22:4 | In the old covenant, God often dealt with His people, Israel, in very physical, material ways. Their covenant blessings included prosperity in the land, crops, children, and long life—tangible signs of God’s favor. But if we read Proverbs without understanding this historical context, we can end up buying into the false prosperity gospel. This false gospel says if you just have enough faith, God will make you healthy, wealthy, and successful. It treats God like a vending machine and ignores the suffering and sacrifice that often come with following Jesus. The gospel doesn’t promise us an easy life, it promises us eternal life through Christ. In the new covenant, our hope isn’t in earthly treasures that can fade or fail. Our real reward is in knowing Jesus, the One who became poor for us so we could be rich in Him. When we read Proverbs in light of Christ, we see that the greatest treasure isn’t in our bank account but in belonging to Him forever.
Proverbs 22:6 | This is a precious promise to all parents and Sunday school teachers. Raising kids is a long haul proposition, it’s something you commit to for many years, and sometimes the outcomes can be hard to see. Your kids can go many different directions in life, and it can look like all of your hard work—years of teaching and training their behavior—has all come to nothing. Don’t be discouraged. Take this little promise to heart, because you will see it happen. The difficult and costly investment of training your children in spiritual things can seem unrewarding, but it isn't. Trust the work and the word of our God. Some seeds planted in your children might not flower into eternal life until many many years later. You can trust Him.
Proverbs 23:1-3 | If you like the beautiful things that the rich can afford, if you find that you enjoy delicacies and fine foods, if you’re envious of the caviar and Michelin star set, here’s the advice: put a razor up against the carotid artery on your neck and hold it there. Because that’s how much danger you’re in for just wanting what they have. This is a proverb for many of us to memorize, meditate on, and live by. The seduction of wealth and living like you’re rich are just that deadly. They don’t look deadly, and they don’t feel threatening, but the desire for money and riches is that dangerous and deceptive. Sounds a bit like Jesus’ warning about the difficulties facing rich men who want to enter God’s kingdom. Just the desire for wealth is enough to destroy you.
Thursday
Psalm 41:11 | By this I know that you delight in me… | It’s amazing to think that the Lord of the universe actually delights in me! My heart can hardly believe that the God who made the stars would set His face on me with kindness and favor. This truth humbles me and fills me with wonder—He knows me fully and still loves me completely.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 | This verse points to the doctrine of inspiration: that Scripture is breathed out by God, carrying His perfect authority and truth. The Bible isn’t just a collection of human ideas; it’s God’s very voice to His people. That’s why reading it daily shapes us and strengthens us for every step of the faith journey. As we read through the Bible together this year, we’re not just learning information, we’re being transformed by the living Word of God.
Friday
Proverbs 23:13 | This proverb warns against being wise in our own eyes—thinking that we know what’s best for ourselves and even our own salvation. When I’m wise in my own eyes, I trust my own goodness and think I don’t need a Savior. That’s exactly what the Pharisee did in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee stood in the temple, confident in his own righteousness, while the tax collector simply cried out for mercy. The Pharisee’s self-confidence blinded him to his need for grace. The tax collector, on the other hand, knew he had nothing to offer but his need. That kind of humility is so important, because it’s only when I see my need that I can cling to Christ. The gospel frees me from my self-sufficiency and brings me into the arms of the One who truly knows what’s best for me.
Proverbs 28:26 | This theme comes up again and again. The repetition of this concept, that your own mind and desires are not to be trusted, is something to notice. This is a trap that we all can fall into, trusting our own judgment, thinking, and experiences. Most of the common wisdom of this age tries repeatedly to teach us how to trust ourselves. It’s all a blind alley and a mistake. We aren’t trustworthy. Check your own wisdom and insight against the wisdom and insight of the Bible. This little verse also gives us a wonderful promise. God’s rescue comes for those who walk in wisdom, as if to say that God is committing Himself to personally make sure that if we learn to not trust in ourselves, He will save us. Stop trusting your gut, your insight, or your own “common sense.” Replace all of that with God’s words and these proverbs.
1 Thessalonians 3:5 | Paul is so passionate about the spiritual life of others that it shames us. He’s so invested and committed to them. There’s a vital connection between his own feelings and their faith. His burden is practically intolerable to him, so much so that he sent Timothy to check in on them. His concern was about spiritual warfare, and whether “the tempter” had deceived them. But it’s his passion that amazes and rebukes me. He’s driven by a desire for their success and blessing. He won’t rest until he finds out how they are. This earnest and consuming passion for the spiritual flourishing of others is a work of the Spirit in him, and it's a work we should seek in our own church communities. We’re lackadaisical and passive about others' spiritual lives in ways that are callous and godless, especially when we see what Paul is like. May the Holy Spirit do His work in us for His glory. Amen.