Friday, January 2, 2015

Characteristics of a Godly Man "Being Prudent"


Demonstrating Wisdom - Being Prudent

Proverbs 16:21
"The wise in heart shall be called prudent"


Proverbs 1:5
"A wise man will hear and increase in learning."

**How do we, as Godly men, make sound judgments?


Romans 12:3-8
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."


1 Corinthians 12:14-26
"For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,  which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,  that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

**Where do we, as Godly men, gain our wisdom?  Paul tells us here in Titus 2.


Titus 2:1-6 
"But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled."

**How do we recognize a prudent man?


1.  A prudent man is humble.  In Philippians 2:3-4, it says, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

2. A prudent man has a proper view of the grace of God. In Romans 5:8, it says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In Philippians 3:5-7, it says, " If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

3. A prudent man knows how to pray the will of God. In 1 Peter 4:7, it says, "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."

A prudent man goes to his knees in humble and prayerful adoration, and the rise to a new level of righteousness and holy living.

Some other scriptures to consider:
James 1:5
Proverbs 1:7
Psalms 37:30
Colossians 2:2-3
Proverbs 29:11
1 Corinthians 1:30


**This is an outline of a lesson that I am using to lead my Men's Bible Study 1/3/15.  We are using the book "The Measure of A Man" by Gene Getz Chapter 5

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