July 30, 1998
Religion
The Perquimans Weekly Page 5
Wisom deserves a hearing
ByT.P ALEXANDER
Central Newspaper Services
Wisdom or foolishness
(Proverbs 8:1-11 ;33-36)
“Wisdom is better than rubies; and all
the things that may be desired are not to be
compared to it. ’’(Proverbs 8:11)
Mr. Edwin V. Hayden, writing for the
International Sunday School Lessons
introduced today’s study with this
remark: “So wisdom is our speaker for
tpday. and she comes without introduc-
ijeh; Solomon, the author of Proverbs,
*Mmply relays her powerful, practical mes-
l^ge. He could have spoken personally
izdjoui wisdom as his close friend and most
hdipful companion, but here his main
concern was that she be helpful to “my
son.”
* Solomon personified wisdom in power
ful and prophetic words. Jesus, the eter
nal word, put on flesh and fulfilled
Solomon’s words by revealing, ‘all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ’” (Col.
,2;§)
Wisdom or foolishness! We witness
both these factors ol' life in our everyday
living. Wisdom, we admire as we witness
It in others - foolishness, on the other
hand, we are apt to tlistain, owing to the
’fact that it is seldom uplifting, even
though it may have some instructional
lvalue.
1; Jn our study for today we will look at
wisdom, or foolishness, as it pertains to
God’s redemptive purpose For mankind in
general.
Wisdom demands a hearing
(8:1-5)
“Doth not wisdom cry? and understand
ing put forth her voice? (Verse 1)
She crieth at the gates, and at the entry
of the city...(Verses l-3(
Solomon, a major writer of the scrip
tures certainly had a “God given” wisdom
of God’s redemptive purpose for mankind,
which was passed down through the ages
even to we who live in the 20th century.
Solomon's ministry was conducted in
the open - for Jews and Gentiles alike.
Jesus’ ministry was likewise conducted in
the open, where many assembled and
where secrecy was impossible.
The Apostle John remarked on one
occasion, “Ispake openly to the world; I
even taught in the synagogue and the tem
ple - in secret I have said nothing. ” (John ■
18-20)
Paul remarked on one occasion, “This
thing (gospel) was not done in a corner. ”
(Acts 26:26)
Wisdom delivers her urgent message
where the greatest number of people may
be coming and going.
Wisdom deserves a hearing
(Proverbs 8:6-11)
Hear: “for I speak of excellent things;
and the opening of my lips shall be right
things. ’’(Verse 6)
If my information is correct there are
about six billion people inliabiting earth;
about 260 million of earth’s people live in
the United States, and about seventy mil
lion of these are religiously connected.
Those are stark figures. It underscores
the title of today’s study “Wisdom or fool
ishness.” It is beyond this writer’s under
standing, or comprehension, that so many
people in America, and throughout the
world, apparently are giving so little
thought to life after this human life.
The scriptures advise us that the
inward man, the soul, never dies.
Spiritual man lives on forever and ever,
and, further, lives in one of two places.
The Bible calls these two places heaven
and hell. Wisdom dictates to us that we
make preparation for a heavenly life.
Foolishness gives but little thought to life
after this human life.
Wisdom rewards the hearer
(Verses 33-34)
“Hear instruction, and be wise, and
refuse it not. ” (verse 33)
Wisdom versus foolishness. The con
flict between the two is presented to us in
the Bible on different levels.
The Bible tells us in plain words what
God thinks and desires concerning His
people, their attitudes and their behavior.
There is another level - revelation
through the Son of God on earth, when
the “Word” was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we behold His glory, the
glory of the only begotten Son of the
Father.
Herein lies the fulfillment of wisdom’s
pi'omise of life.
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^uitnicU linnumEnt (Ehmpani)
DABMEYl
426-7311
509 Dobb St.
Hertford
Services
♦♦♦ Hertford UMC
Passport to the Holy Land,
J'ollowing Jesus Every Day is
the VBS program hosted by
The Hertford United Methodist
Church on Monday, Aug. 3-
Priday, Aug. 7. A light supper
will be served each evening at
5^:.30 p.m. followed by classes at
6:30-8:30 p.m. for kindergarten
through adult. A nursery will
bje provided for adults wishing
to'attend a class in video for
mat by Tony Compolo’s “Who
Switched The Price Tags?”
series. The church is located at
207 West Market Street. For
more information, call the
church office at 426-5467.
Preregistration is advised.
♦ Sandy Cross
Sandy Cross Baptist Church
will host a revival Aug. 9-12 at
11 a.m. on Sunday and 7:30
nightly. Rev. Carter Dey, pas
tor of Wilroy Baptist Church,
Suffolk, Va., will be guest
evangelist. Special emphasis
each day will be Sunday-
youth, Monday-children,
Tuesday-bring a friend and
Wednesday-gather your fami
ly. Call Rev. Vern Gilmer at
297-2173 or 297-2985 for Sunday
MEADS POOL
SWIMMING LESSONS
Season Passes
Call 338-5151 _
and Monday meal information
or other information.
❖ Melton’s Grove
The Deacons and Deaconess
of Melton’s Grove Baptist
Church will celebrate their 3rd
Anniversary, Sunday, Aug. 2
at 2:30 p.m. Guest speaker will
be Rev. Ricky Banks pastor of
St. Stephens Baptist Church,
accompanied by his ushers,
choir and congregation.
❖ First Baptist
Witnesses meet in Hampton
r
The First Baptist
Missionary Church Sunday
School begins at 9:45 a.m. on
Aug. 2. Morning worships fol
lows at 11 a.m. The J.H.
London Crusaders will sing.
The church family will be the
special guests of Salem
Missionary Baptist Church in
Columbia at 2 p.m. The
Combined Choir wdll sing at
that service and Rev. J.H.
London will preach. The bus
will leave First Baptist to go to
Salem at 1:10 p.m. The Pastor
Aide will sponsor the Wings of
Faith Gospel Singers at 6 p.m.
Believing that many popu
lar lifestyles promise much
but offer little in the way of
true happiness, Jehovah’s
Witnesses convened July 17-19
for the first of two summer
conventions in Hampton, Va.
built around the theme “God’s
Way of Life.”
More than 7,000 delegates
from Eastern Virginia and
part of North Carolina gath
ered at the Hampton Coliseum
for the three-day district con
vention. A number of pro
grams emphasized that God’s
way is the best way of life, par-'
ticularly for youth. Sessions
included: Parents—Inculcate
God’s Way in Your Children,
Christ’s Ransom—God’s Way
of Salvation, Families—Make
Daily Bible Reading Your Way
of Life and The Only Way to
Everlasting Life.
Locals ministers Kelly Bond
and Kenneth Harris delivered
messages during the conven
tion.
A special feature of the con
vention was the appearance of
foreign missionaries. These
Witnesses gave reports on
their experiences on telling
others about God’s way of life
around the world.
Worldwide, Jehovah’s
Witnesses number 5.6 million,
preaching in 232 nations. The
headquarters is Brooklyn,
N.Y. Among their central
beliefs are that Jehovah is
God’s personal name, Jesus is
God’s only-begotten son and
that Christ, under God’s king
dom, will soon rule over the
earth in righteousness.
More information about
^Jehovah’s Witnesses can be
found on the World Wide Web
at www.watchtower.org.
Open Letter
Dear Friends,
Among the “personal data” required about
deceased are: full name, birthplace and date,
father’s name and mother’s maiden name. Social
Security number, military service details, lists of
■organizations and offices held. The latter
information is valuable, not only for death benefits, but for
preparation in the funeral service. It is good for this data to be
prepared in advance.
Respectfully,
f*tutn&eU iFunml Iptttc
426-7311
509 Dobbs Street
Hertford
•'s Orchard
❖’U-'PICK^
Peaches 35" lb.
Blueberries @0° lb.
Apples 20" lb.
Mon-Fri. • 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Saturday 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
221-8238
Sandy Cross Rd. • Belvidere I
T^rofile: Y^lorist
• Wedding
• Cemetery
• Funeral Designs
• Plants
• European
Baskets Owners: Stephen & Gregory
• Specialized Live Arrangements
• Silk Arrangements for your Home Decor
Servicing all funeral Homes and Hospitals
within the Chowan, Perquimans,
Pasquotank and Gates areas
Dozier's Florist
with a fresh new loofz...
Hours:
Mon. ■ Tues. - Thurs. - Fri.
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wed. & Sat.
9:00 am-1:00 pm
N. Church Street East
426-5721
PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
HERTFORD PLANNING BOARD
The Hertford Planning Board will hold a public meeting
on Thursday, August 13,1998 at 7:00 P.M. in the
Municipal Building.
The purpose of the meeting is as follows:
I) To discuss the update of the Hertford Land Use Plan
PROFILE: Restaurant
Captain Bob’s Restaurant
specializes in charcoal pit
cooked barbecue and
seafood. Bobby and Sharon
Lane pit cook right at their
restaurant themselves at least 3 times a week.
It’s a tradition for locals to go to Captain Bob’s for their famous
barbecue and Char Grilled Steaks known for miles around. They
also pride themselves on fresh seafood - If it’s served at Captain
Bob’s, it’s freshly caught.
So come in and sit down. As their slogan says, “The only two
places to eat... Home and Captain Bob’s.”
It’s our service and family atmosphere that brings you back.
Owners;
Bobby & Sharon Lane
Captain Bob’s Barbecue
& Seafood Restaurant
Hours:
Mon-Sat Sam - 9pm
Sun Ham - 9pm
Catering Available
426-1811
US 17 By-Pass, Hertford
The
99
Word
for the 'Week
Come MVorship 'With Us
Recently, I heard someone describing a funeral sermon which was
built around the importance of information not printed on one’s
tombstone. We’ve all seen the variety of epitaphs found on the marble
markers which fill cemeteries. Some speak of a mother’s devotion to her
family. Others describe a husband’s tireless dedication to his work. But
the way I heard it, this pastor was talking about the most important part of
the epitaph as being the dash between our date of birth and our date of
death.
I know this sounds odd, but the pastor was speaking about what
grave-markers don’t tell us. The truth of the matter is clear. The vast
majority of our days on earth are lived in the dashes; the seemingly
meaningless marks which represent how we live our lives. One day these
marks will grace our own tombstones. We know that life is much more
than being bom and being laid to rest. What really matters is how we live.
The Psalmist said it this way, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a
heart of wisdom.” (90:12) This means we don’t spend our days wishing for what we don’t have. It
means we don’t spend our days wishing away the moments we have been given. We, “number our
days aright” when we see each moment of every day as a gift from God.
This Sunday morning may be a great time to start living. Join others in worship and discover
the joy of living in the dashes of Christ.
The Weekly Message is brought to you by the following merchants:
Smith’s
Jewelry
& Fine Gifts 42^7404
139 N. Church Street
Hertford
WOODARD'2 El
PHARMACY ^
For All Your Pharmaceutical Needs
Third Party Insurance _
426-5527 h“
Dozier’js Florist
426-5721
Be-Lo Shopping Center
Hertford
Memher FTD
Charies H. Ward, Inc
Ace Hardware Dixie Auto Parts
4M-5714
HOLLOWELL OIL CO.
SUPPLIERS OF
PROPANE GAS & OIL PRODUCTS
PHONE: 426-5745
Michelle's Family Hair Care
•Michelle Brown - Owner/Stylist
•Brenda Mills - Stylist
426-5312 Hertford
REED OIL CO.
LPGAS
L3^^Hlpgas
• Cylinder & Bulk LP Gas C^EQ
»Quality Gas Appliances JO
Alexander Electrical
Contractors, Inc
of Edenton
•lndustrial»Commercial»Residcntial
“Serving All Your Electrical Needs”
Office 482-2400 Highway 17 N. Near the 5 mile Y
Home 482-8595
Chowan
Hospital
482-8451