Proverbial Wisdom Proverbs 17:17

Adapted from a sermon by

Steve Shepherdhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/proverbial-wisdom-steve-

shepherd-sermon-on-growth-in-christ-72707.asp?Page=1

Quips, quotes and notes- Most husbands become interested in politics. In fact, many of them are already the minority leader in their house.- The most difficult arithmetic to master is the art of counting our blessings. - It’s funny how a bad cold improves enough to let a person accept a party invitation. (oh yes, but not to go to church)

-The dollar has dropped in value – but there’s no need to worry until some country turns down our foreign aid.- When a child hears a bad word, it goes in one ear and out his mouth.-Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.- The way of the transgressor may be hard, but it sure isn’t lonely.

-Nothing is harder to see than the naked truth.- There are so many credit cards in use today that the only people with cash are kids who just got their allowance.- God made only a few perfect heads, the rest He covered up with hair.- Some people suffer in silence louder than others.

- How often have you met a critic of the church who has tried to make it better?- Unless you are willing to admit your ignorance, you will never be able to acquire knowledge. (True with acquiring God’s wisdom as well)- The United States is the only country in the world where a man can keep three cars in his garage and not own a single one of them. The bank owns them.

- These days the only thing that gives you more for your money than it did a year ago is a bathroom scale.- Adolescence is when you think you’ll live forever. Middle age is when you wonder how you’ve lasted so long.- Inflation is when you find that your nest egg won’t even make an omelet.

-George Washington had a problem no president since has had to deal with. He had no previous administration to blame for his troubles.-Biting remarks are often the result of snap judgments.- It’s often a show of strength not to show strength.- Most of us could do twice as much if we didn’t spend half the time explaining why we don’t.

-The older generation thought nothing of getting up at 5 a.m. The younger generation doesn’t think much of it either.- Some politicians campaign for the FUNDS of it.

Now to the book of Proverbs.

FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

Proverbs 17:17 NET A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in

adversity.

A little boy asked his mother if he could go out and play with Timmie. “You know you don’t like Timmie,” his mother said. “All

right,” replied the youngster, “then can I go out and fight with him?”

Rodney Dangerfield said, “Once I told my old man, ‘Nobody likes me.’ He said, ‘Don’t say that—everybody hasn’t met you yet.”Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other

looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously

asked, “What are you doing? Don’t you know you can’t outrun a grizzly bear?”

“I don’t have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!”

That is not the kind of friend to have. A true friend stands beside you, even in tough

times. A friend loves at all times.

Here is an example of true friendship. Jackie Robinson was the first black to play major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s

color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an

error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the

fans jeered.

Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the

crowd. The fans grew quiet.

Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Now that’s true friendship.

“You can always tell a real friend: when you’ve made a fool of yourself he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job.” Yes,

that’s a friend who loves at all times.

“Friends are people with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with

them. They ask you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. They do not want you to

be better or worse.

When you are with them, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared

innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, as long as it is genuinely you. Friends understand

those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With them you

breathe freely.”

Isn’t it great to be able to be yourself around people? These kinds of people are your

true friends. They love you for who you are, not what they expect you to be.

A man by the name of H.K. Downie told about a large newspaper that offered a cash prize for the best answer to the

question, “What is the shortest way to London?” The entry that won the prize read:

“The shortest way to London is good company!” That’s friendship.

Friendship is when you delight to spend time with that person, at home or away on a

trip. Does this remind you of anyone? Here is a story of true friendship. For tae

kwon do star Esther Kim, age 20, going to the Olympics has been a long-time dream.

She came very close to embracing that dream at the Olympic trials, where she was scheduled to fight her best friend, Kay Poe, who was ranked number one in the world.

But Poe had injured her knee in the semi-finals match and could barely stand up.

Obviously Kim could have easily defeated Poe. But she believed such a match-up would hardly be fair. In an instant, she

decided to forfeit, automatically sending Poe to the Olympics.

The moment she made her decision, Kim knew it was right. "I thought, It’s not like I’m going to be throwing my dream away. I’m just going to be handing it over to Kay."

Though some people were critical of her decision, Kim knows she made the right decision. She says, "Even though I didn’t

have the gold medal around me, for the first time in my life, I felt like a real champion." That’s called sacrifice. It’s called love and

it’s also called true friendship. A friend loves at all times.

Sometimes people complain about not having many friends.

Proverbs 18:24 NET A person who has friends may be harmed by them, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

A person must show themselves friendly.

I went out to find a friend, but could not find one there; I went out to be a friend, And

friends were everywhere!

Dale Carnegie, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in

more people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

“A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity.”

A relative is born to help in adversity. What is the meaning?

The Message version reads: “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families

stick together in all kinds of trouble.”

CEV “A friend is always a friend, and relatives are born to share our troubles.”

Hopefully, families will stick together through all kinds of trouble.

When I was in the hospital for 2 & ½ months after my plane crash, younger sister Alice took 2 or 3 weeks of vacation to spend with me. Dad took I don’t know how much

time off flying for Texaco. Mom, older sisters Elaine, Christy & brother Vic were at the

hospital as much as they could be.

I have known of some family members, however, that would not stick together and

be supportive and loving.

My wife’s cousin Ruth had cancer surgery and her own daughters couldn’t be

bothered to help take care of her. Gayla & her sister Carolyn had to load up & drive

across country to tend to her after the surgery.

HOW SAD!Don’t be a family member like those

daughters were. Be there for your family members. Be patient. Be loving. Be

sympathetic. Love at all times and you’ll never regret it.

Proverbs 17:17 NET A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in

adversity.

Proverbs 17:22 NET A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up

the bones.Medicine, medicine. We all need medicine. We all have medicine. And the older we get the more medicine we have, or so it seems.

MEDICINE AND BONES

You go see a doctor for the first time. The receptionist says, “Please fill out these

papers,” and one of the questions is this: please list all of your medications. It’s a

shame how much medicine we have to take to try to stay healthy.

So I began listing all my meds: Baclofen, Depakote, Tricor, Lovastatin, Loratadine,

Namenda, Naproxen, Nexium, Nortriptyline, Singulair, Soma, Zetia, Zoloft, Multi-vitamin,

Saw Palmetto I’ve found it best when seeing doctors on a follow-up visit when asked about meds or

med changes I just hand the nurse my Blackberry with the list she can scroll through & compare it to the computer.

It’s a shame how much medicine we have to take to stay well. And it’s even more of a

shame as to how much they cost. What can we do? Keep living. Take care of ourselves, take care of our health as best

we can and trust God for provision.Of course, there is also another way to look at it. Thank God for these good medicines. They have prolonged our lives and in some ways made us healthier, not to mention less

PAIN!

How old is aspirin? A 100 years old? Actually, it goes way back. 400 BC Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed the bark

and leaves of the willow tree (rich in a substance called salicin) to relieve pain and

fever. 1897 Chemist, Felix Hoffmann, at Bayer® in Germany, chemically synthesizes a stable

form of ASA powder that relieves his father’s rheumatism. The compound later becomes the active ingredient in aspirin.

1899 Bayer distributes aspirin powder to physicians to give to their patients. Aspirin is soon the number one drug worldwide.

1900 Bayer introduces the first aspirin tablets - the first medication to be sold in

this form. This new product cut costs in half.

1915 Aspirin becomes available without a prescription. Manufactured in tablet form.

Thank God for medicine like aspirin. It’s been said that if aspirin had been invented in our time it would be extremely expensive

because it is such a good medicine. It is proven to help prevent heart attacks, fight

against colon cancer, and it’s great for pain relief.

THANK GOD FOR GOOD MEDICINE!

However, sometimes in our search for good medicines many people (including doctors) overlook one of the best medicines of all:

LAUGHTER.Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought

him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament "I don’t get no

respect" a catchphrase, has now passed on.

He said such things as: “When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my

mother,” “When I started in show business, I played one club that was so far out my act

was reviewed in Field and Stream;” and “Every time I get in an elevator, the operator

says the same thing to me: ’Basement?”’

Rodney Dangerfield is dead at 82 but laughter is not dead.

We all need something for our bones, some strengthening medicine, and laughter just

might be that medicine.

I have read that lifting weights (or weight bearing exercises) will do the trick, that is, help to strengthen our bones. And certain

medications will help, BUT WHAT ABOUT LAUGHTER?

Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in

California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system. To date their published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces

stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function.

Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers,

and produces a general sense of well-being.

Hey, I vote for that, don’t you? Anything that helps to kill pain and produce a sense of

well-being. Wow!

Laughing is aerobic, providing a workout for the diaphragm and increasing the body’s

ability to use oxygen. Many of us can’t run, but we can still laugh.

Laughter brings in positive emotions that can enhance – not replace -- conventional

treatments. Experts believe that, when used in addition to conventional care, laughter

can reduce pain and aid the healing process. For one thing, laughter offers a

powerful distraction from pain.

In a study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, patients were told one-

liners after surgery and before pain medication was administered. Those

exposed to humor perceived less pain when compared to patients who didn’t get a dose

of humor as part of their therapy.

Perhaps, the biggest benefit of laughter is that it is free and has no known negative

side effects.

Some 2000 years after this Scripture was written an eminent doctor said, “The arrival of a good clown exercises a more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than 20

asses laden with drugs.”Some quotes about laughter and laughing:- Martin Luther “If you’re not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don’t want to go there.”- A good laugh is sunshine in the house.

-He who has learned how to laugh at himself shall never cease to be entertained.- He who laughs, lasts.- Lincoln, “If I should not laugh, I should die.”- Victor Borge, “Laughter is the shortest distance between people.”-Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over, and showing it principally in one place.

- Laughter is like changing a baby’s diaper. It doesn’t permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for awhile.- If you don’t learn to laugh at troubles, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you grow old.- We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh.- Actor Bob Newhart, “Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.”

-The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.- Jay Leno, “You can’t stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh.”- You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.

As young children we were encouraged to humor. We played; we laughed. Too soon, however, we were told to ‘grow up,’ ‘stop kidding’ and ‘act our age’ and the humor inside withered. Life is serious stuff, you

see. Now we laugh too little.

Some want to change that. One such person was the long-time editor of the

Saturday Evening Review, Norman Cousins. Cousins has written many books, but his fascinating story on humor and hope

is included in his book, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient.

In 1964 Cousins developed a debilitating disease, ankylosing spondylitis. Doctors

gave him only one chance in 500 of recovery. Cousins wanted to mobilize the

entire resources of his body to fight it. Later he described laughter as the "greatest

apothecary available," because it mobilizes the brain to fight disease.

After discussion with his doctor about options, he was told he could increase his vitamin C intake and take aspirin liberally.

He also chose liberal doses of Laurel and Hardy, "Candid Camera," Marx Brothers’

films and numerous other amusing movies. To his delight, Cousins discovered that just 10 minutes of genuine belly laughing had an anesthetic effect that provided him with

two hours of pain-free sleep.

Cousins said, “Even if we find that laughter produces no specific biochemical changes, it does accomplish one essential purpose. It

tends to help a person cope with apprehension and even panic that all too

frequently accompany serious illness. Laughter is a form of internal jogging. It moves your internal organs around. It

enhances respiration. It is an igniter of great expectations.

“A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Good laughter is good medicine. It lifts the human spirit, both the giver and the

receiver. It is a form of ministering to one another. Many people have told me, “I can’t

preach and I can’t teach.” BUT WE ALL CAN LAUGH.

As Clint Eastwood said, “Make my day.” I would add to it and say, “MAKE MY DAY.

MAKE ME LAUGH.”

Let’s revisit our main text. Proverbs 17:17 NET A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in

adversity.

Jesus had some thoughts about friends. John 15:12 NET My commandment is this —

to love one another just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this — that one lays down his life for his friends. 14

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

The greatest love a person can have for another is when he lays down his life for his

friends. Then Jesus says. “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

So when we obey Jesus we are His friends. John tells us in his 1st letter what Jesus did

& what we should be willing to do.1 John 3:16 NET We have come to know

love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for

our fellow Christians.

What about family, our relatives? Paul writing to Timothy says, “But if someone

does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is

worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8 NET In particular here he is referring to a

widow’s family. I don’t think it would be wrong to apply it to all family members in

need.

In his 1st letter Peter seems to broaden it from blood relatives to Spiritual family.

1 Peter 2:17 NET Honor all people, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the

king.

Let’s close this line of thought by being reminded of the two greatest commands.

Our obedience to them will cover everything.

Matthew 22:36 NET "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

37 Jesus said to him, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your

soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39

The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the law and the

prophets depend on these two commandments."

It would do our souls well to adhere to these two commands.