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AfterThoughts: July 6, 2025

July 6, 2025
The Power Of Love
Proverbs 10:12

This week, Dr. David Eldridge continued the series in Proverbs. One of the main ideas from this message is:

  • Hatred keeps score, but love chooses to forgive.

GOING DEEPER:

  • Pastor David shared that Proverbs Chapters 10–29 are probably the most familiar to us. In these chapters, we see how following Jesus leads us to pursue wisdom in the daily details of our lives. He is the source of the wisdom we need. How are you seeking to follow Jesus so that His voice rises above all other voices vying for your attention and allegiance?
     
  • Pastor David highlighted that these chapters are not neatly ordered but rather have a “sweet disorder” (Old Testament Scholar, Michael Fox). While we might not verbalize it, the randomness among all of these sayings matches our experiences in daily life—where new situations constantly arise and beg for our judgment, discernment, and response. Where is your life all over the place right now? How can you change your schedule this week to spend more time in reflection, study, and prayer seeking the wisdom of the Lord?
     
  • There is great wisdom in the nine words of Proverbs 10:12. When hate, anger, and bitterness take root in our hearts, they begin to seep out and stir up strife. We become expert fault-finders and find ourselves dwelling on and becoming fixated with the imperfections, failures, flaws, and inconsistencies of our family members, friends, and co-workers. In what ways are you embracing strife in your life? In what person or circumstance can you only see the negative?
     
  • While hatred keeps score, love chooses to forgive (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Colossians 3:12-13). Love invites us to choose to forgive each and every day. Forgiveness takes time, and it always requires the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we choose to walk down the path of forgiveness rather than to retaliate, we are, in that moment, sharing a picture of what we have received from Jesus. How can you choose love this week? To whom can you extend forgiveness as Jesus forgave you?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

To view past sermons, please click here.

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24–26


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