2015 TBC Men's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark: A Serving Savior / Lesson 10 - “Warning About the Pharisees” - Mark 8:1-26

Lesson 10   - “Warning About the Pharisees”  -  Mark 8:1-26

ID: Inductive Questions (Asking the text questions like who, what, where, when, why, & how?”)

CR: Cross References (Comparing Scripture to Scripture, understanding the vague by the clear.)

WS: Word Study (Understanding definition, theological meaning, and usages in other passages.)

The WORD: What does the Bible say?

Context:  Read Mark 7:35-8:30 to help understand the context of this passage.  Read Mark 8:1-26 in a more literal or more dynamic translation than you usually use. 

1.     ID: (8:1-3)  What response did Jesus have to the condition of the multitudes?  What were his concerns? 

2.     ID/CR: (8:4-9)  What are some similarities and differences between this feeding of 4,000 and the previous feeding of 5,000 in Mark 6:33-44?

3.     CR: (8:10-12)  How many of Jesus’ miracles has Mark recorded so far?  Why did the Pharisees seek a sign?   (Compare with Matthew 16:1-4)  What was Jesus’ response?

4.     WS: (8:15)  What was Jesus saying about the Pharisees and Herod when he referred to leaven (zymē)?  (After you have examined Mark, refer to the parallel passage in Matthew 16:11-12 and a similar interaction in Luke 12:1-3)  What did the disciples think he was talking about? 

5.     ID: (8:13-21)  Do Jeremiah 5:20-24 and Ezekiel 12:1-2 relate to the disciples’ response?  Why did the disciples fail to understand? 

6.     ID: (8:22-26)  What unusual things happened when Jesus healed the blind man?

The WALK: What should I do?

1.     What are some times the Lord has worked in your life that you can look back on and remember His faithfulness / deliverance?
2.     What tends to be our response to people (esp. when they oppose us or what we think or believe)?  What pattern did Jesus set for us in this passage (esp. verses 2, 11, 17-21)
3.     Is there leaven in American Christianity?  Are there any areas of “leaven” in your life? 
4.     What causes us to harden our hearts, have blurry spiritual vision, and become spiritually hard of hearing?  How do you keep your heart soft and tender toward the Lord?
5.  Where in this passage do we see Gospel truths about God, Man, Christ, and our response?

Going Beyond:  1. Study the symbolism of leaven in the Bible.

2. What areas of theology are touched on in this passage?
   The Bible     God    God the Father     Jesus Christ      The Holy Spirit      Man     Salvation     The Church     Angels & Satan     Future Things –

Leaven: A lump of old dough in high fermentation. As making it and leavening bread with it took time, unleavened bread was used in sudden emergencies (Genesis 18:6; Genesis 19:3). It was forbidden in all offerings to the Lord by fire (Leviticus 2:11; Leviticus 7:12). The Israelites on pain of death were to have none in their houses or in the land during Passover for seven days, from 14th Nisan (Exodus 12:15; Exodus 12:19; Exodus 12:39; Exodus 13:7; Exodus 23:18; Deuteronomy 16:3-4). Salt was its opposite, and was never to be absent from the altar burnt offering, representing the incorruptible imperishableness of Jehovah's covenant. Honey as liable to ferment also was excluded from the altar burnt offerings. Leaven reminded Israel of the haste with which they fled from Egypt, and of their sufferings, which answer to the insipidity of unleavened bread, "the bread of affliction."

Its prominent symbolical meaning was, it is bred of corruption and corrupts the mass with which it is mixed. Hence it represents "malice" (the evil habit) and "wickedness" (evil coming out in word and deed) as opposed to "sincerity" and "truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Jews searched with extreme care their houses, to purge out every particle of leaven. So Christians ought to search their hearts and purge out every corruption (Psalm 139:23-24). It also symbolizes corrupt doctrine (Matthew 16:6). Another quality is its secretly penetrating and diffusive influence: 1 Corinthians 5:6, "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," the influence of one sinner corrupts many (Ecclesiastes 9:18); but in Galatians 5:9 a little legalism mixed with the gospel corrupts its purity. Though elsewhere used in a bad sense, leaven in Matthew 13:33 represents the gospel principle working silently "without observation" from within, until the whole is leavened, just as the mustard tree represents its diffusion externally; so "flesh," though usually in a bad sense, in Ezekiel 11:19 is in a good sense.
The decomposition of social elements, accompanying and providentially preparing the way for the gospel, makes the image appropriate. Leaven was allowed to be offered in the firstfruits and tithes (Deuteronomy 26:2; Deuteronomy 26:12; 2 Chronicles 31:5), the Pentecostal loaves (Leviticus 23:15; Leviticus 23:17), and the peace offering (Leviticus 7:13). See Leviticus 2:11 "as an oblation of firstfruits ye shall offer them (leaven and honey) unto the Lord, but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour." In Amos 4:5 the leavened bread was "with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of the peace offerings," not with burnt offerings of animals on the altar. Perhaps however the command is ironical, "offer by burning (margin) a sacrifice ... with leaven" (which was forbidden), your very offerings being open insults to God.
Fausset, Andrew Robert M.A., D.D., "Definition for 'Leaven' Fausset's Bible Dictionary".

You may also want to refer to:

“leaven” entry in the Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell
“Leaven” entry in the International Standard Bible Encylopedia ©1915

Teacher notes for Lesson 10 - Mark 8:1-26

WORD
3. By my count there have been about twenty descriptions of miracles (Some are references to many healed.) in Mark so far (including God speaking from heaven).  It is remarkable that Jesus was still being asked for a sign.
4. I have included comments by Warren Wiersbe below.
6. The commentators are rife with speculation about meaning and reasons for this unusual healing.  It might be enough to just note some of its unusual aspects.

WALK

1. It is easy to criticize how quickly the disciples forgot about the feeding of the 5,000.  It fact some skeptics think this is a retelling of the first feeding because it is inconceivable that the disciples could have forgotten Jesus was able to feed thousands so quickly.  Let’s take some time to remember what the Lord has done in our lives.
4. I think it is a challenge for us to admit or recognize that we have our moments of spiritual dullness and lack of spiritual perception.  If your men feel free to talk about it, this could be a good discussion about seeing the signs and precautions that the men find helpful.

EXTRA

Articles about the metaphorical uses of “leaven” in the Bible have been included in this lesson.  This is a reoccurring term in the Bible, and one that it will be helpful for the men to know about.
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 Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s comments on leaven…

“In the Bible, leaven is consistently a symbol of evil. Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all leaven from their dwellings (Ex. 12:18–20), and leaven was not allowed with the offerings (Ex. 23:18; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; 6:17). Evil, like leaven, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole (Gal. 5:9).

The Bible uses leaven as a picture of false doctrine (Gal. 5:1–9), unjudged sin in the church (1 Cor. 5), and hypocrisy (Luke 12:1). In this context, Jesus warned them about the teaching (false doctrine) of the Pharisees and the followers of Herod. The Pharisees “said but they did not”; in other words, they practiced and encouraged hypocrisy (note Mark 7:6). The Herodians were a worldly group who catered to Herod, accepted the Roman way of life, and saw in Herod and his rule the promised kingdom for the Jewish nation. If this false teaching got into the hearts and minds of the disciples, it would infect them and pollute the truth Jesus had given them to proclaim about Himself and His kingdom.

We can never be too careful about detecting and avoiding false doctrine. Only a small deviation from the Word may get into an individual or a church, but before long it will grow and infect everything. Our Lord did not often say “Beware!” but when He did it was important!”^[1]

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^[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 137–138.

November 2015 in Proverbs

Those who reject the Lord will eat the fruit of their ways, and that is a sad and meager diet.
Proverbs 1.29-31 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own [counsel].

1. The general principle is that you will end up at the destination of the people you are traveling with.
2. The specific warning is against the attractive and sweet, but immoral woman who has not kept the covenant of her God. Outward appearance can be deceiving and the wrong choice tragic.
Lord, help me pursue your wisdom and continue faithful to Your covenant.
Proverbs 2.16-19 16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—

It seems sometimes that theologians see some of God's attributes as moral and others as natural or non-moral. That may all be fine and good, but these verses seem to point toward wisdom and knowledge that God used to create the "kosmos" has having moral benefit to me. Big thoughts, but I am thinking about them.
Proverbs 3.19-22 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.

One of the neat things to watch at my church is the way some set up or clean up project has a relatively uncoordinated group of people jump in and just get the job done. Doing things for people and around the church like a bunch of ants busy taking care of business.
Proverbs 6.6-8 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

Proverbs 7
The admonitions to keep the law of dad near and dear seem a little over the top to our modern ears... 2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
...untill we see the competition.
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.

Right between verses on the value of wisdom and its usefulness to rulers is inserted this defining thought.
Proverbs 8.13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.

Everybody is always talking about diets that help you live longer and better.
Proverbs 9.4-6
4 "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!"
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 "Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

One of the reasons the wicked are headed for trouble is that they are not reliable.
Lord, make me diligent to follow through.
Proverbs 10.24-26 24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.

These proverbs reinforce the importance of a generous spirit and the blessings that come on those with that spirit.
Lord, give me an Ephesians 4:28 spirit.
Proverbs 11.24-26 There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.
The people will curse him who withholds grain,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

I don't think that verse four is a stand alone verse about marriage as much as it sets the tone for the seriousness of the next three verses that contrast the deeds of the wicked with the righteous whose "house" stands on a solid foundation.
Lord, help me build my life on your foundation and be a blessing to my wife.
Proverbs 12.4-7 4  An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for blood,"
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.

A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
Annie replied, "Because people are sleeping"

Proverbs 13.18-19 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil. Again and again disdain for correction is a hallmark of the fool. Lord, make me a good listener and "repenter."

These verses appeal for a gracious, thoughtful attitude toward our neighbors regardless of their affluence.
Lord, help me to see people with your eyes.
Proverbs 14.20.22 20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But the rich has many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

Harsh words that stir up anger are foolishness. The Lord keeps watch over us to see who wisely defuses anger.
Lord, I want You to like what You see in me.
Proverbs 15.1-3 1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Here are a couple things that righteous old people should have figured out. Lord, give me Your self-control and understanding.
Proverbs 16.31-33 31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD.

The humble hunger for knowledge and understanding can save us from some trouble. Lord, make me a humble listener.
Proverbs 18.12-13 12 Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

I smiled today at the IVP Bible Background Commentary's description of the Mark 7.24-30 Syro-Phonecian woman's faith as "holy chutzpah." Lord, give me some of that.

Instruction that highlight's the "Lord's counsel," kindness, and the fear of the Lord puts children on a good trajectory for a life that will please the Lord. These are also good benchmarks for adults to think about.
Proverbs 19.20-23 20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.
21 There are many plans in a man's heart,
Nevertheless the LORD's counsel—that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.

The converse of this "wise saying" is to make friends with temperate and wise individuals. I am thankful for people like that God has put in my life.
Proverbs 22.24-25 24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.

Lord, keep my heart and eyes faithful to Your ways.
Proverbs 23.26-28 26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.

Glee at another's misfortune regardless of how deserved is always in bad form and is inconsistent with the Gospel.
Proverbs 24:17-18 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

An undependable and erratic person is more than just an annoyance. Lord, help me be a reliable man with a good sense of how to encourage and bless others.
Proverbs 25. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

The person who has no aptitude for wisdom is ill equipped to safely handle the honor that comes with it. I'm thinking about why.
Proverbs 26.7-8 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Like one who binds a stone in a sling
Is he who gives honor to a fool.

The heat of various trials will refine and purify a wise man's character, and others will speak his praises. A fool on the other hand is foolish to the bone and impervious to correction and lessons from experience.
Lord, grant me that that the genuineness of faith in and from You that will be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Proverbs 27.21-22 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.
Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

These verses describe a short sighted, muniplitive, and completely unscrupulous individual who seeks quick gain through any means.
Lord, help me be the principled, faithful man (like verse 19) who values You more than personal gain.
Proverbs 28.21-24 21 To show partiality is not good,
Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.
23 He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward
Than he who flatters with the tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother, And says, "It is no transgression,"
The same is companion to a destroyer.

The simplicity and clear conscience of someone who doesn't have to tip toe around his past offences brings freedom and joy.
Lord, help me to do right and treat even the poor right.
Proverbs 29.6-7 6 In the transgression of an evil person there is a snare,
but a righteous person can sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous person cares for the legal rights of the poor;
the wicked does not understand such knowledge. (NET)

Proverbs 30.7-9
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

 

Character Traits with Fifth Grade Quotes

Obedience - doing what you are told with a happy submissive spirit

·       He who will not answer to the rudder must answer to the rocks.

·       It is a sin to do less than your best.

·       Character is much easier to keep than recover.

·       Character is a man’s best capital.

·       Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.  ----Douglas Bader

Attentiveness - listening with ears, eyes and heart

·       It is no advantage to be near the light if you keep your eyes closed.

·       It’s better to be saved by the lighthouse than the lifeboat.

·       The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.

·       The greatest of all faults is to be aware of none.

·       Attentiveness is more than listening.

Manners - behaving in a polite way

·       Show courtesy to others, not because they are ladies or gentlemen, but because you are.

·       Your young only once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.

·       Pigs don’t pray.

·       Every tree is known by its fruit.

·       Talk like Robin Hood when you can shoot like him.

Self Control - doing something even when I don't feel like it

·       Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can.

·       Everyone knows how to keep their mouth shut, but few know when.

·       Ignorance is bold, knowledge reserved.

·       If you don’t want the fruits of sin, stay out of the orchard.

·       “Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.” –Calvin Coolidge

·       “Prudent, cautious self-control is wisdom’s root.” –Robert Burns

“Self-help and self-control are the essence of the American tradition.” _Theodore Roosevelt

·       “A man of self-control becomes the master.” –Sam Veda

Tenderheartedness - strong enough to feel the joys & hurts of others

·       There’s nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.

·       Conceit is a weird disease. It makes everybody sick except the one who has it.

·       The most important things in life aren’t things.

·       Let a man talk about himself, and he will think you are mighty interesting.

·       Handle words carefully, they have more power than atom bombs.

Honesty - truthful words and ways

·       Stretch the truth, and it will fly back to bite you.

·       Lying brings rest only when it’s done in bed.

·       The Devil has many tools and the lie is the handle that fits them all.

·       Exaggeration is the first cousin to lying.

·       Nobody can repeat what is not said.

·       You can steal the chief’s horn, but where will you blow it?

 Love - meeting another's needs unselfishly

·       Love doesn’t make the world go around, but it makes the ride worthwhile.

·       A little Christ like love will save a lot of friction.

·       Charity begins at home.

·       Between the great things we can’t do and the little things we won’t do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.

·       Christ is the reoccurring theme in the symphony of the Scriptures.

 Orderliness - everything in its place

·       Most failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.

·       Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness.

·       The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.

·       Hell is full of good intentions.

·       Too many people scratch for what they want, but are too lazy to scratch for it.

 Forgiveness - treating someone as though he never hurt me

·       The old law about an “eye for an eye” leaves everybody blind.

·       Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

·       God loves His children, not because of who we are, but because of who we are.

·       Some people find fault like there is a reward for it.

·       He who does not pray when the sun shines will not know how when the clouds roll in.

Loyalty - supporting someone even when the going gets tough

·       When faithfulness is most difficult, it is most necessary.

·       Be nice to your friends. If it weren’t for them you would be a total stranger.

·       He who has nothing worth dieing for has nothing worth living for.

·       A friend is a person who knows all about you and still likes you.

·       Keep your tongue and keep your friend.

Faith - believing God will do what he says

·       The faith that fizzles before the finish had a flaw from the first.

·       Where God guides He provides.

·       Worriers spend a lot of time shoveling smoke.

·       Faith is saying amen to God.

·       Faith bears fruit.

Joyfulness - being happy inside and out

·       A smile will increase your face value.

·       Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy, you must have someone to share it with.

·       Optimism is a cheerful frame of mind that enables a teakettle to sing even though it is in hot water.

·       Let a man talk about himself and he will thing you are mighty interesting.

·       Losers whine; winners train.

Thankfulness - being grateful and saying so

·       Even thought we cannot have all we want, we ought to be thankful we do not get what we deserve.

·       The only way to see a rainbow is to have a storm.

·       If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed.

·       One kind word can warm three winter months.

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Courage - doing what has to be done no matter how scared you are

·       The greatness of our fears shows the littleness of our faith.

·       When the outlook is bad, try the up look.

·       When you’re through changing, you’re through.

·       If you cannot win, bake the one ahead of you break the record.

·       It’s not what they call you.  It’s what you answer to.

Diligence - working hard to accomplish a task

·       Great opportunities come to those who make the most of little ones.

·       Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with our hands in your pockets.

·       Success is dependent on upon the glands—the sweat glands.

·       It’s not pull that makes the difference in life; it’s push.

·       The lazier a man is, the more he intends to do tomorrow.

Purity - keeping sin out

·       Putting God first brings satisfaction that lasts.

·       A guilty conscience needs no accusing.

·       In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking.

·       Sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin.

·       If you don’t touch the rope, you won’t ring the bell.

REVIEW

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Generosity - sharing what I have with a happy spirit

·       When your heart is converted, your purse will be inverted.

·       The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but reveal theirs.

·       Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.

·       You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.

·       We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.  ----------W. Churchill

Thriftiness - wise use of what I have

·       It’s hard to pay for bread that has been eaten

·       It’s not what you’d do with a million if riches should be your lot, but what you’re doing now with the dollar you’ve got.

·       Buy not silk when you owe for milk.

·       We can best guard against losing our shirts by keeping our sleeves rolled up.

·       Weed your own garden first.

Dedication - to become committed to something as a goal or way of life

·       First we make our habits; then our habits make us.

·       When you’re average, you’re just as near the bottom as the top.

·       What a man is depends largely on what he does when he has nothing to do.

·       The everyday Christian has a seven to one advantage over the Sunday practitioner.

·       Fame is not found on feather beds.

 Discernment - able to see things as they really are

·       Fool me once; shame on you.  Fool me twice; shame on me.

·       The consideration of the end will reconcile us to the difficulties and discouragements of the way.

·       Forbidden fruit makes for a bad jam.

·       Sin will take you farther than you want to go and cost more than you want to pay.

·       The wolf offered to watch the flock for nothing.

·       Birds of a feather flock together.

·       Fool me once: shame on you.  Fool me twice: shame on me.

 Determination - finishing your job no matter what the obstacles

·       The path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked.

·       Everything looks impossible to people who never try.

·       The difference between history’s boldest accomplishments and its greatest failures is often, simply, the determined will to persevere.

·       The drummer boy who never learned to beat a retreat won a lot of battles.

·       Boys who try hard grow up to be men who are hard to beat.

SPIRIT WEEK

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 Patience - waiting with a happy spirit

·       God has a prepared place for a prepared person.

·       Rome was not built in a day.

·       All things are difficult before they are easy.

·       Failure is never final.

·       In clam seas we are all good sailors.

 Initiative - making the first move without being asked

·       The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

·       Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.

·       Where you go from here is entirely up to you.

·       Too many people quit looking for work when they get a job.

·       The wagons follow the ruts.

Godliness - putting God first

·       What you laugh at tells about what you are.

·       He who is born of God will resemble his Father.

·       Don’t’ pretend to be what you don’t intend to be.

·       The man who practices what he preaches is generally known for short, simple sermons.

·       Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all.  -----Augustine

·       Reputation is what men say you are. Character is what we are before God.

Creativity - doing something in a new way

·       Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.

·       Necessity is the mother of invention.

·       Change starts when someone sees the next step.

·       Laughter translates into any language.

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Sharing - giving what I have to others

·       The got to be man’s best friend by wagging his tail not his tongue.

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·       One Bible stored in your mind is worth a dozen on the shelf.

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·       Our main business in this world is to secure an interest in the next.

Promptness - being on time

·       Nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute.

·       Lost time in never found again.

·       People count the faults of those who make them wait.

·       Five minutes in a crisis is worth years.

·       God is seldom early, but never late.

Fairness - treating others equally

·       The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.

·       Seek not every quality in one individual.

·       There is absolutely no commission on the sell you almost make.

·       A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

·       It is better to deserve praise than to receive it.

Meekness - patience without anger

·       If we must disagree, let us not be disagreeable.

·       When a man’s temper gets the best of him, it reveals the worst in him.

·       Anger is one word short of danger.

·       Bible verses will save you from spiritual reverses.

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Responsibility - doing what I know I ought to do

·       The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

·       He who kicks up a storm should expect rough sailing.

·       Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a manner of choice.

·       It is easier to build a boy than mend a man.

·       We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.

Wisdom - thinking God's way

·       It’s better to keep your mouth shut and have people wonder if you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

·       “Lord, teach us to number our days that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.”

·       Nobody gets wise by chance.

·       He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.

·       You can steal the chief’s horn, but where will you blow it?

·       He who asks a question may seem to be a fool for five minutes, but he who never asks a question remains a fool forever.

Respect - reverencing God by showing the proper esteem and regard for others.

·       Question authority, but first raise your hand.

·       If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed.

·       One can easily pick a wise man by the things he doesn’t say.

·       Nothing is a difficult to gracefully as getting down off your high horse.

·       Is it progress when a cannibal uses a knife and fork?

·       He who has no battles will have no victories.

Serving (helping) - meeting the needs of others by the things I do

·       Most people’s idea of service is “serve us.”

·       If thou wilt spin, God will find thee yarn.

·       When you row the other guy across the stream, you get there yourself.

·       Loving-kindness has converted more sinners than eloquence or learning.

·       Hit the ball over the fence and you can take your time going around the bases.

Contentment - happy with what I have

·       A shortcut is often the quickest way to somewhere you weren’t going.

·       Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and cheerfully take what God chooses to send.

·       God can make a great finish out of a slow start.

·       A good violinist is the one who has the ability to play first chair and willingness to play second.

·       Enough is as good as a cartload.

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