How To Be Wise (Part 1)

Okay, for the next 31 days I am going to be taking you through the book of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters which makes it great for daily reading. My Pastor's wife says, "A Proverb a day will keep the devil away!" In the Proverbs you will find godly wisdom and counsel concerning both practical and philosophical issues of life. According to the Full Life Study Bible, "Its wisdom is unique in that is based on respect for God and his righteous standards for his people." My plan is to just take a few of the "wise sayings" in each chapter and share my thoughts on them. If anyone wants to jump in and share something as well, please do. That being said, here we go.

The first chapter sets up the theme for the remainder of the book and the foundation from which wisdom comes.

• Verse 5 says, "A wise man will hear and increase in learning..." So many people hear, but few unearth its applications to life. I think we allow so much useless information to pass through our minds that what is useful has no place to take pause in us to be meditated upon, much less be put into sensible practice. Maybe it's time to step back and assess all the interruptions we allow into our lives that drag us away from what we were designed to be.
• Verse 7 states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." What does it mean to fear the Lord? I believe it is to have a deep respect for the awesomeness of God in all that He is. He is the creator of everything and has authority over all. Yet, He allows us the option to accept Him or reject Him. Both choices have eternal consequences.
• Finally, verse 33 instills in us, "...whoever listens to me (wisdom) will live securely, and be at ease, without fear of harm." What an assurance we have when we put our faith and trust in God. If we will listen God's voice spoken to us through the scriptures, we can be at peace knowing that He is in control and wisdom comes by exercising what we hear.