DAY 33 - A PROVERB A DAY...
KEATON TUCKER, YA GROUPS TEAM LEAD
“To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight and wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity” Proverbs 1:1
One of the best pieces of advice that I actually listened to when I was 20 years old was to read one chapter of Proverbs every single day. Proverbs is the book of wisdom and it contains 31 chapters of goodness that pertain to all things in life: relationships, work, money, and avoiding foolish mistakes. I have heard it said that if you familiarize yourself with all the teachings in Proverbs on money, you will have a master’s degree in finance.
Many times throughout my weeks I find myself in a position where I don’t know what to do or how to handle certain situations. I’m sure you have too, these are all too common situations that happen to all of us. The book of Proverbs is helpful in all of these situations. It offers insight that when followed is simple and it works. Not only will possessing wisdom help you know what to do but it will help you know what NOT to do which might be more important.
Wisdom is one of the most treasured spiritual gifts in all of the Bible. It is said, “how much better to get wisdom than to get gold” (Proverbs 16:16) and “if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God for the Lord gives wisdom” (Proverbs 2:4-6). Even in the New Testament, Paul writes “...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him… (Ephesians 1:17). Wisdom is one of the greatest gifts you can have in this life.
Wisdom won’t protect you from all of the troubles we have in our life. Some situations are unavoidable. In these times we need to seek God to handle it for us because there is nothing for us to do. But more often than not, God’s way of intervening in our life is by giving us instructions on what to do. He is ready and able to tell us what to do in any given situation we find ourselves in. Proverbs is one of the best books of the Bible for receiving this instruction and to live a life in line with its principles is to live an abundant life.
There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one for each day of the month. The first time you read through them, you may not receive much. But that’s okay! Wisdom has depth to it and it takes time to allow this wisdom to become part of your life. But if you stick with it, soon enough you will find that wisdom has become part of your everyday life.
“The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 9:10) and “fear of the Lord is healing to your flesh and refreshment to your body” (Proverbs 3:8).
I encourage you to begin the practice of reading one proverb a day as part of your devotional time. You will gain wisdom and insight for all things that pertain to life. Be blessed, my friends.