Wisdom for Daily Living

Proverbs 1 tells us that wisdom starts with having fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” As we continue to read through the chapter we see that God gives us a warning of what happens when we reject wisdom and gives a condition. Proverbs 1:23 says, “If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.” And verse 33 gives us a promise, it says, “But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.”

When I first came to Christ, I would have considered myself a smart person, but I would not describe myself as a wise person. To be honest, I am not sure I really understood the difference. In my mind, wisdom was for older people, people who have lived life and had been through some things. My limited understanding accepted that knowing things was important, reading and learning about something and attaining knowledge was enough to help me navigate through life. However, I did not consider that learning things was good, but it was not enough or that being a “know it all” was foolish in the eyes of the Lord. None of us can truly know it all, only God can, thus he offers his godly wisdom. The wisdom God offers is the application of knowledge we do have to our daily lives. In Proverbs 2, Solomon writes the reasons why we should pursue godly wisdom. Proverbs 2:10 says, “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you.” God is saying to us, allow my wisdom to take up space in your heart and you will have my divine guidance in your life. Living as a christian means that I have the power of the holy spirit and his spirit is at work in me. As I have spent time with God in prayer and through his word over the years, I have learned that these verses lead us to acknowledge that God as our father will discipline us when we’re headed in the wrong direction and we should revere him even more than we would a parental figure in our lives. These verses also plainly explain what happens when we ignore advice from wise counsel and the holy spirit. They also allow us to see the reward for those who “listen closely to wisdom and direct our hearts to understanding.” Allowing the holy spirit to lead us to do what is right when no one is watching builds integrity. Listening to the nudging of the holy spirit in a situation where it would be much easier to ignore is exercising God’s wisdom and that is what provides a shield of protection, guarding us from evil and keeps us on the path of righteousness and allows us to inhabit the land and remain in it.

Let us pray: Lord, we thank you for your knowledge and wisdom, for your divine protection. God your word says that if we ask for wisdom you will give it, so we are asking that you will give us wisdom for every day decisions big and small and that by the power of the holy spirit you will guide us through our daily lives. Lord continue to transform us to look more like you and less like ourselves. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.