Week of 1/27-2/2: Develops - Wisdom for New Lives

Day One: Prov 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For gaining wisdom and being instructed; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving wise instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man—a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance—for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

PROVERBS ARE SHORT SAYINGS that generally hold a nugget of truth or wisdom. The book of Proverbs is full of them, but there are many more proverbs that vary from culture to culture. Which of these proverbs have you encountered?

“A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”

“A penny saved is a penny earned.”

“The early bird gets the worm.”

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

The reason proverbs are embedded in culture is because they offer a pretty astute commentary on the world. These are general principles that have been passed down from generation to generation, helping inform the subsequent generation about the realities of life.

There is one key difference between these modern day proverbs and the proverbs found in God’s word. The modern day proverbs have arisen from intense observation by those who live in the world. When people see occurrences over and over again, they tend to have a pretty good idea about the circumstances surrounding those occurrences.

God’s proverbs, however, aren’t collected as mere observations. They are not generated by one who merely observes the world, but rather by the one who created the world. All genuine wisdom and knowledge is rooted in God. If we are to pursue wisdom, we must do so by pursuing the giver of wisdom and knowledge. Only through a growing relationship with God can true wisdom be obtained.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What is wisdom?

▷▷Why should we pursue wisdom?

▷▷How do we pursue wisdom?