Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Proverbs – God’s Wisdom Book

Proverbs 1:7- “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

While driving, I obey the rules very well, but when I know there is someone in authority, like a policeman, watching me, I tend make an extra effort to stay way within the speed limit. It’s the same feeling, but much more when speaking about the fear of the Lord. Just knowing that God is there; that He is the creator, is ever watchful and we will someday have to answer to Him for our lives, should cause us to respect Him for who He is and want to please Him. By studying His word, we can learn how. The Book of Proverbs gives us a good basis to follow.

Proverbs is a Godly wisdom book. We are to use it as a guidepost for our lives. It helps us to follow a wise way to live the Christian life and be a testimony of God’s work in us. It also helps us to make wise choices in our moral life, our relationships and with our responsibilities. The proverbs in this book are not to be used as incantations for selfish gain, but rather as principles for skillful living so that in due course, it will be well with us. It gives us God’s wisdom to maneuver through life’s difficulties and challenges that are ever present.

It isn’t important enough to have knowledge and a good education, it’s more important to have the wisdom to be able to use that education. Computers have an abundance of information but only us humans have the ability to have the wisdom to use that information for good.

Eph 5:15-17 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” As a follower of Christ we are to walk soberly, knowing that God is there. Proverbs helps us to know how to do that.

A “must read” book to understand the book of Proverbs is: “Be Skillful,

Tapping God’s Guidebook to Fulfillment”, by Warren W. Wiersbe