Wisdom for Every Day

Proverbs 1:1-4, 7 
These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
    knowledge and discernment to the young.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 

Solomon is credited with writing much of Proverbs. My Bible explains that its purpose is:

“To teach people how to attain wisdom, discipline, and a prudent life, and how to do what is right, just, and fair—in short, how to apply divine wisdom to daily life and provide moral instruction.”

There are 31 chapters in Proverbs—one for every day of many months. My husband, Hal, starts with chapter one on the first day of the month and reads one chapter each day. He has done this for all 41 years of our marriage. He tells me he still learns something new every week from his reading. His favorite verse is Proverbs 4:23:

Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life. 

Solomon is telling us to protect our hearts because what we love and what we want shape how we live. Who and what we allow into our hearts and minds affects our decisions. I remember my parents talking to me about carefully choosing my friends. I did not realize, when I first started on my path as a believer, that all this wisdom was already in the Bible.

So I suggest you try something new for a month: read one chapter of Proverbs every day. Pay attention to what stands out. You may find a verse that becomes a favorite—and a guide for your own daily life.

Paula Heiney