For August, I’m engaging my family to read a Proverb a day (31 days in August and 31 chapters in Proverbs … easy to remember!). I’ll be looking forward each day to natural opportunitites to discuss each day’s Proverb and what we’re learning as we eat dinner together, ride in the car, send messages over Facebook or texts, or whatever. As I told them, I believe this can really help us each live a wise and discerning life for God! I’m going to try to post here a few of the things I’m learning each day. I hope you will read and learn along with me and my family! Today: Proverbs 1.
Proverbs is all about wisdom. The words wise or wisdom are used at least 125 times in the book. The purpose of this book is to help us acquire and apply God’s wisdom for making decisions in our daily life (see verses 1-7)
Verses 8-33 record three voices we each need to identify: (1) the voice of instruction — the voice of your parents, whether your earthly parents or your Heavenly Father (8-10, 15-19); (2) the voice of temptation (11-14); and the voice of salvation (20-33).
- Which voice is yelling loudest to you right now?
- Which one do you need to listen to more?
Look at verse 22.
- What three kinds of people does Wisdom cry out to?
- How would you describe each of those kinds of people?
- What are they like?
Notice the word chose in verse 29. People have chosen to not fully follow and trust God. And there are consequences for their choices (see verses 31 and 32). I must choose to follow God, to respect/fear him because of who he is, and to trust him. Then he will answer when I cry for help. I will find him when I search for him.
The last verse (33) is also a choice. It is my choice to do my best to listen to God and do what he says. God will then give me peace and safety. What a promise today!
What jumps out to you the most in Proverbs 1? What are you learning?
