“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight” (Prov 1:1-2 CEB).

My grandfather was a fairly simple man. I don’t remember him having a whole lot to contribute to conversations about politics or current events. He wasn’t the first person I’d turn to if I needed help with my homework as a kid. And yet, in many ways, he was the wisest person I’ve ever met.

Plenty of people have told me about the importance of things like humility, fear of the Lord, and love of one’s neighbor, but my grandpa showed me these things by the way he lived his life. Unsurprisingly, he was an avid reader of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings designed to help us grow in wisdom. This kind of wisdom, or hakmah in Hebrew (חָכְמָ֣ה), engages our hearts as well as our brains. In order to be truly wise we must first agree with God. We must be willing to set aside our own perceptions of the world in order to see through God’s eyes.

Wisdom, then, necessarily involves faith— faith that allows us to believe God, and faith that persuades us to obey God. Knowing God’s definition of a good life won’t help us much unless we’re actually willing to live that way.

So what do you think? Can you honestly say you’re living your life wisely?

If not, there’s still hope!

“…anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask” (James 1:5 CEB).

Hear that? God will freely hand out wisdom to anyone who asks! What an incredible promise!

Speaking of promises, one thing to keep in mind is that many of the wise sayings found in the book of Proverbs are based on common cause and effect principles. In other words, the claims of Proverbs are generally true, but they are not guarantees. Wise people typically experience more success than foolish people, but it doesn’t always work out that way. So we should be careful not to choose wisdom expecting it will get us closer to prosperity; we should choose wisdom expecting it will get us closer to our infinitely wise Creator and King.

Dear God, there is no one on earth who is as wise as you. Many claim to be wise, to have special access to the truth, but only you are holy and perfect in wisdom. Lord, we confess our foolishness. Please share your wisdom with us. Help us lead lives that glorify you and bless others. Amen.