John Wayne famously said “Life is hard. It’s harder if you’re stupid.” I have certainly done my share of stupid things, and I suspect you have too. In our defense, none of us is born smart, but the truth is, we are all responsible to learn the things we need to know to succeed in life. The passing of years is all it takes for us to grow up physically. But we need to proactively apply ourselves in order to mature emotionally, relationally and spiritually. Charley “Tremendous” Jones said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.” So, let me introduce you to someone you really need to meet, and the book he wrote; The person is King Solomon; the book is Proverbs.  The smartest man in the world gave this advice: Get some wisdom. Prov 4:5. He wasn’t just trying to sell his book. He was trying to teach his children to learn from his mistakes, instead of experiencing the heartache of learning painful lessons, firsthand.

Proverbs is chock full of nuggets of timeless wisdom on four major issues of life: Marriage, Work & Money, Raising children, and Choosing our words. Here are few samples.

Marriage

He tells us to treasure our spouse and be faithful to them. Not to get drawn away by the lies or the counterfeits of the enemy.

• Prov 18:22           He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.
• Prov  5:18-19      Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your   youth.  As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all               times; and always be enraptured with her love.
• Prov 31:10-31     Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain…

Work & Money

• Prov 23:4              Do not overwork to be rich.
• Prov 12:11           He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows  frivolity is devoid of  understanding.
• Prov 16:26           The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.

Raising Children

• Prov 22:6              Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
• Prov 29:17           Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.

Choosing our Words

• Prov 15:28          The heart of the righteous studies how to answer
• Prov 15:1             A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
• Prov 29:11           A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.
• Prov 13:3              He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Here’s a cool thing. There are 31 chapters of Proverbs and 31 days in most months. Perfectly laid out to read one chapter a day; bite size pieces of everyday wisdom. I read through Proverbs at least twice a year, and I’m always learning something new. You can never exhaust the wisdom of God.

Solomon said

 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding, for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Prov 3:13,14,17

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Prov 9:10-11

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction. Prov 19:23

Ah yes, satisfaction. I like that word. I want “Satisfaction” to be the word I always use to describe my marriage, and I’m sure you do too. Let’s get some wisdom.