The Bible is an amazing source of guidance, a kind of "how to" book, about how to live the good life: one of peace, joy, love, provision, protection and health. One book that is renowned for its advice is the book of Proverbs. It would take a whole other book to review the advice in Proverbs, but I will start in Chapter 1, which explains why you should read the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 1:2-7 "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. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (NLT)
Proverbs 2:4-8 "If you seek her (wisdom) as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure; then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones."
These are excerpts from just the first two chapters. There are thirty one chapters in the book of Proverbs and each chapter is filled with great advice about how to live an exceptional life. I think that it is pretty convenient that the book has one chapter for each day of the month, to make it easier to study and meditate on each chapter.
Here's the challenge: We can study just one chapter a day and ask the Holy Spirit about how we can apply the knowledge we gain to our lives. Make sure you journal what you are gleaning from your reading and listening for guidance from the Holy Spirit. We can repeat the process each month. Periodically review what you have journaled to see how you have grown. (If you don't like to write, you can journal by leaving yourself a voice memo on your phone and then listening to your entries). I believe that as we apply what we learn, our lives will be transformed for the better.
I am committed to adding one chapter of Proverbs to my daily readings. How about you? Will you join me in committing to this challenge? You can send me a private message below to let me know how you are doing, what you are learning, or how your life has changed. May God bless our efforts.
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