The Word To Live By; 5-7-26
Phil Waggoner
The beginning of wisdom: Get wisdom! Get understanding before anything else. Hold on to instruction; don’t slack off; protect it, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:7,13
The Word To Live By: Wisdom is using knowledge at the right time. In order to do that, you need to understand the knowledge you have. The knowledge I have of driving a school bus is of no value to me in planting a garden, and vice versa. The beginning of wisdom is also the fear of the Lord, (Proverbs 9:10) which means respecting His commandments and precepts. How do you show respect to God? By doing what He says even if it’s not something you want to do or feel like doing at the time. (That’s also called trust.) The commandments and precepts of God are those instructions. If you hold on to instruction and don’t slack off consistently doing them, those two things you will open doors and lead you to understanding the specific will of God for your life. You protect that will by keeping it fresh in your mind and in your heart. Proverbs 4:23-27 tells us how to do that, “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it. Have nothing to do with a corrupt mouth; keep devious lips far from you. Focus your eyes straight ahead; keep your gaze on what is in front of you. Watch your feet on the way, and all your paths will be secure. Don’t deviate a bit to the right or the left; turn your feet away from evil.” (Common English Translation)
Read through the Bible in a year: Acts 17:16-34; Judges 7-8; Job 37;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 7, Luke 19:25-48, Hebrews 12
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160