This article was inspired by my personal reading of the Book of Proverbs and is based on advice taken from the first nine chapters of the book. This part of the book is written as if from a father to a son and it gives a good foundation on how we should live our lives how to act in our relationships with others.
The Book of Proverbs is God's instructions to us on how to live wisely, or rather how the wise man should develop his character, live his life and conduct his affairs. It also talks a lot about what temptations we should avoid so that we can keep our slates clean, walk the straight and narrow path, and live a peaceful and joyful life in the light of God.
Wisdom is the art of living wisely. It is a Grace given to us by God. I have picked out twelve of my favorite little snippets of wisdom to help you along your journey down the straight and narrow path. So, if you want to live the good life of a wise man, then read on.
Step #1: Listen to Your Parents
Your parents are your first teachers. They want what’s best for you. They try to teach you how to live, how to prosper, and how to survive in the crazy world. They support you through your education while growing up, and make sure you are fed and healthy.
We may not like it at the time, but when they discipline us as children it really is for our own good. It is a parents job to teach their kids how to behave. If your parents are loving, honest and faithful to each other, then they are good teachers to model your life after.
Wisdom is something you learn from those who came before you. And it starts with your mom and dad.
Step #2: Love God and Keep His Commandments
The wise man stays faithful to God and keeps his commandments. If he takes this to heart, he will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man. It will keep your path straight and keep you out of trouble.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. If you don’t keep God’s commandments you will live in darkness, trying to hide from his light, trying to hide your deeds. You will lie to cover your tracks.
If you do keep his commandments, you can live in the light with nothing to hide.
Step #3: Avoid Doing Anything Evil
If somebody tries to get you to get involved with some evil act, some crazy scheme such as robbery, beating somebody, running some scam, taking advantage of somebody or something along that line, don’t do it. While you might enjoy a few short term rewards and riches, eventually it will catch up to you. You will have to lie and hide from the light because of your actions. If you are caught, you will be punished.
Turn away from evil. Avoid evil. Fear the Lord and hate evil and you will be rewarded. You will be able to live in peace and prosperity without fear of retribution or justice.
Eventually evil deeds will catch up to you. The long arm of the law will eventually find you. When you get caught you will regret your actions. You will say, I should have known better. You will cry for mercy but it’s too late. Now you will pay the price.
Step #4: Be Honest
Be honest in all of your dealings. Act fairly in all of your proceedings with others. Speak the truth always. Don’t falsely accuse anybody of something they didn’t do. Don’t cheat anybody. Don’t lie. Don’t try to deceive. Don’t tip the scales to your advantage so to speak.
Staying honest is staying true to yourself and true to God. Others won’t be able to accuse you of anything. You won’t have anything to hide.
Step #5: Exercise Good Judgement
In order to exercise good judgement, you will need to understand everything that you get yourself into, everything you do or every decision you make. If you do this, you will be able to make good decisions that keep you honest and fair, while not getting involved in anything evil. This will be based on knowledge and understanding.
Maintain discretion always. Don't just jump on a "great opportunity," Gain understanding and you will know the right thing to do in every situation. Be shrewd, judging people and situations carefully.
Step #6: Learn from Your Mistakes
Nobody is perfect. If you make a mistake, own it, do what you can to fix it, and learn from it. If you learn from your mistakes, you will be wiser. You will be less likely to make them again in the future.
A mistake is God’s way of making us stop and reconsider what we are doing or what we have done. Don’t reject God’s discipline, that is designed to keep you on the straight and narrow path. You will stray every now and then, but you will eventually learn from your mistakes as well. Then you can move forward.
Step #7: Be Faithful to Your Own
Don’t cheat on your spouse or have an affair with the spouse of another. Love and stay true to your own. You will be happier. You will have nothing to hide.
Staying faithful and true to your own will keep you blameless. Cheating with another woman or the wife of another will get you into trouble. You will try to hide it and keep it in the dark. She may be sweet, and it could be fun for a moment, but she will lead you straight to hell.
A good woman is a blessing. A forbidden woman will be the downfall of man.
Step #8: Be Generous and Grateful
Honor God with your first fruits and more will be given to you. If your neighbor is in need and you can help them, do so. Give and to you will be given.
Not only will whatever you give come back to you, it will do so in plenty. So be grateful for all of your blessings then more will come your way.
Step #9: Fulfill Your Obligations
Keep your promises, then you won’t disappoint others. Pay your bills and your lights won’t get shut off. If you sign a contract, fulfil your obligation, then you will gain a good reputation for doing business.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t sign contracts you can’t fulfil. Don't run up credit card bills that you can't pay. And if you do, then make sure you take care of it.
Step #10: Prepare for the future
Store up your provisions for the future. Make sure you have enough to get through the winter. Make sure you have enough saved away so that you can weather the storms of life, make it through the tough times, or handle an emergency.
Occasionally a crisis will happen in your life. You never know when it will happen. So do your best to prepare for it.
Step #11: Work Hard
Don’t’ be lazy. If you sit around sleeping during the time of the harvest, you won’t be able to make it through the winter. If you blow off mowing your lawn, it will be that much harder to do when the grass is that much taller. You will lose out on opportunities.
If you work hard, do your best, and take care of your business, you will have an easier life.
Step #12: Learn to recognize the good things in life
We spend too much time focusing on the negative. This causes stress, anger and sadness. If we can learn to see the beauty of it all, then we can live in peace and tranquility.
Take the time to smell the roses. Admire and appreciate a great piece of art. Open your heart to all that is good, and you will see that life can be full of joy.
Conclusion
Being a wise man is not about knowing everything. It is about living wisely in a crazy world that has been tainted by evil, greed, hatred and jealousy. It is about learning to see the beauty in the the world and experiencing the love of God and others.
The wise man is able to live in the light of his deeds. His life is full of peace and joy. He makes friends rather than enemies, and he always understands what he gets himself into. He doesn't get involved in the day-to-day affairs of the foolish. He doesn't run his mouth or condemn others or talk about that which he has no understanding of. He avoids their wicked schemes and stays true to his own. He has nothing to hide and can therefore live in peace and security.
Being a wise man, gaining wisdom is something that you have to work for.
No comments:
Post a Comment