My Daily Pause

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:1-7

Off and on over the years I have followed an old suggestion that one should read a chapter of Proverbs a day. On the first day of the month read Proverbs 1, one the second day of the month read Proverbs 2, and so on. I especially did this when I was self-employed because I wanted to run my business with literally, the Wisdom of Solomon.

To finish the exercise, it is important to try and make application of some portion of the day’s reading. The opening lines of Proverbs tells us exactly the benefits of this wisdom to how we live and how we do business. The writer promises us most of what any self-help book published today tries to deliver:

• Wisdom and instruction
• Understanding
• Wise dealings
• Discretion

Often, what was given as a warning or suggestion in Proverbs, is found in the New Testament as a commandment. This is excellent reassurance that God had only the best intentions for us when He gave us His laws.

Solomon, through his God-given wisdom, knew all the answers. He left us with advice that can make us successful and productive. It’s no wonder that so many of Proverbs verses have a direct connection to the Apostle’s teachings!

If you have extra time beyond your current Bible reading plan, or if you are still trying to build a daily reading habit, try the “Proverbs chapter a day” plan for a few months.