How To Get Wisdom
Day 1: Wisdom as Inheritance
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What stuck out to you in this passage today?
While the main theme of the Proverbs is the idea of wisdom and its transmission, there is an underlying idea scattered in these writings of inheriting this trait. Inheritance always comes in the language of family and passing things down. So the understanding is that wisdom is best transmitted in the perfect family model. Notice the language (which shows up many times) that is used in this passage.
Let’s be real though...families are not perfect. The one that you were raised wasn’t and the one you are working on now isn’t either. That doesn’t mean that we abandon the model that seems to be broken, but that we take what God has ordained and try to redeem the pieces that are left. Too often we see men that are not stepping into the roles that the Bible calls them to. We take our cues of how we function in the roles we are in from our upbringing or whatever the cultural norm tends to be. This is a dangerous place.
Think about the underlying idea of this passage and see where your family is on this path.
How are you creating an environment that passes on wisdom in your home?
Whether you are a father, husband, mother, wife, child, or grandparent, what do you see as your responsibility in passing down wisdom for all that are in your household?
What do you see as the biggest enemy to fulfilling this role and how can you overcome these ideas?
Day 2: The Two Best Modes of Wisdom Transfer
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
Most of us serve two roles in the area of wisdom. One is that of the receiver that is looking to obtain the wisdom. The second is the teacher that is looking to pass on the wisdom. I want to spend time thinking about the second one. You may instantly push back on that idea, declaring that you are no teacher and that it is not your job, but this misses the idea of the roles that we live in as defined by the Bible. Remember, wisdom is inherited and best inherited within the family system. So as a father, you automatically serve as a teacher. As a mother, you are in the position of teacher. The same goes for all older sibling, husband and wives, grandparents, and so on. We could continue the idea outside the home as well.
In verse 11, we learn two modes of transferring wisdom that we should think about. The first is that idea of teaching. My dad had the pithy dad sayings that were generic lessons wrapped in a clever joke or quote. The other mode is one that sometimes we neglect because we forget people learn not just by hearing us ramble on; that is the mode of example.
In your roles as a teacher, do you do better at leading by example or leading in lesson only?
What are some examples from your life where you have had a good lesson but a bad example demonstrated to you?
Which mode seems to speak the loudest to you (seeing an example or hearing a lesson) and why?
Day 3: Two Paces of Life Where Wisdom Helps
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
We reach a point in life where we give up on the idea of it all slowing down eventually. You come out of the teen years with full steam and maybe barrel right into college or the work force. On the heels of that is marriage then kids and you spend a little bit of time in between baseball games and obligations thinking about what you want to do when you get time back for you one day, but eventually you resign to the fact that this is the new pace of life.
We realize this especially at the time of the year we are moving into: the Holidays. In verse 12, the writer talks about the two paces of life that wisdom can help us at: walking and running. The pace we just finished talking about it the running pace. You are probably like most people in that you trip and stumble randomly at both paces, but for me, I tend to be more likely to trip at the running pace. There is less attention given to being exact and careful and then my foot finds an unsure footing or some other slippery setting that sends me down. It’s a great metaphor for life. Wisdom is that very thing that gives us balance at all stages in life. In other words, it is worth slowing down for. So if your life pace is walking, be sure to take the time to pursue wisdom, because it will help you in your walking. If you life pace feels like running right now, be sure to take the time to pursue wisdom. It will certainly help in your current place in life.
How do you describe your current pace of life: walking or running?
How could wisdom benefit you in your careful steps or in your quick steps this week?
What needs to happen to make more time for wisdom in your life?
Day 4:
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
Have you ever watched a sunrise? Surely, at least once, you have been awake when that incredible, daily event occurs! Did you know that the Jewish day started in the dark and ended in the daylight? The reason for that is because there was a theme in their everyday life that everything ends in light. Revelation seems to describe an eternal day with no need for the sun. The reason that is an idea is because Jesus is described as the light in the darkness. We know the metaphor, bad equals night, day equals good.
With that metaphor in mind, consider verse 18. The thought here is that the longer you are on the path of wisdom, the more light there is. The more things are illuminated and warmth and sight and all of those light ideas come to reality. Wisdom moves us toward that light! Confusion is associated with darkness. Wickedness is associated with darkness. The goal is to move toward the light. The more light, the better!
When you read verse 18, what is the image that you see in your mind?
How does this idea help you in your daily life?
What other things have you noticed about wisdom and light?
Day 5:
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
This chapter ends giving us 5 markers that help us see if we are on the road to wisdom. If we are not seeing these signs, we need to readjust where we are and how we are doing things.
How are each of these things associated with wisdom in your experience?
Which marker do you tend to not see in your life as much as you would like?
How can you move toward solving that this week?
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What stuck out to you in this passage today?
While the main theme of the Proverbs is the idea of wisdom and its transmission, there is an underlying idea scattered in these writings of inheriting this trait. Inheritance always comes in the language of family and passing things down. So the understanding is that wisdom is best transmitted in the perfect family model. Notice the language (which shows up many times) that is used in this passage.
Let’s be real though...families are not perfect. The one that you were raised wasn’t and the one you are working on now isn’t either. That doesn’t mean that we abandon the model that seems to be broken, but that we take what God has ordained and try to redeem the pieces that are left. Too often we see men that are not stepping into the roles that the Bible calls them to. We take our cues of how we function in the roles we are in from our upbringing or whatever the cultural norm tends to be. This is a dangerous place.
Think about the underlying idea of this passage and see where your family is on this path.
How are you creating an environment that passes on wisdom in your home?
Whether you are a father, husband, mother, wife, child, or grandparent, what do you see as your responsibility in passing down wisdom for all that are in your household?
What do you see as the biggest enemy to fulfilling this role and how can you overcome these ideas?
Day 2: The Two Best Modes of Wisdom Transfer
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
Most of us serve two roles in the area of wisdom. One is that of the receiver that is looking to obtain the wisdom. The second is the teacher that is looking to pass on the wisdom. I want to spend time thinking about the second one. You may instantly push back on that idea, declaring that you are no teacher and that it is not your job, but this misses the idea of the roles that we live in as defined by the Bible. Remember, wisdom is inherited and best inherited within the family system. So as a father, you automatically serve as a teacher. As a mother, you are in the position of teacher. The same goes for all older sibling, husband and wives, grandparents, and so on. We could continue the idea outside the home as well.
In verse 11, we learn two modes of transferring wisdom that we should think about. The first is that idea of teaching. My dad had the pithy dad sayings that were generic lessons wrapped in a clever joke or quote. The other mode is one that sometimes we neglect because we forget people learn not just by hearing us ramble on; that is the mode of example.
In your roles as a teacher, do you do better at leading by example or leading in lesson only?
What are some examples from your life where you have had a good lesson but a bad example demonstrated to you?
Which mode seems to speak the loudest to you (seeing an example or hearing a lesson) and why?
Day 3: Two Paces of Life Where Wisdom Helps
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
We reach a point in life where we give up on the idea of it all slowing down eventually. You come out of the teen years with full steam and maybe barrel right into college or the work force. On the heels of that is marriage then kids and you spend a little bit of time in between baseball games and obligations thinking about what you want to do when you get time back for you one day, but eventually you resign to the fact that this is the new pace of life.
We realize this especially at the time of the year we are moving into: the Holidays. In verse 12, the writer talks about the two paces of life that wisdom can help us at: walking and running. The pace we just finished talking about it the running pace. You are probably like most people in that you trip and stumble randomly at both paces, but for me, I tend to be more likely to trip at the running pace. There is less attention given to being exact and careful and then my foot finds an unsure footing or some other slippery setting that sends me down. It’s a great metaphor for life. Wisdom is that very thing that gives us balance at all stages in life. In other words, it is worth slowing down for. So if your life pace is walking, be sure to take the time to pursue wisdom, because it will help you in your walking. If you life pace feels like running right now, be sure to take the time to pursue wisdom. It will certainly help in your current place in life.
How do you describe your current pace of life: walking or running?
How could wisdom benefit you in your careful steps or in your quick steps this week?
What needs to happen to make more time for wisdom in your life?
Day 4:
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
Have you ever watched a sunrise? Surely, at least once, you have been awake when that incredible, daily event occurs! Did you know that the Jewish day started in the dark and ended in the daylight? The reason for that is because there was a theme in their everyday life that everything ends in light. Revelation seems to describe an eternal day with no need for the sun. The reason that is an idea is because Jesus is described as the light in the darkness. We know the metaphor, bad equals night, day equals good.
With that metaphor in mind, consider verse 18. The thought here is that the longer you are on the path of wisdom, the more light there is. The more things are illuminated and warmth and sight and all of those light ideas come to reality. Wisdom moves us toward that light! Confusion is associated with darkness. Wickedness is associated with darkness. The goal is to move toward the light. The more light, the better!
When you read verse 18, what is the image that you see in your mind?
How does this idea help you in your daily life?
What other things have you noticed about wisdom and light?
Day 5:
Sermon Sentence: Wisdom is the one thing that you should be praying for in every single aspect of your life.
We will be reading the same section in Proverbs each day, but don’t get lazy and skip out on it. Really read it and start each day thinking about one part of this passage that stands out to you. You will notice different things on different days.
Read Proverbs 4:10-27
What did you notice reading this passage today that was different than yesterday?
This chapter ends giving us 5 markers that help us see if we are on the road to wisdom. If we are not seeing these signs, we need to readjust where we are and how we are doing things.
- Wise people guard their hearts. (verse 23)
- Wise people hold their tongues. (verse 24)
- Wise people are careful with their eyes. (verse 25)
- Wise people think about their daily steps. (Verse 26)
- Wise people are consistent in their walk with God. (verse 27)
How are each of these things associated with wisdom in your experience?
Which marker do you tend to not see in your life as much as you would like?
How can you move toward solving that this week?
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