Take the Proverb-a-Day Challenge

The book of Proverbs offers a wonderful opportunity to look at what it means to walk daily with Christ, or to live the Spirit-filled life. We considered two verses that are invitations from God:

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven not give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

While there is not an etymological root between the Hebrew word for wisdom and the filling of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament, they both refer to the ability to live out what we believe.

The Hebrew understanding of wisdom is not quantitative head knowledge, but rather heart knowledge, or know-how, or the power for living. Wisdom is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the application of knowledge to our daily lives. In the same way, it is not enough to know about the Holy Spirit, but we need to experience His power for living as we face the challenges and tests of life.

This is summed up in Ephesians 5:15 and followed by the command in Ephesians 5;18:

Be careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

I want to extend an invitation to anyone who would follow this blog: Read a Proverb a day during the month of October and jot down your comments about that verse, or on another which spoke to you. I’ll post my comments between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and will look forward to hearing form others who are taking the challenge. I believe that we’ll see that there is an amazing correlation between the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:22-23) and the wisdom described in the Proverbs.