Every year, thousands of books are published whose titles start with the same two words: "How to...". And, supposedly, by reading them, you can learn how to win friends and influence people, raise the perfect dog, fix a broken heart, talk so kids will listen, find love and paint like a pro. They will show you how to buy a house, build a fence, do needlepoint and tell funny jokes. You can become an investor, balloon artist, debater, writer or computer programmer.
These books offer us wisdom - skill in one area or another. Wisdom brings success in our careers, families, emotional well-being and relationship with God.
One book of the Bible - the book of Proverbs, actually specializes in wisdom. It champions wisdom and calls us to pursue it for all its worth.
Are you wise? Would you like more wisdom? One of the opening verses in Proverbs offers readers an important clue for gaining wisdom:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...
In this series on the book of Proverbs, we'll introduce you to biblical wisdom - what it is, where to find it and a sampling of its central themes.
We hope you will join us in learning to walk wisely.
(adapted from William Mouser's 'Learning to Live Wisely", [Inter Varsity Press 2001])
