Day 147

Proverbs 1-4. “Acquiring Wisdom”

As a father of three children, I think often about the legacy that I am building within my own family.  Proverbs 4 provides us with some good lessons on how to build and leave a meaningful legacy.  This proverb demonstrates that wisdom is so interconnected with legacy building that, without it, we are in danger of leaving a negative or destructive legacy that will cause pain in the generations to come.
So, if wisdom is so important, where does it come from?  Scripture reveals a number of sources of wisdom and today I want to encourage you to consider five of them:
1)  Wisdom comes from the Lord (Prov. 2:6; James 1:5).
2)  Wisdom comes from seeking other’s counsel (Prov. 13:10).
3)  Wisdom comes from receiving the Lord’s discipline (Prov. 19:20).
4)  Wisdom comes from obeying the Lord (Prov. 4:4-5).
5)  Wisdom comes from observing God’s creation (Prov. 6:6).
If you want to leave a legacy that is a blessing to your family, then acquire wisdom.

General Questions for each day:
Summarize the day’s Bible passage in your own words.
What thoughts, actions, attitudes or beliefs are addressed in the passage?
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to apply this passage to your life today?

Bible Discussion Guide:

• How does the fact that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit impact the way we live our life?
• What do you think people will say about the legacy you are leaving with your temple?
• In what ways are you valuing your palace (stuff, money, etc.) over your temple (body, mind, soul, spirit)?
• What is one thing that you can do (change, add, or omit) in your life that will help you value your temple more than your palace?
• As a disciple of Christ, you have an opportunity to build upon the “temple” that Christ founded.  What are you doing to build upon that temple?
• What does it mean that some build with gold, silver and jewels while some build with wood, hay and straw?
• What are you building with?
• Consider the legacy passed from David to Solomon to Rehoboam.  What do you notice?  What do you think could have been done differently?
• Why is obedience to the Lord so important to building a lasting, godly legacy?
• What is the proudest moment of your life?
• What must we be willing to do to in order to build a legacy that has an eternal impact?
• What are some other sources of wisdom that your group can come up with?  Provide scripture references if possible.
• Personal application:  How many of these sources are you actively using in order to gain wisdom in your life?