The Wisdom Required to Finish Strong

Characteristics of a Wise Person

• A wise person commits to maintaining God’s direction for his or her life (1:2).
• A wise person is eager to receive instruction and correction from others (1:3).
• A wise person is known not by stockpiling information but by demonstrating application (1:3).
• A wise person displays caution when immature desires surface (1:4).
• A wise person never arrogantly assumes he or she has arrived (1:5-6).
• A wise person makes everyday decisions submissive to God’s instructions (1:7).

Environments of a Wise Person

• God’s original plan for guiding the next generation into wisdom has always been the home (1:8-9).
• Parents, you need to be willing to teach the most important lessons to your children.
• Children, you need to be eager to learn from the God-given role models in your life.

Diminishments of a Wise Person

• The irony of these proverbs is that they were written by someone who couldn’t later fulfill them (1:1).
• Solomon asked God for wisdom above any other request (1 Kings 3:7-14).
• Eventually, Solomon could no longer keep in practice what he taught in theory (1 Kings 11:9-10).
• Just because you know wisdom today doesn’t mean that you will apply it tomorrow.
• Jesus – the true son of David – died because we couldn’t keep God’s wisdom but lives so we can yet strive to do so with His help (1:1; cf. 2 Sam. 7:12-13; Matt. 1:1).