Attentive listening tells the other person that you love them and care about them. Likewise, listening to God says that we love him. So, like Mary, we should sit at the feet of our Savior.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. We are called to have a constant attitude of mind and heart that is focused on God and His glory. We ought to have a devotional frame of mind throughout the day that recognizes our spiritual and physical needs and our dependance on God.

The tendency is to think that wisdom is about intelligence and insight. But it is more about being a righteous individual. Biblical righteousness includes God's imputed and imparted righteousness. We are called to pursue righteousness, and then many blessings will crown our heads.

One of the keys to choosing wisely when facing two competing alternatives is to be teachable. We all have blind spots and God in his kindness will bring a wise parent or sibling or friend or teacher our way to correct us. Our response in that moment will indicate whether we are a wise or foolish person.

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Faith plays a vital role as to whether or not we will enjoy the blessings of God's promises. Two blind men were told by Jesus, "According to your faith be it done to you" (Mk. 9:29). We should ask ourselves, if Jesus said that to us, would anything be done?

Solomon warns us that two different voices will be vying for our attention, but we must choose wisdom. So he exhorts us to respond to wisdom, to listen to wisdom, to choose wisdom, and he will tell us why we should. Wisdom has great blessings to offer us.

Gentleness is both a fruit of the Spirit and a mark of true wisdom in our lives.

Proverbs penetrates our hearts, because it is so practical and pointed. In this section, the father warns his son against putting up security, being a sluggard, and deviously sowing discord.

The consequences of forgetting God are devastating: arrogance, disobedience, and even idolatry. The answer is as simple, as it is profound: bless God, praise God. This praise will then humble us, move us to be more obedient, and serve God above all things.