GUEST: Will May

Wisdom comes with age and experience…but, get wisdom as young and quickly as possible!

Proverbs 23:23 - Buy wisdom (truth) and never sell it.

Billy Graham - knowledge is horizontal (something you can get from others), wisdom is vertical (something drawn down from God).

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Will - major struggle for man is pride, self-reliance. Wisdom is the recognition that you need help, that you don’t know what’s best! The fear of the Lord means that you take what God says about you, life, etc…and begin your understanding there, not with your own experience.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths (or make your paths straight).

To gain wisdom, start with the fear of the Lord, then what?

Pursue relationships with other godly men (think older men) whom you can learn from

Develop real accountability and discipleship in your life

Find people who are “successful” and learn from them - contact them, set up an appointment, take a notebook and pen, ask intelligent questions.

Non-biblical, but practical “proverbs”:

Most people listen, few people execute, champions make habits

Aristotle - we are what we repeatedly do, excellence therefore is not a single act but a habit

Evaluation - it’s not always wise to judge a person by one particular situation, there are times it is wise to consider a broader perspective

Do it right, do it light; do it wrong, do it long. Shortcuts are many times a “longer” way and the least effective and efficient path! Don’t take “shortcuts” on things that are really important for your development! Know the difference between efficiency and laziness!

Don’t complicate a ham sandwich - keep it simple, stupid. Touch it once - can you just get it done instead of complicating it? 

Wisdom - the art of taking something complex and making it simple. Don’t complicate things - don’t take simple things and make them more complex!

Alistair Begg - Proverbs is godliness in working clothes.