The Life Warrior: Seeking wisdom for life through daily readings from the book of Proverbs

By Kristin Gard

The Life Warrior is a daily devotional containing 99 daily readings on the subject of seeking the wisdom needed to live our lives well, without regret, from the book of Proverbs. These readings are meant to encourage the reader to develop the habit of reading a chapter each day from the book of Proverbs, and then to take one verse from that chapter and apply it to their lives specifically in some way that day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483528731

Book preview

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Day 1

Who is The Warrior?

When you came to this page, the first question that you were probably asking yourself was Who is the Warrior? Well, the answer is that the warrior is you! Every person who is trying to live life well, without a multitude of regrets, with intentionality, with the goal of making his or her small portion of the world a better place, with love for the people in their life and respect for those around them, is a warrior. Period. This world is not conducive to any one of us living with and honoring those goals. None of those things can be accomplished without intentionality. You are that warrior.

These daily readings are about finding the wisdom to live life well. They apply to the business person seeking to be successful and yet not sacrificing their life on the altar of getting ahead; they apply to the person who has chosen a diet that doesn't harm other living things and who consistently makes green choices because they truly care about the earth; these readings apply to the member of the military who wants to live and work with integrity; they apply to the parent who is serious about raising children with well-formed character; and they apply to the person who considers themselves just an ordinary guy or girl who might even be feeling a bit lost right now, a bit indecisive about their life and without goals.

In short, I invite you to journey with me through the book of Proverbs (Yes, it is the book found in the Bible.) as I believe it contains a blueprint for living life well. We will explore the foundational principles, which once they are applied, are called Wisdom. The book of Proverbs says that Wisdom was with God when the earth was formed. It is ancient and is meant to be accessed and used by each one who seeks it. The book of Proverbs tells us that Wisdom calls out to each of us, beckoning us to know its exceedingly great value.

See for yourself as we explore Wisdom.

Today, a great idea would be to start by reading Proverbs, chapter 8, for an overview of the benefits of incorporating wisdom into our lives. I would suggest focusing on verse 22 of chapter 8:

The Lord formed me (wisdom) from the beginning, before he created anything else.

My Response Today: Heavenly Father, I thank you for this insight into wisdom. Thank you for creating wisdom with the intention that we should possess it! I ask for your help in gaining and incorporating wisdom into my daily life.

Day 2

The Foundation of Wisdom

Right now Friend, I would challenge you to read the book of Proverbs through, front to back, to gain an overview of what we will be studying. As we explore certain passages or wise sayings found in the book, you will then have some familiarity with that passage. If you are not able to or don't want to do this right now (be honest about your reason!),you are still encouraged to read along each day. In all probability, if you are a person who finds yourself seeking wisdom, you will eventually end up reading the entire book anyway.

My own story is one of having originally read the book of Proverbs and found it to be a somewhat disconnected collection of sayings. Some of them I instantly recognized as truth, although for others, I didn't quite understand the thought behind it. But in pursuit of wisdom, and with the desire to live my allotted time on this earth well, I persevered. To be honest, the so-called wisdom that I was offered while growing up, through traditional avenues, didn't quite ring true. ...So when reading Proverbs, I found that there was the innate sense of having found truth- and pursuit of understanding that truth resulted.

The first thing that I noticed is that knowledge, understanding and wisdom are linked together in this book. As I began to understand the connection between those three things, much of the rest of the book became clear. Knowledge is given as the non-negotiable basis for wisdom. Understanding is shown to be the revelation of the why question, (i.e. Knowledge lays out an instruction and understanding reveals the answer to why you should put feet to that instruction in your life). Wisdom is the culmination of knowledge and understanding and actually occurs at the point where you put your knowledge and understanding into practice.

Is this a different concept for you? It was for me. I thought of wisdom in only the sense of mental knowledge, when actually, wisdom doesn't come into play in one's life until knowledge coupled with understanding is put into practice. Of course, this leads to more questions..... You might be thinking, So what if I read this and desire is ignited within me to live with wisdom, yet I just can't seem to put it into practice? Well, I hope to answer that question as well as we journey through Proverbs together. Stay with me and see what you find! You have that desire in you already if you have even read this far-

A great verse to focus on for today:

I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment. Proverbs 8:12

My Response Today: Thank you Heavenly Father, for the desire to learn wisdom! Thank you for the knowledge, understanding and resulting wisdom that I am about to see manifested in my life. I ask for revelation of truth.

Day 3

The Warrior's Tree

I love the beauty of trees to be found and the variety seen in many different parts of the country and the world. Besides expressing the beauty of the natural world in which we live, trees have many symbolic meanings associated with them. Whenever I am on a walk through my neighborhood, a hike in the woods or just gazing out my window and see the majesty of our surroundings, I am reminded of the many things that trees symbolize. I don't know that I can be characterized as a tree hugger in the current sense, but a plethora of thoughts come to mind when I contemplate the beauty of a full grown oak tree, the longevity of a Sitka Spruce that is over 10 feet in diameter at the base, or recognize the tenacity of a windblown pine that clings to the side of a sandstone cliff alongside the ocean. Actually those are all qualities to be desired; beauty, longevity and tenacity. How can one not contemplate those things? (I say that tongue-in-cheek as there are those in my family who would laugh to hear where my thoughts are taking me during a walk or hike)

Psalm 1:3 tells us that the righteous person is like a tree, planted along a river bank, bearing fruit in each season. It tells us that those trees have leaves that never wither and that they prosper in all that they do. A simple explanation for the word righteous is just someone who chooses to live rightly. I don't think many of us would say that we want to choose to live wrongly, so it would probably be fair to say that if you are reading this, you would like to live rightly. It's just that defining rightly is difficult, especially in our country and in our culture.

Let's take that verse apart for a minute and examine each of those attributes of the tree to which a righteous person is compared.

1. It is planted along a river bank. This would indicate that it is in a place of continual nourishment. This definitely appeals to me! I would like to be in a place of continual nourishment! No more of those dry seasons of life; no arid places left in my soul.... The question that arises actually becomes a two-part one for me How can I be planted? and How can I be planted in a place of continual nourishment?

2. This tree bears fruit in each season. Some translations say in its season and some say in each season. Either way, this tree is fruitful! It has produced fruit that is for the nourishment of others! I don't know about you, but I would like to be able to feel that my life has counted for something; that I have been of some good to my fellow man, to my family, to the world around me.

3. The next thing about this tree is that its leaves never wither. It is full of life! Withered leaves would typically indicate either a diseased tree or a dying one. This tree does not die. Ever. Of course, this leads me to ponder the possibility of eternal life... Not only eternal life, but, to be honest, I don't want to be a cranky old person. What about you? I want to be a person of youthful, full-of-life attitudes, even when my body is showing signs of old age. I like the thought that the leaves on this tree never wither.

4. The final thing I see about this tree through this verse is that it prospers in all that it does. Yes, that would be a desire for me also. Not always to prosper financially, although I have to admit, having a certain amount of finances does help in life, but prospering in all that I do in that there is a positive outcome for those things in which I put my efforts. This is definitely a desire of mine. Do you have this desire as well?

Well, this has turned out to be a bit longer than I thought it would, but now you may know a little bit about the symbolism of trees that you may not have known before! This also may have raised a few more questions for you, but answers will be forthcoming. Contemplative thought and seeking for answers are productive pursuits for a warrior. Fellow Warrior, I can't wait to go further on this journey with you. Thanks for coming.

Psalms 1:3 They are like trees planted along the river bank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

My Response Today: Heavenly Father, I thank you for the symbolism of trees contained in this verse and the motivation that it provides us with to follow wisdom. l am seeking for the results of nourishment, fruitfulness, health and results for my efforts and ask to see those results in the lives of those reading this as well.

Day 4

Fear and the Warrior

Today, I wanted to share with you a couple of other things that need to be said before we can get on with the business of drawing wisdom out of the book of Proverbs (and there is a lot of wisdom to be drawn from this book!).

First of all, Proverbs 1:7 states:

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

and then again Proverbs 9:10 says

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

We have already established that if you are interested in finding wisdom, you are not a fool! We have also discussed that knowledge is the first step leading to understanding, and that wisdom results when understood knowledge is applied in your life. But now let's consider fear of the Lord. There is a lot of misunderstanding about what fear of the Lord means. When researching the meaning of the Hebrew word that was translated as fear we find that it includes respect and/or reverence for something or someone, rather than simply meaning the emotion of fear or terror that most likely comes to mind immediately when reading these verses, especially to the person who is new to reading the Bible. The simplest and most to-the-point explanation for fear of the Lord that I've been given has been simply: love what God loves and reject what God rejects. Only through reading His word (the Bible) can we know what God loves and what God rejects. Please put all preconceived ideas out of your mind as we journey through Proverbs in search of wisdom, yet keep in your mind the fact that the author of this book states more than once that in order to have wisdom in our life, we must come to that point of fear of the Lord.

If you are interested in fear of the Lord, meaning to love what God loves, then I would invite you to also read the book of John, where you will find that God so loved the world (including you) that he sent his only son (Jesus Christ) to die on a cross and take your place in receiving due judgment for your sins. Expressing belief in this sacrifice and inviting God (through a simple prayer) to take part in your life through the faith involved in believing that your sins have been forgiven (no matter what those sins have been) results in a transformation! You are transformed from a person weighed down with the knowledge of your own imperfections and guilt, and are changed into a person with the knowledge that you have been made clean and now have a clear conscience before God. It also results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life and you now can go boldly to God through prayer, and invite the Holy Spirit (who is called teacher and guide) to open up your mind to understand the scripture. If you have never done this, I invite you to take this step now, as the Holy Spirit will begin to bring understanding to the knowledge portion of wisdom and will also bring you the enablement that you need to put knowledge and understanding into practice (and remember what that results in?-that elusive quality wisdom that we are both seeking!)

I want to invite you to contact me at any time as you read along with me in the book of Proverbs. I would love to hear from you! I would love to discuss and/or answer the questions that an intelligent reader like you would pose. If I don't know the answer, I'm willing to do the required research or to refer you to someone with more knowledge than myself. You can contact me through the contact page @ www.thewarriorswisdom.com.

Thanks for reading this far Fellow Warrior! I want you to know that I am praying for you specifically to grow in wisdom!

Day 5

The Warrior's Morning

Good Morning Fellow Warrior! How is your morning going? Are you ready for your day- mentally prepared, motivated and armed with the attitudes necessary to have a great day? Are you already feeling rushed, stressed, unprepared, maybe even discouraged? Let me share with you some wisdom on starting your day with a different attitude; with excitement and anticipation! If you are like me at all, I love to start a day feeling like I can take on the world!!! Do you enjoy that feeling when it is a part of your life?

A wise teacher gave me the following advice, which changed my life, and which I now want to share with you! This teacher told me that by beginning each day with reading the corresponding chapter in the book of Proverbs to that day's date, I would find myself beginning the day with encouragement and wisdom and that I would also find that the advice contained in the chapter would somehow be applicable to the events of my day! I would find that I was, for the most part, prepared for those events; I would not be caught by surprise and find myself later in the day regretting how l had handled my day, disappointed and discouraged. While I'm not claiming that this is a 100% fix-all to life's woes, I am sharing with you that it has improved life greatly for me.

If you follow this advice, you will find yourself reading the book of Proverbs through each month (there are 31 chapters in all). Reading the book of Proverbs through each month by reading the chapter that corresponds to the date that you are reading it on (ie: If you are reading on the 20th day of the month, then you will read the 20th chapter of Proverbs.) has long been espoused as a recipe for gaining and ingraining wisdom into your life, but I would challenge you to also take it a step further. First read the entire chapter to gain an overview of the writings contained there as we discussed on Day 2. Then, from each chapter that you read, take a verse, just one verse, and personalize it for that day. Write it on a sticky note or on a 3x5 card or put it in your phone! Carry it with you throughout the day. Stick that note to your mirror while you're getting ready in the morning; stick it to your steering wheel when you drive to work, put it on your desk while you're at work! Make that verse a part of your life for one day!

For example: My verse on the 20th day of this month was: Proverbs 20:6, Many will say that they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

I would suggest responding in prayer (as you probably noticed that I included in most of the previous day's readings) and requesting God's help in putting your verse for the day into practice. If you are not there yet, just meditating on that verse will go a long way in being beneficial to your life that day. Try it and let me know if you don't find results...

Just as an example, here is my response through prayer to the above verse: Lord, help me to be a loyal friend today! Let me keep in mind constantly that my actions will show whether I am loyal to my friends. Help me to concentrate on this just for today; on being a really good friend just for today. Show me who I need to be a friend to today. Thank you Lord that You are working on me and that You are my help and empowerment. I can't wait to see what You are going to do in my life today!

The goal of this discipline is to gain wisdom. Who wants to be known as a fool? Who wants to be foolish? The Bible has the answer to our need for wisdom and the book of Proverbs specifically is aimed at imparting wisdom to the reader. I don't know about you, but I need wisdom desperately, and I came to realize some time ago that it needs to be wisdom from someone smarter than me. I know that this is a duh statement, but how often do we find ourselves seeking advice from someone around us, just because that person is available, not necessarily because they are wise? I sure have, but I've found that seeking wisdom specifically from the all-wise God; the Lord of my life; the One who was wise enough to give us a blueprint for living life well, has made a huge difference in comparison!

Proverbs 22:19-21: I am teaching you today- yes, you- so you will trust in the Lord. I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge. In this way, you may know the truth and take an accurate report to those who sent you.

Day 6

The Example of Wisdom

When I originally wrote this, it was interesting to me that this post fell on the 31st of the month, because the next obvious topic to write about in this succession of posts was to make note of the 31st chapter of Proverbs. This chapter contains what I believe the author of Proverbs felt was the best real-life example of someone who had put wisdom into practice in their life. Contrary to popular teaching, I don't believe that this chapter is all about how to be a godly woman, although to be fair, that topic can be taken from this chapter. I just don't believe it was the primary thought in the author's mind as he wrote it. I firmly believe that the author included this chapter in his writings as the culmination to them, the actual example of someone putting his teachings on wisdom into practice.

He was showing his readers an example of a person who exemplified the principles of wisdom that he was intending to impart. Inverse 29, he states Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well (with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness), but you excel them all. When the author wrote "...excel them all', he was saying that she excelled every person that he knew of, living or dead, in wisdom. It's no wonder that he included a chapter detailing her life for us as an example.

As a quick overview to the life of this wisdom example, let me share a few of the principles I find presented in this chapter:

1. She sought wisdom daily (verse 15 from the Amplified Bible says She rises while it is yet night and gets (spiritual) food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.) She sought wisdom and then she based her tasks and her leadership on that wisdom.