Pursue Wisdom and Discipline 

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life. (Proverbs 1:1–3 NIV)

In order to have a successful life, you need wisdom and basic life discipline. One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 1:1–7. I believe it gives us insight into prerequisites for success. Without God’s wisdom guiding and directing our lives every day, we open ourselves up for failure.

In order to experience and have God’s wisdom, you must have a personal relationship with God. As you grow in your relationship with your heavenly Father, He will give you His wisdom as you talk with Him and ask for daily direction and guidance. One of the main messages of the book of Proverbs is to seek wisdom, because it is the beginning of knowledge.

When you gain knowledge, you will begin to have understanding of words and insight. Knowledge and understanding will give you an opportunity to choose to walk daily in life disciplines. Life disciplines include (but are not limited to) cleanliness, order in your environment, an attitude of excellence in all you do, appropriate dress, hard work on a job, taking care of all of your responsibilities, acquiring knowledge in general, and productive endeavors.

Many people dissipate (waste; expend aimlessly) their lives by engaging in foolish time-wasting activities. The Bible classifies this type of behavior as “foolishness.” Countless hours are spent on mindless endeavors that rob people of time that could be spent on taking care of their responsibilities. When people engage in mindless activity, they are susceptible to temptation, which can lead them down a path of destruction.

Evaluate your life and ask yourself honestly if you are where you want to be. Do you have wisdom for each new day? Do you talk to God everyday and ask Him to give you wisdom and strategy for every task and challenge? As you pursue a relationship with God, He will grant you great wisdom and discipline. He will transform your life.