Skillful Living

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6).

If you want to understand the meaning of “wisdom,” think of it as skillful living. As you think about it, you may realize that it really does take skill to thrive in life. Not just survive, but to thrive.

Wisdom is a gift from God. If we want to live life with great skill, we must do so through a right relationship with God. Wisdom comes our way if we receive His word, treasure His commandments, listen intently to His direction, call out for insight, and ask for understanding (see Proverbs 2:1-4).

Wisdom is given to those who apply knowledge and understanding. Knowledge and understanding can be understood as, “I get it.” It is about knowing the facts. Wisdom can be understood as, “I live it.” It is about applying, with skill, the facts we acquire from the Word of God.

We would do well to open our hands to receive the gift of wisdom. We would also do well to open our ears to hear the Word of God straight from His mouth. When we do that, we start to live skillfully. We start to understand how to answer tough questions about life. We start to realize the right way to respond to adversity. We begin to see that there is always hope, no matter how difficult life gets.

We must not just “get it,” we must “live it.” We must live it (life) with skill. That is what wisdom is all about.