A Devotional Journey Through Proverbs
-Our Daily Bread

Proverbs is my favorite book in the Old Testament section of the Bible. It serves as my go-to blueprint in the wisdom section, offering simple instructions in righting this ship that I captain through the rocky waters of life. It is the key to healthy living that would personally benefit anyone from any walk of faith, as the advice transcribed from the wisdom of King Solomon is worth its weight in gold.

The wisdom nuggets pierce like a pinprick with their accuracy and I find it doubtful that anyone would dispute their sound advice. Landscapes change by the day, but human nature never does. No matter the technological advancements we have made, scientific discoveries, diseases cured, or architectural feats accomplished we still are slaves to the incurable ills of avarice, ego, lust, and self-abuse. You need not look very far to verify this fact. The ambiguous headlines of any newspaper are peppered with high-ranking bureaucrats caught red-handed in Madoff scandals, locals killing innocent travelers in drunk driving accidents, Middle School teachers racking up sexual abuse charges, and socially-demigodded athletes posting statistics on the court or the gridiron that strike us normal folks with awe at their prowess.

For an even closer example, you can simply log onto any number of social media accounts where man's narcissistic nature competes in a never-ending pissing contest of self-aggrandizing: Post-workout selfies, vacation snapshots, gourmet food. sharp cars, perfect relationships, poker chips, honor scores, holes in one, successful parlays.

Synthetic highlight reels that all translate to the same thing: Me. Me. Me.

Vanity overdrive.

None of which is satisfying enough on their own lest we submit our accomplishments to an audience of strangers for digital claps. Because, let us face it, unless your ego is stroked by the flames of thirsty no-life-having scrollers, does anything you do matter?

This metaphorical corner of vanity that we have come to accept as normal in today's day in age is a draining spot of existence. It has grown to the point that those who go through life in the absence of any sort of digital presence are regarded as anomalies. When seeking wisdom, almost always, people turn to the mini-monoliths that are their phones to solve any sort of quandary.

I know because I do it myself at times.

But the words written over 2900 years ago still ring true and offer far more prolonged fulfillment than anything you can find by sifting through the detritus of online muck.

Now, as far as this book is concerned. I found it to be a nice component of the wisdom literature itself. With each of the 31 chapters, Our Daily Bread follows a copy of the KJV (King James Version) with a real-life example of where the preceding passages were applied, then provides a food for thought analysis and a closing prayer centering around the Proverb.

Each of the wisdom books is unique in their own right. Ecclesiastes in its pessimistic penmanship. Job in the perseverance of immense hardships. Psalms as an even greater component of prayers than Proverbs is to wisdom. And finally, Song of Songs puts into frame the temptations we as God's children wrestle with, and how to correctly temper that flame and wait for the correct time to fan the embers.

Every element that we wrestle with daily is a battle that can be won. Some people rely upon their wits and self-discipline only to come up short. I include myself in this category (at times). But for others who admit that the battles are simply a bit overwhelming, these books are here for us to look upon.

The Bible's version of Encyclopedia Britannica.

I say this wholeheartedly and with absolute conviction: Read the Proverbs. Absorb the words. Live the lessons. Your life will immeasurably improve.

I guarantee it.

Grade: B+

Verdict: Read