Dear 365 Readers,

We started Proverbs while I was on vacation, and I hope you have enjoyed reading them!  When I think of the proverbs I think of a big noisy family sitting around the dinner table and I can almost hear grandma (or grandpa) handing out pieces of advice in the form of short little witty sayings… we’re good at snappy sayings and little word pictures here in The South, and that is exactly what the book of Proverbs is all about!  There is more humor in the book of Proverbs than anywhere else in the Bible.

You see, Proverbs simply tells how life works most of the time.  It is wisdom collected over the ages.  People often quote Proverbs as if they were the absolute promises of God or rigorous rules for living, but they are not.  For example, today we read Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  That is general wisdom, good parenting generally produces good kids.  It’s not a promise, as we all know very good parents whose children have chosen other paths.

As you read watch for general principles for wise living, and imagine your grandparents leaning back in their chairs and saying,

“Watch your words and hold your tongue,  you will save yourself a lot of grief.” Proverbs 21:23