A life well lived - (Proverbs 1:1-7)

We all want a good life. We all want it written in our obituaries and etched on our tombstones that we have lived a good life. Look at the social media posts - notice that in one way or another, each post gives off a subliminal message of “a good life is being lived here”. We all want a good life because deep down inside of us is a sense that we were made for something more. One of the ways in which this sense manifests itself is in the desire that we want to live well, we want to live a good life. 

What is a good life? How do you know if you are living well? Who sets the standard of a life well lived? 

According to the world around us - a good life is a life of freedom, security, safety. A good life could mean stability: a stable job and a stable salary. It could mean being married with a family of your own - a sense of belonging. A good life could mean the freedom of endless holidays, not having to worry about anything. A good life could mean having meaningful relationships and belonging in a healthy community. It could mean having all your needs provided - being without lack. A good life could simply mean a general sense of peace, and of satisfaction - free from worry, fear, conflict and envy. A good life could mean different things to different people. Yet, the underlying desire is the same - we were made for something more and we have a desire to live well.

So, what does God say in relation to all this?

From the beginning, in Genesis, we were made to experience perfect relationship with God, with creation and with one another. God intended us to live a life well lived for our good and for his glory. Unfortunately due to sin (rebellion to the Lord’s commands from Adam and Eve), life the way that God intended began to degenerate. As a result of sin, life is full suffering, of struggle, grief, turmoil and pain. As we look into Proverbs, God who created everything and knows how the world operates and he gives us wisdom that comes through knowing him to help us navigate the world.

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

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,
    doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—

6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.

So in summary:  

God through the book of Proverbs is saying that to live well is to have wisdom. It is to have insight into the life we live and the situations that we come across. It is receiving instructions on how to navigate, live and behave in various life situations. A life well lived is having the wisdom to know what is right, just and fair and putting that knowledge into action.  A life well lived is a life of calling out wrong, injustice and unfairness and associating with the right company. A life well lived is a life of humility knowing that one is always growing and learning and needs wisdom and insight in all the seasons of life in order to live a good life. All this is given to us by God - who knows how the world operates.

To live well is to live wisely - wisdom is knowledge on how the Lord’s world works. To live well means to know the Lord, hate what he hates and love what he loves. It is to abide by his insights and instructions that he gives. Wisdom ensures that you are living well, not living against the grain againts God plan for a life well lived. You are deem foolish if you live against the grain of life as God intended. A foolish life leads to leads to hardship, turmoil, suffering and harsh consequences.

Wisdom gives us guidance and knowledge on how to navigate the various aspects of life. God’s wisdom enables us despite sin and hardship to have joy and contentment in those circumstances.

He goes on to further say:

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This kind of wisdom is found in having a relationship with the creator of the earth that we live in. Proverbs describes that as the fear of the Lord. To have relationship or to fear the Lord os to know that he is superior to all things. Our reponse in the knowledge is to trust in him and to fellowship with him, and to entrust our lives with him as we live life ands navigate it through his perspective as creator.

A life well lived is a life of wisdom that comes from acknowledging that the Lord is above all and has a way and order in how life works. Wisdon helps us to enjoy life God’s way and live a live that the Lord intends for us to live.