From the time I was a child, I have always found the Proverbs to be interesting and fascinating. These short verses of scripture are full of symbolism, and sage advice.

Take for example, what is probably the most quoted verse. Proverbs 3: 5 " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." While easier said than done, how can we apply this advice to our lives? The first way we can take this verse to heart is to truly believe that Christ knows us each as individuals and that we can trust in him and that he will help us. If you do not already have a firm belief in this, then you need to pray and read scriptures until you do. The second way is to continually remind yourself that we are not and cannot be aware of everything that the Lord has in store for our future and that remaining true to our faith and by showing Christ that we truly love him by our actions, we will have earned the right to receive his blessings in our lives. As humans we do not have the save vision for the future that God has and therefore we must not view our problems and circumstances as though it is all up to us to solve them.

Proverbs 4:14 "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men." It can be said that this is an ancient day way of saying that if you associate with people who do not follow Christ and his teachings or who participate in evil actions then you will gradually become like them. We can apply this advice to our lives by exercising caution with whom we associate with. Although this can be difficult in today's world, we must have the courage to leave a situation if we discover that the particular situation is not one in which a strong Christian should participate in.

Proverbs 6: 23 "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life."
This verse could be interpreted further to say that scriptures and the words of prophets are a lamp for our lives. If we take seriously the words from these important sources and apply them to our lives then we will be much better people than we would be otherwise. This is emphasized even further when it compares the law to a light. We could then say that the ten commandments and any other scriptural laws are a light in our lives. Following them will help us to ensure a great and blessed life.

Proverbs 9: 10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Before we can begin to apply this verse, it is important to realize that fear in this case means to honor and serve the Lord not to fear him as we normally use the word in our language. Thus if we honor and serve the Lord we will begin to obtain wisdom and we can use that wisdom to gain the knowledge of those who are holy. Wow! Can you imagine what impact that could have on your life? If you had the knowledge of the holy. This is why the Proverbs as well as other scriptures are full of advice and counsel on this subject as well as why it is crucial to begin any endeavor to become more like Christ with honoring and serving him.

As you have seen with these verses the Proverbs are full of sage advice when which applied to our lives can help us live happy and productive lives and become stronger in our faith in Christ.