Living the Proverbs: Insights for the Daily Grind

by Charles R. Swindoll

Swindoll offers amazingly fresh insights about how to live with inexplicable joy in spite of the daily grind. Yes, despite that, choose joy!

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Faith, Nonfiction, Religion

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Charles Swindoll has devoted over four decades to two passions: an unwavering commitment to the practical communication and application of God's Word, and an untiring devotion to seeing lives transformed by God's grace. Chuck graduated magna cum laude from Dallas Theological Seminary and has since been honored with four doctorates. For his teaching on Insight for Living, he has received the Program of the Year award and the Hall of Fame award from the National Religious Broadcasters as well as multiple book awards.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big Swindoll fan. His writing is easy, informative, and just plain fun. He goes through character traits covered in Proverbs, adding his insights. He did have a bit of information on neighbors, schoolmates, and best friends in Monroeville, AL, 75 years ago (Harper Lee and Truman Capote). New information to me: Gore Vidal, Capote's lifelong rival, called Capote's death 'a good career move.'

"Biblical wisdom is a process that begins with gaining knowledge, then choosing to set aside our former ways of thinking, and then putting this new knowledge into practice."
"Imagine how many spiritual problems we could avoid by simply living sensibly, by applying divine wisdom to every decision, whether mundane or life altering."
"Living wisely places us under an invisible umbrella of divine protection."
"Contending with your conscience is like sleeping on a coat hanger; every move you make is another reminder that something is wrong."
"Flattery is merely a prelude to everything you should avoid."
"Wounds heal, but scars are never completely erased."
"Orderly thinking is a gift from God and one way we bear his image."

Karl Menninger: "When a trout rising to a fly gets hooked on a line and find himself unable to swim about freely, he begins with a fight which results in struggles and splashes and sometimes an escape. Often, of course, the situation is too tough for him. In the same way the human being struggles with his environment and with the hooks that catch him. Sometimes he masters his difficulties; sometimes they are too much for him. His struggles are all that the world sees and it naturally misunderstands them. It is hard for a free fish to understand what is happening to a hooked one."

[Michael Colombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Work

The daily interaction with the Word by the convincing presence of the Holy Spirit did its work in me. It drove out my horrible pride and showed me to avoid issues that would harm myself or others.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is set up as a 26 week devotional. There are 5 daily readings for each week based on a specific theme in the book of Proverbs. I believe it was released earlier under a different title and this version was updated a bit. It isn't a bad devotional and the proverbs are always good to read and re-read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone. Very enlightening!

[Christopher Strawhacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wise man sharing a wise man's wisdom.

[Genia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent devotional.

[Darnnell Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book to adjust your daily walk with Almighty God.

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had already read LIVING THE PSALMS by this author and loved it, so it was no surprise that I loved this one as well. I’ve always liked this author’s writing style, and am currently reading a year-long daily devotional by him as well. He writes with great insight, Biblical truth, yet with a touch of humor. He explains things extremely well.

I would highly recommend this book or the one for the Psalms to anyone who wants to explore Psalms and Proverbs further. I look at it as a sort of combination Bible study and devotional, but I like the format. Each week you study a few different verses which focus on a different character trait. It is a little different spin on a Bible study. I am very picky about choosing Bible studies to do —so many can be dry and boring. Never so with Chuck Swindoll!

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have immensely enjoyed reading through this book. Dr. Swindoll has mined the depths of this book of wisdom literature and provided us with insightful applications. His weekly chapters on select passages from Proverbs demonstrate his acute knowledge of hermeneutics and how they relate to us in our contemporary day. His use of personal anecdotes, examples from history, and references to other godly writers is of great benefit to our understanding of the book of Proverbs.
I highly recommend this book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come. But in brief, it has been good to slowly walk through the proverbs for 26 weeks. Each week focusing on a different theme in which the wisdom of ancient Israel can still speak to us today.

Some weeks I gave more attention than others, and as with all these kinds of books (or perhaps anything) the more you put in the more you get out.
It's worth giving a few extra minutes each day to actually work through the reflection question.

[delie dell chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

full of practical inights!

Love this book because I think both believers and unbelievers can gain a lot of practical and useful insights! This book can be both enjoyed and read personally or with a group!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Chuck Swindoll illuminates the Scriptures and shows how it applies in our lives.

[Helen Scarfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent devotional

Another excellent devotional by Chuck Swindoll. For anyone who loves reading the Word of God, this book is a great start to your day.

[Ashley Cutshall]

Great way to start the day

[Aleena Grosjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great resource to dig into the Proverbs daily. Five days a week and short, but convicting summaries. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Bola Owoade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book from Charles Swindoll

This is a lifetime book that should be read annually. It is full of truth that challenges us to improve.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great studdy nd guide for reading the book of Proverbs

[Jeff Farnham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great devotional book and I highly recommend it. It's broken down into 26 weeks with 5 daily devotions for each week. It covers everything from attitudes to finance - everything about our every day lives. It's written in the winsome way only Chuck Swindoll can write. I've learned a lot about the Bible and myself through reading and using this book and will be sure to re-read it many times in the future.

[Railber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito bom, a cada devocional... É feito um desafio a vida!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent! Perfect for group or individual study. I would pair it with another study book also.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational collection of the proverbs aligned with day to day living.

[Kathy Moyer]

great!