Get Wise: Make Great Decisions Every Day

by Bob Merritt

We make dozens of decisions, big and small every day--some without much thought at all. But with many decisions, there's a certain amount of danger. One wrong decision can destroy a career or a marriage. A string of wrong decisions can derail a life. So how do we know if our decisions are wise ones?Pastor Bob Merritt has found that the best way to get it right is to cultivate godly wisdom. In Get Wise, he takes God's best wisdom as found in the book of Proverbs and applies it to the top decisions every person has to make--decisions about education, work, family, friends, sex, parenting, money, and more. Topic by topic, he shows readers how to make choices that result in long-term benefits in health, reputation, peace, and finances.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Self Help

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2014

Reviews

[Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books!

[Jessica Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide to incorporating the wisdom of King Solomon into an everyday aspect of our lives.

Bob Merritt has had his share of foolish moments. In an attempt to help us avoid those same scenarios, he has documented his foolish choices (as well as those of the people around him) and contrasted them against the book of Proverbs in which King Solomon shares his God-given wisdom.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it really connected several of the verses from Proverbs with everyday wisdom and choices. The book is not to be used for guidance in a particular situation, it is more of a starting point. It shares insight on money, relationships, parenting, and teenage years. Each gives a story about something foolish, mainly personal experiences, and what could have been done to make it wiser.

My only criticism is that I wished the content would have dived in a little deeper. Even so, there are other books that will explore those subjects as well. I also would have like to have seen more content on the “train up a child on the way he should go” verse. I would have liked for Merritt to discuss more that the “way a child should go” is based on God’s way and not the parent’s way. This is a verse that is very important to me and often overlooked in sermons or books on the topic. It didn’t really discuss this at all and I feel that people need to know that a child’s way may not be what the parents are planning for them. All in all, it is a very good read.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Merritt stations us firmly in the Book of Proverbs, a place I honestly don't read much from. 'Get Wisdom' breaks up into five different sections; "Wisdom, Weaknesses, and God" discusses why we should trust Solomon's wisdom and how we can acquire the same, "Personal Wisdom" covers the heart, mouth and feet. From there we move into relational and family wisdom and end with "Successful Wisdom''.

Incredibly well written and well thought out, do I have any choice but to give this book 5 stars?? I am also proud to announce that this is my husband's FIFTH book he read in 2014. Doesn't that count for a little something? ;) Add 'Get Wise' to your reading list for January 2015 and get ready to feel motivated in all aspects of life.

I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
See more of this review and others like it at Sunrise Avenue

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book about how to live wisely in different part of your life, but if anything it is also a very typical pastor book. Solid, but typical. I hoped for a bit more, but it was good anyway - and a good starter for reading Chrisitan uplifting literature that will nourish and inspire you. The main thing here is the inspiration from the proverbs, although I would have liked a bit more to focus on wisdom itself. The chapters on wisdom got carried away in stories and the substance became just a few pointers rather than something profound. Nothing more was needed for the book as it did not reference backward and went with the biblical ideas of wisdom, although somewhat lightly.

[Jiannina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift and I really loved it. What I like the most about it is that it gives you a Godly insight and practical wisdom about decision making into the main areas of life: family relationship and friendships, career, purpose and finances. The advices that Bob, the author, gives are mostly based on the book of Proverbs. No matter where you are on the road, if you want to make good choices this is a book that will help you get wiser.

[Binoy Chacko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot of personal stories. When I bought this book. I thought its going to be an exegetical study on Proverbs. Turned out Bob's personal experience (substantiated by Proverbs) Lot of the scenarios are very American (U.S) found it little hard to relate. He has some excellent illustrations. Lot of references to Dave Ramsey.

[Jens Kristian Wikstøl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeg hadde gleden av å treffe Bob forrige gang jeg var i USA og har gledet meg siden da til å lese den siste boken hans. Den innfridde! Han skriver bra, enkelt, ekte og har mange gode historier som passer til emnet han skriver om. Det eneste negative med boken er at den er så kort.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good advice and connections to Scripture. Helped me during a time of questioning

[Justin Brendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob is my pastor at Eagle Brook, and I am proud to be in his congregation. Great messages, life lessons, and insight in this book

[Donna Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything he writes.

[Pete Gasperlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate reference book for every family!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical wisdom!

[Michele Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Bob Merritt, for doing what I have always wanted to do: sifting through the random assortment of life-giving wisdom in the book of Proverbs and categorizing the verses according to theme.

As a pastor, Merritt knows that the book of Proverbs contains the wise words that our hearts need. In fact, he equates having a wise heart with spiritual sensitivity, and then highlights eleven other extremely practical aspects of living where the application of godly wisdom to daily decisions can make the difference between success and failure, triumph and defeat, life and death. These categories fall into four major groupings: Personal Wisdom, Relational Wisdom, Family Wisdom, and Successful Wisdom.

Although the book reads just as Baker's category (Christian Living) implies, it could also serve well as a teacher's guide since it includes discussion questions and a focus verse for each chapter. Merritt's personal experiences have just the right blend of grimace and grin to hit home -- his transparency is heartwarming. I actually could not help but read parts of the book out loud to my husband and kids, and they had the same reaction. The next time I teach from the book of Proverbs, this book will be nearby as I study.

I received this book free from Baker Publishing Group. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

[Roger Blakesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A typically appalling Christian self help book. The author contrives a clever chapter naming scheme and promises Wisdom of the Ages for all of the hairy scary decisions specifically tailored for this modern, crazy decision heavy life.

The reality is life has always been that way and claiming that the good ole country doctor religion he offers up in this paean to pollyannaism is not going to settle anything.

In typical fashion of this ilk, he makes a point, slings a few scriptures at it for proof texting, and then lo and behold just happens to know someone who needed to make that exact decision.

And then from that one empirical example thinks he's made that chapter's point. This is theological malpractice. In one egregious for instance he tells a story of one man who "white knuckled" porn addiction for a week and now has been free of it for nine solid pure only think about his wife never an impure thought years. Ta-da!

That is just an example of the patterns all of these useless books pursue. You are actually stupider and less wise after reading this scripture+fictional example treacle than just trying to live your life by your own best judgement.

This junk isn't useless, it's harmful.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you desire wisdom, it is important to begin by knowing the four streams of wisdom: The God Stream (ask God for wisdom), the People Stream (surround yourself with quality people, advisors, and books so you can learn), the Experience Stream (seek our experts if you are in need of a counselor, financial planner, consultant, physician, lawyer, etc.) and the Pain Stream (learn from your own pain or someone else's pain).
All of the suggestions are based on Proverbs. From cautions about guarding your heart, watching your tongue, and being carful where your feet lead you, to advice about avoiding debt, this book is full of wisdom that no longer is common sense in America.
I think this book is best for young adults just starting out on their own or for people who have made some major mistakes and want to deliberately head down a different and healthier path.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. It is really helpful in ways that relate to my everyday life. This book gives me a better understanding of how to deal with situations in a Godly way. Bob Merritt makes this very useful, but at the same time he makes it enjoyable. Instead of just telling me what to do, he uses stories to relate his teaching with an everyday example. Although Bob Merritt is telling me all of these things to help improve my life, he is also using this to make me a better Christian. He gives me all sorts of ways to handle situations but he doesn't know this wise advice because he is perfect but rather he has had some of these experiences himself. He doesn't want me to think he's perfect because in reality he is just one of us.

[Carol Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that gives insight into decision making. It gives you Biblical background and helpful information to use in your learning and directing you with good guidance. It would make a great study tool as it has questions that could be used in a group setting with a book club or study group.
This book gives information that can be put to immediate use as it is written in a way that is easy to read , understand, and apply.
I received this book free from the publisher to review.

[Jamie Pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this is a good book and I liked it. However, I thought it was based more on opinion rather than scriptural context. Not that the premise was contrary to scripture because I do not believe it is. However I was just hoping for a stronger scriptural connection. I read another one of Bob Merritt's book which was truly excellent. Thus this book while still a good read was a bit of a disappointment for me.

[Nelya · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that this book has lots of wisdom in it. The author uses the book of Proverbs as the basis for his advice given in this book and can be useful to anyone. It is well written and very enjoyable to read. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.

[Amy Loveridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastor Bob covers every topic of life in this book and gives practical Godly wisdom to go along with it. His writing style is conversational which makes it a very easy read. I really appreciated how much Pastor Bob wrote about his personal life. It has made me respect him even more as a person, pastor, and fellow Jesus follower. Two thumbs up!

[Thomas Dodds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has plenty of practical wisdom in it for living with and loving one another. It seems that Bob gives you wisdom in every area of life except for how to love God more and gain more of Him. This book is more about the natural consequences than the spiritual ones. Recommended for someone who is looking for a step up from worldly wisdom and studying God's natural law.

[Peter Narloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Read half on flight to New Orleans. Finished the second on my return flight to Minneapolis Merritt covered a large breath of topics with lots of nuggets. Great book to give as a gift to others

[Noelle Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proved to be an interesting one. While I consider myself non-religious, this book did have merit in my life and offered several insights that are proving helpful.


*won on GoodReads First Reads*

[Kathy Penrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Proverbs has always been one of my favorite books on wisdom. Bob Merritt divides the proverbs into several categories of life and how they can help us navigate these areas with biblical wisdom. I found it to be very practical and helpful.

[Dave Bruechert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in awhile. I plan on buying copies for each of my children to hopefully read as they start out their adult lives.

[Stephanie Ziebarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone looking to make good choices and get wise in the New Year would do well to pick up this book. Get Wise joins my short list of most-recommended books from this day forward. Useful for anyone.

[Hank Brandtjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. We all need help making wise decisions.

[Sive Phandle]

We all have major decisions that we need to make as we are growing, and this book will help you navigate the way through all those life decisions. It will inspire you to make major decisions in a wise way.