What Is The Most Important Thing In Life According To The Bible

Hands down, according to the Bible, the most important thing in life is wisdom.   At least that is my interpretation from all my years of Bible study.

And in particular, biblical wisdom.  Godly wisdom is the most important thing in life because it addresses every possible struggle of the human condition.

Essentially, biblical wisdom is sort of THE cheat code for living.   As it offers much needed guidance on how to navigate our human nature.

Familial relationships? Check.  Friendships? Check.  Managing our sinful lusts and desires. Check. 

But most importantly, the relationship you have with ……….. YOURSELF.  Meaning, it addresses the optimal behaviors and mindset you should live your life under.

Coming up I will:  

• define biblical wisdom as well as further delve into its importance. 
• Explain why “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
• Run through a couple of real-life examples that mirror wisdom in the Bible.
• Put forth 10 steps on how to get Godly wisdom.

All of this in order to highlight how encompassing and important biblical wisdom is to living your best life.

What Is Biblical Wisdom?

Biblical wisdom is defined as bible based stories, concepts and teachings that provide guidance to understanding our human nature.

But of course, “general” wisdom can be found in many other sources. To me, what makes biblical wisdom my “go-to”  source for wisdom is the concise, insightful but yet simple to understand concepts.  

Generally speaking, I like to define wisdom as “learning about life without having to experience it personally.”  Or to put it another way, wisdom is insight on how to apply knowledge effectively without you  suffering through the learning experience.

Either way, the point is that it would be preferable to learn about life without going through the pitfalls.  And this is where you can start to see why wisdom is the most important thing in life.  

Imagine having an answer key or cheat code to life.  That is exactly what learning wisdom is all about.  Biblical wisdom simply narrows that wisdom to a God inspired source.

As an example, I offer this integral piece of biblical wisdom found in Proverbs (2:16) :

“It will save you from the forbidden woman,
From the alien woman whose talk is smooth…”

At first glance, this verse appears to be putting forth relationship advice.  But a closer look reveals that the “forbidden woman” is a metaphor for an “enticing alien culture.”  

The proverb is telling us that if we learn God’s wisdom, we will be saved from the temptations of godless/pagan/secular cultures.  As I alluded up top, concise yet totally relevant today.  And this makes the verse super insightful, in not so many words.

Biblical wisdom can potentially shed light on every part of your life, just like this.  It sure has happened  many times over in my life.

The Importance Of Godly Wisdom

Why do we need God’s wisdom in our life? ……because it works! 

Learning biblical wisdom affects your life the same way hair growth does.  Gradually and without much notice.   But slowly and surely, the constant exposure to biblical concepts rewires your thought processes.  

Godly wisdom simply becomes embedded in your conscience and you begin to notice the upgrade in your perspective by the type of decisions that you make.  And for me, I’ve noticed Godly wisdom at work by the better decisions I make regarding how I treat others.  

In particular, the patience I’ve been blessed to develop and regularly employ in my life.  All due to God’s wisdom.

But to bring the importance of Godly wisdom to closer focus, there’s no better example than the societal unrest of our current times.

Why is there societal unrest these days you ask ?

Well, partly because of pervasive untruths and a lack of “fair judgment”.   Which are two concepts frequently addressed in the Bible.  

Take Leviticus (19:15).  It says,

“You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly.”

As always, I love the simplicity.  The verse puts forth the concept of judging your fellow man fairly.  And that is in spite of any extenuating circumstances you may or may not like about the person or the situation.

The point is, how many stories have we heard in recent times about people or organizations being “canceled?” That means that these entities were judged(without any type of due process) and deemed to be “bad.”   So they were silenced, boycotted or shut down.  

And how many times was the cancellation justified?  You can bet that if even one time an unfair judgment was rendered, then we as a society are doing “justice” wrong in the eyes of God.

And judging from the high amount of “cancel culture” incidents out there, yeah, I think the importance of Godly wisdom is greatly highlighted these days.

Why Fear Of The Lord Is The Beginning Of Wisdom…

The “fear of the Lord” concept is expressed numerous times throughout the Bible.   You can find a few of those times in Proverbs (1:7), Proverbs (9:10), and Psalm (111:10).  

If I said this is the most important concept to learn in the history of creation, I wouldn’t be overstating it.

Your entire worldview is shaped by your understanding of this idea. And that means your subsequent outlook on life will follow a very specific path.  

So one of life’s ultimate questions becomes — Will your life path reflect the God-fearing(God-centered) model?  Or the model where you/man is at the center of your worldview?

But I digress.

What Does “Fear Of The Lord” Mean In The Bible?

This verse is often misunderstood as being proof of God’s tyrannical nature.  That we are doomed to subjugation and cowering in fear of an unseen, celestial, iron-fist ruler.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Hebrew term for “fear of God” is Yiras Shamayim.  And actually, this term literally translated means “fear of Heaven”.  

As in, to have a deep awe or reverence of heaven.  

How Do We Attain This “Fear Of God”?

Well, it starts by having a profound understanding that EVERYTHING exists because of the Creator.  And said Creator permeates all aspects of our existence.  

Therefore, one should eventually come to the realization that all true wisdom comes from God.  Hence, the deep appreciation for the majesty of the Lord Almighty.  Or in other words, an extreme awe of our ultimate Creator.

And How Is Our Reverence Of God The Beginning Of Wisdom? 

Because being in “awe” of God’s majesty means we should seek to know Him better.   And it is this search to know His ways better that imparts an increased level of wisdom and understanding into our lives.

Needless to say, the more closeness to God we attain, the more wisdom we derive.  And the more understanding we get of the “big picture” of God’s creation.

This is why coming close to our Creator is the ultimate goal of our existence.

So again, which path will you choose?  Fear of God?  Or fear of man?

I’ve actually been down both paths. And I can unequivocally say that “fear of God” is the optimal option. 

Examples Of Wisdom In The Bible

Wisdom in the Bible is ubiquitous.  The Bible is your one-stop-shop for understanding the essence of human nature.  In particular, the book of proverbs is the equivalent of having the wisdom of God  being shot directly into your veins.  Albeit in small, concise but very powerful doses.

I am particularly fond of bible verses imploring man not to be a fool. And, it is this dividing line between “the fool” and “the wise” that is at the heart of much of human conflict.

With that said, here are a couple of examples of wisdom in the Bible applied in real life.

Wisdom In The Bible – Example 1…”Use your experiences to commiserate with and lend comfort to others.”

The verse is in Exodus (23:9).  And it says,

“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.”

At first glance, the teaching in this verse may seem a bit outdated and perhaps applicable only in extreme circumstances.  I mean seriously, how much oppression are we a part of or encounter on a day-to-day basis? (Not counting the oppression kids may feel from doing their daily chores, of course.)

But at its core, this concept calls for us to be in-tune with our pains and struggles in order for us to be sensitive to the pains of others.

And the circumstances and applications of this concept could range from very minor to extremely serious.  

Recently I applied this concept to try and relieve my younger son of some self imposed mental anguish.  My son is 12.  And as is common with kids this age,  he is dealing with a mild case of acne. 

But by the type of language he used to describe it (disgusting, disturbing & horrible) I could tell it wasn’t a minor issue to him.

So, I pulled him aside.  Then I  proceeded to dig deep into my own pre-teen nightmares and battles with my face.   I too had felt anguish about my facial appearance at that age.  

I remember I was so disturbed by my appearance one time that I actually scratched off a pimple with my finger nail.  I did not intend to.  Yet, I was bleeding profusely.  Till this day I can see the scar from that dumb decision.

So I proceeded to reassure him that I had it much worse (I really did).  On a scale of one to ten his was a two, I assured him.  And then I proceeded to explain  the science of his new found hormones and how that affects his complexion. 

It took a couple of hours but I think there was a tiny bit of relief on his part.  So I would consider this a minor example of wisdom in the Bible properly applied in real life.  

Yes, I definitely knew “the feelings of the stranger” on that day.

Wisdom In The Bible – Example 2…”If someone does you dirty — for your mental well-being — refocus and move on.”

The second example of wisdom in the Bible is one that can have a monumental effect for a society-at-large.  This verse is in Deuteronomy (23:7).

It says,

“Do not hate an Edomite, for he is your brother.  Do not hate an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land.”

Again, this would seem to be another verse that may not seem to have much significance today at face value.  But when I heard it explained I was completely struck by the profundity regarding the essence of a free society. Especially in light of the current “cancel culture” times we’re currently living under.  

As we all know the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians for over two hundred years. The above verse was Moses’s command to the children of Israel after departing Egypt and gaining their freedom.

Of course, the command “not to hate” can sound extremely hollow after all the Israelites had been through in Egypt.

But the overarching message of the verse is about letting go.  If someone does something bad to you, you cannot heal and move on if you continue to harbor ill will towards your “tormentor”.  In essence, the Israelites were never going to be truly free if they continued to carry the burden of hatred.  Their ongoing resentment would act as metaphorical chains preventing them from true freedom.

The key is to remember your bad experiences but not for the sake of the past. Meaning, not for the purposes of ill will or retribution.  Instead, remember your bad experiences  to know what not to inflict on others in the future.  

With that said, many examples abound these days of people not heeding this type of wisdom in the Bible.  The tearing down of statues here.  The calls for reparations there.  Yep.  It appears some in our society will  never truly be free from their perceived oppressions of the past.

In conclusion, this is only but a grain of sand on the beach in terms of the wisdom you find offered in the Bible.  What I like about the Bible is that many wisdom concepts are repeated over and over again.

It’s almost like God is flashing high beams at us, again and again, imploring us to seek correction.

Pretty cool.

How To Get Godly Wisdom — 10 Sure-Fire Ways

Can Wisdom Be Learned? Of course.  The process of studying and learning Godly wisdom is probably the primary way to get it.  I don’t know too many people that are born sages.

With that said, this has been my process on how to get Godly wisdom over time:

• Pray – I start most mornings with a quick prayer as soon as I open my eyes. I thank God for the return of my soul to my body.  I thank God for the myriad of gifts and blessings in my life.  And I ask God for wisdom and direction to best understand and deal with what’s to come the rest of the day.

• Right mindset – Learning how to get Godly wisdom is not a casual pursuit.  You have to regularly be plugged into some type of Godly wisdom source.  As the well known King Solomon quote says, “If you desire wisdom like money and buried treasures, then you’ll find it”.  So get your mind right, be proactive and seek it regularly.

• Come with the right attitude – There is a spectrum between humility and arrogance.  Figure out where you land on this spectrum.  The more humble you are about learning wisdom the more you’ll soak in.  Being humble means approaching your learning with an open mind.  And leaving behind your preconceived biases, notions and prejudices.  That’s what it took to arrive at the place that I currently am in my faith journey.   And believe me, it wasn’t the road most commonly traveled from what I can tell.

• Read the book of Proverbs – At one point it was suggested to me to read a chapter everyday.  I did. And when that ends, start again.  Bathe your conscience continually in Godly wisdom and notice how your spirit, thoughts and ideas transform over time.

• Seek bible commentary – Reading the Bible on my own I quickly came to understand something was lacking.  As I read, I had lots of questions.  I wrote those questions down then I set out to find the answers.  So read and seek answers from the best authoritative sources you can find.

• Seek a mentor – This one has been easier said than done for me.  I have definitely tried but no success yet.  But I put it on the list because it would be ideal. I’m still searching.

• Listen to radio or podcast – For me it’s usually on the way to dropping the kids off at school.  I regularly put in a Bible commentary podcast or audio book.

• Teach what you learn – I came across this inadvertently.  When I started my faith/Bible journey I would informally share insights with my kids that I had learned.  I noticed doing this cemented a lot of the teachings I was learning. I now hold formal study sessions with my children.  And this forces me to better remember ideas and bring my “A” game when teaching said wisdom concepts to my kids.

• Application – Growth comes from implementing wisdom everyday.  Your application does not have to be a perfect recreation of a Bible teaching.  Just extract the concept and insert it even in the smallest of ways into your daily routine.  Whether it’s offering someone a kind word or decreasing your tendency to gossip.  Work on something intently. No matter how minor.  I got to the point where in a very minor way I observe the concept of a Sabbath every week.   On this particular day,  I spend a little more time than usual studying, praying and reflecting on God’s creation.  Basically, I go a little deeper and longer than the normal study I may do during the week. Over time, this has really done wonders for my wisdom quotient and outlook on life.

• Immerse yourself – This is similar to having the right mindset but it involves action.  Gradually over time increase your exposure to wisdom sources more and more.  For me this happened naturally as I kept finding new sources that led to other sources.  Sometimes it feels almost like God has been leading me by the hand in this journey.  Pointing me to one source. Then another. Then another…etc.

My advice?  Just go with it and see where God leads you.

Conclusion 

I hope you found this article insightful in understanding why according to the Bible wisdom is the most important thing in life.  When I thought of this question I knew the answer I would give right away.  And that’s because of all the “ah ha” moments I have come to experience because of my increased understanding of biblical wisdom.

Before my journey into faith , I definitely would have thought it to be a different answer.  I probably would have said money, peace and stability as the most important things in life.  

But don’t take it from me.  If you want proof that biblical wisdom is the most important thing in life, just look around you. 

We live in a society that was founded on biblical wisdom from its inception.  Yes, in the form of the embedded Judeo-Christian philosophy that has been nurturing our society to this day.  I see it everywhere.

And thus, in my opinion, has made our country the best place to be.

-J