Biblical Wisdom and Self-Management: Living Disciplined Lives That Honor God
- Jack Selcher
- Nov 1, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 29
Summary
Biblical wisdom equips believers for godly self-management through discipline and self-control. Wise people steward time well, manage stress through prayer, adapt to change, and align their lives with God’s purposes. Discipline shapes choices and welcomes correction, guiding believers away from harmful paths. Unlike fools, the wise live humbly, respond to instruction, and grow through God’s loving correction.
Wise self-management benefits God, others, and ourselves. Wisdom enables self-management. Godly wisdom is audible and visible. People speak and demonstrate it.
Biblical Wisdom and Self-Management
“Self-management is your ability to regulate your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions in a productive way.”1
Wise Self-Management Produces Fruit
Wisdom equips you to manage yourself well. When you manage yourself well:
· You use your time wisely by not putting important things off. You do what is most crucial first, making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16).
· You remain internally motivated and enthusiastic to accomplish the good works God has planned for you long ago (Romans 12:11, Ephesians 2:10 NLT).
· You manage your stress and anxiety levels well because you pray about your concerns and cast your cares on the LORD (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7).
· You are adaptable and adjust when unexpected changes occur. Paul made necessary changes to win as many people to Christ as possible (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).
· You make godly decisions that are best for the long road because God’s word has renewed your mind to see life from His perspective (Romans 12:2).
· Your personal goals align with God’s goals for your life because you are living for Jesus, who died for you (2 Corinthians 5:15).
· You do not rest on your laurels. You strive to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed you (Philippians 3:12 NLT).
Discipline Is Wisdom’s Face
Discipline is the thread in Proverbs that ties these seven aspects of self-management together.
Wise people…
· discipline themselves.
· discipline their children.
· receive correction.
Discipline is wisdom’s face. It shapes our and our children’s choices, words, attitudes, and actions. It directs us to choose what is best for God, others, and ourselves for the long haul. We avoid some things and embrace others. We forego good things for the sake of the best things. We discipline ourselves to walk with God.
Developing our children’s wisdom includes providing them with guiding words and enforcing actions to develop their self-control (Proverbs 13:24, 19:18, 22:6, 23:13, 29:19). Our efforts are most effective when we parents consistently demonstrate self-control ourselves.
Self-Control Guides Wise Living
Self-control is discipline’s steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes to avoid unhealthy and dangerous paths and choose those that honor God.
By contrast, fools’ choices, words, attitudes, and actions orbit short-term self-interest. They despise any moral and spiritual steering wheel, accelerator, or brakes (Proverbs 1:7). No one tells them what to do! At least a little bit of the fool lives in all of us, doesn’t it?
Wise people live disciplined and often successful lives (Proverbs 1:3). Self-control is the internal steering wheel. They don’t need a rod to their back to guide them (Proverbs 26:3).
Wise People Welcome Correction
They are humble and responsive to God’s steering, accelerator, or brake input. His correction doesn’t upset them (Proverbs 3:11).
Neither do others’ valid, constructive corrections. Wise people recognize their blindness to their faults. They don’t fake having it all together. They value and receive constructive criticism, correction, instruction, and teaching and learn from them (1:30, 9:8–9, 15:5, 15:31–32, 19:25, 25:12, 28:23, 29:1).
They respond to a single rebuke (17:10). They don’t get angry. They love those who correct them (9:8). They hold wounds from sincere friends dearer than praise from those who don’t care about their welfare. That doesn’t describe me as much as I want it to.
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