For those looking for a foundation on which to build a fruitful life, especially for men - because of my own experience, but applicable to any life, I have some simple advice.
As a young man I became enamored of a certain book of the bible that quickly became the anchor that I've relied on for much of daily life since. It's served so often as a guide to properly respond to the things that life's confronted me with - to keep my feet from walking some of the paths that would have only led to causing my heart later regret.
Admittedly, at times I've allowed myself to drift on the slack of my chain to it and felt myself suddenly jarred by hitting against my inattention to its immovable wisdom, but this book's wisdom has never failed to provide safety when I've hauled in the slack and stayed tightly tethered to it. The jarring of my unfaithfulness to keep the line of my life taught to the book of Proverbs has honestly only ever caused me unnecessary pain.
Sometimes our lives can get to a point of overwhelming ____ (add your own noun) and the direction out may seem hard to find in the moment, but using the basic wisdom of Proverbs as a foundational guide to respond to life has yet to ever fail to profit my conscience in later reflection. In other words - you can't go wrong using Solomon's God-given wisdom as a guiding resource to managing the task of daily living.
"These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:1-7 (NLT)
Of course all of the instruction that the Lord's given us is invaluable and the work of gaining complete understanding of it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, but as a basic outline of successful conduct in day to day life, it offers the reward of peaceful, trouble free living. So my advice to anyone who's not taken the time to read it, please do. Then digest it, ask the Holy Spirit to give understanding of it, and if possible discuss any concerns with it with a mature follower of Christ. Then going forward, keep tight hold of it's wisdom to guide your day-to-day living. If you allow yourself to be guided by Christ's spirit and use the basic principles of Proverbs, you'll only prosper - in more fruitful ways than you might think.
Guys, I've always held the opinion that real men do the truly hard things in life. The hard things aren't always the things that the world holds as the defining definition of toughness. For example, would you rather work a hard day or be completely emotionally humbled and honest with everyone - including your wife? Going against the grain of the world in order to do what's honorable before the Lord isn't always what our flesh might be tempted to want to do and it isn't always the easy path, but ... real men do the hard things.
Check Solomon's Proverbs out. Remember, he was the wisest man that ever lived. He wrote the book on how to do life right ... well, one of them anyway.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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