"Hear, my son, your father's instruction...." (Proverbs 1:8)

The book of Proverbs contains a series of short sentences expressing God's wisdom. It's written by a dad who loves his sons and daughters, who wants the best for them, and who is crying out for them to follow God and His Word-not their own interests, desires, and passions.

Though Proverbs lacks the stories found in the Gospels and other Old Testament books, it contains the wisdom of God in just a few words. God knew that His people would need to be reminded again and again regarding how they were to think, speak, and act. So He inspired Proverbs to do just that.

Contrary to the world's call to "live and learn," the promise of Proverbs is "learn and live." Studying and following these proverbs will make you a wise and righteous person with a rich, full life.

Approach Proverbs as a learner, a teachable person who desires to soak up its lessons. If you do, you'll gain what Proverbs offers: the opportunity to understand God's wise sayings; to develop discernment; to receive instruction on how to live righteously, justly, and fairly; to choose a life direction and purpose; to obey God's wisdom from the heart; and to never stop learning from the Word of God.

Papa Mike has studied the endless fountain of truth that is the book of Proverbs ever since he became a Christian forty-eight years ago-and he is still learning from it today. Over the ten years Papa Mike has spent writing this study, he has fallen deeply in love with this book and its wisdom. His prayer is that you would as well.

Papa Mike's Bible Study on Proverbs comes from a father's heart that beams with love for his children and their children. The study opens with an overview of Proverbs, then leads the reader through twenty-five character building principles. It contains Papa Mike's comments on select passages, stories from his life, and his prayers for you. You'll also work through assignments designed by Papa Mike to help you apply this book's marvelous truths. If you long to be truly wise, Papa Mike's Bible Study on Proverbs is a trustworthy guide to the most profound compilation of wisdom you could ever ponder.

"When I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, then he taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.'" (Proverbs 4:3-4)