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Change, Part 3: Wisdom Comes Out the Fingertips

February 27, 2026 By Peter Krol

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips. This week, we explore the last step in the chain.

Put away from you crooked speech,
And put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
And your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
Then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
Turn your foot away from evil (Prov. 4:24-27).

The last step in the formula takes place when wisdom moves from the heart and out through our fingertips. These verses speak of “speech,” “talk” (Prov. 4:24), “eyes,” “forward,” “gaze” (Prov. 4:25), “ponder,” “path,” “feet,” “ways” (Prov. 4:26), “right,” “left,” and “foot” (Prov. 4:27). Solomon clearly has in mind everything we do, so I’ll use the image of “fingertips,”out of which seep our everyday choices.

Once wisdom changes who we are, it inevitably affects everything we do. As we listen to wisdom and seek it out, we must consider both how it can sink in more deeply (the heart) and how it can shape us more broadly (the fingertips). What would it look like for you to request help with your money, marriage, singleness, career path, parenting, cooking, hospitality, leadership potential, education, job performance, spiritual life, outreach, eating habits, hobbies, Bible study skills, love life, communication, decision-making process, and vision for life? In which other areas would you like to grow in wisdom? Where are you stuck in difficult situations or bad patterns? Remember: Wisdom has to come in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips.

It doesn’t matter what candidates for change you have in mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new skill to develop or an old habit to break. It doesn’t matter if there’s exquisite joy or agonizing pain. It doesn’t matter if your history is one of failure or of success.

What matters is that God wants you to change for the better, and he’s throwing the full weight of his resources behind the change movement. Jesus rose from the grave so he could make all things new. If you fear the Lord, you have much reason to hope for the best.

One of my children often used to say “I give up” when something was too hard. I say to you what I often said to that child: “That’s the one thing you must never do. Jesus didn’t give up on you. Let’s trust him, and see what he can do next.”

SNEAK PEEK:

We often struggle with the greatest shame and defeat in the realm of sexual sin. Many people feel stuck there, so in Proverbs 5, 6, and 7, Solomon provides a mini-series on wise sexuality. We’ll begin the series next week by applying some Bible dynamite to calcified cultural stereotypes about sexuality.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Change, Part 2: Wisdom Comes Through the Heart

February 20, 2026 By Peter Krol

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips. This week, we explore the second step in the chain.

Let them not escape from your sight;
Keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
And healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
For from it flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:21-23).

We find the second part of the formula in verses 21-23. When we plug in to God’s wisdom, and it enters our lives through the ears, we need to connect it to the motherboard. If we bypass the processor and run everything right off RAM, it has no longevity. The moment we power the computer down, we lose our data. We must keep the words within our hearts (Prov. 4:21) and keep our hearts with all vigilance (Prov. 4:23).

For the non-technical folk out there, what I just wrote means that when we hear wisdom, it won’t produce change in us until it affects who we are. “The heart” is one of the chief biblical images for our inner selves: thoughts, beliefs, emotions, character, desires, dreams, fears, and conscience.[1] “Heart” in the Old Testament might be what you got if you combined all the following modern-day terms: mind, will, heart, and conscience.

The Bible says that the heart is the command center from which we manage our lives. When we keep the wise words of life in our hearts (Prov. 4:21), they get passed on to the rest of the flesh (Prov. 4:22) because from the heart flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:23).

Any attempt to change that does not pass through the heart is therefore shallow and temporary. I can learn skills by rote, but I haven’t really changed if they haven’t changed who I am.

For example, if I study for a test, pass it, and quickly forget the material, I haven’t really learned it (it hasn’t hit my heart). If a child wrongs another child, is forced by an adult to apologize and does so sarcastically, we wouldn’t label it remorse. When a man tells his wife he loves her, but covertly keeps a mistress, we have reason to question whether his love is true. If a needy person requests charity from a church, the leaders are right to help relieve the immediate burden while also exploring whether the person could make different choices to avoid having the same need again.

The main point is that wisdom gets us unstuck and changes us by changing who we are.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

[1] The other common image is “kidneys” as in Job 16:13, Psalm 139:13, Rev 2:23, etc.

Change, Part 1: Wisdom Comes in the Ears

February 13, 2026 By Peter Krol

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips (Prov. 4:20-27). This week, we explore the first step in the chain.

My son, be attentive to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings (Prov. 4:20).

Verse 20 describes the first part of the formula. Wisdom enters through our ears. Solomon explained in 2:1-4 that our listening must involve both passively receiving and actively seeking. Here, he alludes to both components: “be attentive” involves reception, and “incline your ear” implies pursuit. We’ve been over this ground before, but we need to hear it many times for it to become second nature.

This first part of the formula involves reading the Bible, hearing it preached in church, and seeking godly fellowship, among other things. The key idea is that wisdom comes from outside of us. You can’t find wisdom by looking within.

This idea is the opposite of Disney’s “follow your heart” ideology.

It conflicts with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s advice to “search your feelings.” It is altogether different from a self-esteem approach to education. You will never get unstuck if you start with a foundation of “you do you.” Wisdom is with God, not inherently inside ourselves. Therefore, wisdom must come to us from outside of us. We must move toward the Lord so we can hear what he has to say.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

See Everything Change

January 30, 2026 By Peter Krol

If you memorize only one passage from all of Proverbs, it should be Prov 4:20-27. This passage outlines the process of change. It shows us how to get unstuck. It describes how wisdom works in us.

Ages ago, I defined wisdom as a continual striving to know and do what the Bible says. We’ve considered at length what it looks like for us to travel this path of wisdom; now we learn how wisdom travels its path in us.

Mark this formula:

Wisdom comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips.

Wisdom isn’t so much about what you do as it is about who you are. Miss this fact, and you’ll jump to chapters 10-31 and read each proverb moralistically (contrary to the expectation set up in Prov. 1-9). So Prov. 10:1 becomes about keeping your parents happy. Prov. 11:22 appears to mean that beauty is only skin deep. And Prov. 25:21-22 encourages you to be nice to people and wait out your revenge.

Such approaches are not completely wrong. But when we understand the process of change—and especially the need for wisdom to land in our hearts before taking off into our actions—we see the wise instruction of Prov. 10-31 for what it is: the description of redeemed and transformed people. Not a list of behaviors for those in search of approval or success.

To illustrate: We have a problem with water in our basement. We fixed a downspout. We re-routed a gutter. We installed a removal/drain system. We’ve guided the water’s behavior in the right direction. And we’ve reduced the flood to a puddle, but we haven’t yet solved the problem.

We need to dig. We’ll have to remove the deck so we can re-grade the soil beneath it. We need to get to the foundation so we can brace it against the buckling pressure.

That’s how wisdom works. It comes from outside and gets under your skin and into your heart. It penetrates the depths of your character and beliefs. Then it works its way out into your actions. It comes in the ears, through the heart, and out the fingertips.

Over the next 3 Proverbs posts we’ll walk through Prov. 4:20-27 and explore each piece of the formula in greater depth.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

The Second Result of Listening to Wisdom

May 9, 2025 By Peter Krol

If we passively receive and actively seek wisdom, then two things will happen: We’ll start being wise, and we’ll keep becoming wiser. Last week, we examined the first result. This week, we’ll address the second one.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
And equity, every good path;
For wisdom will come into your heart,
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul (Prov 2:9-10).

You’ll keep becoming wiser. Proverbs 2:9 states that “you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path.” Does that list – righteousness, justice, and equity – ring any bells? You may recall the same phrase from Prov 1:3 where Solomon listed his third purpose for the book of Proverbs: that we would not just know the right thing to do, but also do it.

Here in chapter 2, he promises that, if we listen to wisdom, we will understand every good path. In other words, we won’t only become wise; we’ll keep on living wisely. We begin the journey of wisdom (Prov 2:5) and continue walking along it every moment of every day in every little decision we make (Prov 2:9).

Why is this the case? Because “wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Prov 2:10). You’ve survived a “hostile takeover.” Your heart is now filled with and mastered by wisdom, rather than by your own simplicity that leads to folly. Your desires have changed, becoming more like God’s own desires. You now find knowledge to be pleasant and not something to be despised. (See Prov 1:7.) You are now a different person, free to make different choices.

"Marathon Medalists" by Mostly Dans (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License — “Marathon Medalists” by Mostly Dans (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

The type of listening that produces such constant change is not something that can be completed after a few tries.

It’s a persevering discipline. As we live a life of wisdom, our need for listening grows more, not less. Remember how Solomon stopped listening and became a fool? Don’t follow his example! Keep receiving and keep seeking. Then you won’t be like the marathon runner who was disqualified because he hopped on a bus for part of the race. Be a finisher, not just a starter. The end of your life is far more important than its beginning (Ecc 7:8).

Application

When we listen to wisdom, we’ll keep becoming wiser. What does it look like for us to walk this path? Here are some ideas:

Ask God for wisdom every day. No, scratch that; make it every hour.
In every situation, ask yourself, “What can I learn here?”
Learn how to study the Bible. (Here’s some help. And more help.) Meet regularly with others to discuss it.
Ask other people how they think you could grow.
Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. That way, you’ll cover the whole book each month. I did this for years and developed a notebook of topics. I picked one topic each month, and every day I’d write down which verses addressed that topic. This notebook became a useful resource that I still use.

If wisdom has entered your heart, and the fear of the Lord characterizes you, then you will love instruction. In particular, you will love God’s instruction, which means you’ll draw steadily closer to him. Don’t let your life slip by without careful attention.

By the time he turned 21, American theologian Jonathan Edwards had written 70 personal commitments (he called them “resolutions”) for his walk with Christ. They included things like speaking words that build up, managing his time well, and being a trustworthy person. Most noteworthy is his commitment to consciously trust in Jesus, especially when he felt on top of the world. Item #53 states:

“Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer.”

At the top, right before the first item on the list, he wrote this statement: “Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.” Here was a man who understood his natural tendency to drift from the path of wisdom and who set himself to give careful attention that he might not do so.

To summarize where we are in the argument of Prov 2:1-10: If you persevere at listening carefully to wisdom, you will grow to love wisdom. Your proud, selfish heart will melt, liberating you to make different choices every day. You’ll be heading in the right direction, growing closer to Jesus and becoming more like him.

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

How to Listen to Wisdom

April 25, 2025 By Peter Krol

Fimb (2009), Creative Commons Attribution

To become wise, you must learn to listen. Such listening has two parts.

¹My son, if you receive my words
And treasure up my commandments with you,
²Making your ear attentive to wisdom
And inclining your heart to understanding
³Yes, if you call out for insight
And raise your voice for understanding,
⁴If you seek it like silver
And search for it as for hidden treasures. (Prov 2:1-4)

Solomon begins the chapter with a big “IF.” Receiving, treasuring, attending, inclining, calling out, raising your voice, seeking, and searching all boil down to one weighty concept: listening. He already commanded us to “hear” in Prov 1:8. He regretted our refusal to “listen” in Prov 1:24. He’ll come back to the topic of listening again in Prov 3:1, 21; 4:1, 10, 20; 5:1; 7:24; 8:6, and Prov 8:32. Listening is no small theme in Proverbs 1-9.

What does it mean to listen to wisdom? He breaks it down into two pieces: passive receiving and active seeking.

Passive Reception

First, he commands us to listen passively (Prov 2:1-2): receive, treasure, attend, and incline. There are many times when we don’t ask for advice, but it comes anyway. It might come in a form we like: a powerful sermon, a gentle rebuke, or a kind reminder. It might come in a form we don’t like: an angry critic, a disconsolate child, or a disgruntled coworker. Whatever shape wisdom takes, the question remains the same: Will you receive it? We’re like desperately hungry babies, and the food is placed right in our mouths. Will we munch on it or spit it out?

In other words, we ought to pay attention to the Bible and delight in it. We must be receptive to what wise people say — or even to wise things foolish people say — and avoid shifting blame or making excuses. In reading God’s word or in having it explained to us, we should be broken and changed by it.

Are you approachable? How do you handle criticism? Are you willing to address weakness or failure? Do you have the courageous humility to focus more on how you need to grow than on how others need to grow? A mark of the wise Christian is the persistent and vigilant examination for logs in or around the eye (Matt 7:1-5).

Active Pursuit

Danard Vincente, Creative Commons Attribution

Second, Solomon commands us to listen actively (Prov 2:3-4): call, raise, seek, and search. Passive reception is not enough; Prov 2:3-4 instructs us to move on to active seeking. We must call out and raise our voices for understanding. We must seek wisdom as we would silver or a hidden treasure. If a woman lost her wedding ring, she would tear the house apart until she found it. She wouldn’t just wait passively for it to reappear on its own.

We can relate to this image, because we’re all treasure seekers. We arrange our lives to accommodate what’s most important to us. That’s why we bother to get married. That’s why we drag ourselves out of bed for 8:00 AM classes. That’s why we make peace with the long commute to the office. That’s why we stay up late for cinematic premieres. That’s why spend so long in front of the mirror before leaving the house each day. That’s why we go into debt. That’s why we’ll upheave our lives and relocate closer to our grandchildren.

If I fail to grow in wisdom, it’s not because I didn’t receive enough help. If I am not being fed spiritually, I am responsible to find food. If you are a teacher or a leader, you should not wait for people to give you suggestions for improvement; you should take initiative to ask for them. If you’re married, don’t wait for your spouse to bring up concerns; instead, regularly ask, “How do you think our marriage is going?” Consider asking someone to mentor you. If you want to understand the Bible better, plan time right in your schedule. If you don’t have a schedule, now would be a great time to make one.

To summarize: If you want to become wise, you must listen to wisdom. Listening involves both receiving it eagerly and seeking it passionately.

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

How to Become Wise

April 18, 2025 By Peter Krol

A few Olympic cycles ago, I wrote about what the Olympics taught me about Bible study. The Olympics deliver drama spectacularly, but they fail at imparting instruction.

Who, by watching Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt run, would get any practical help with his own stride? Perhaps exposure to the Asian badminton teams could influence aspiring champions not to cheat. But how many gymnasts will improve their own dismounts from Team USA’s example? Or who, upon seeing footage of Michael Phelps’ races and interviews, would gain concrete ideas for faster flip-turns? Perhaps a few prodigies will learn well by merely watching and imitating the world’s greatest athletes, but most of us need more personal coaching, step-by-step instruction, and encouragement in the basics.

“Becoming a Wise Owl Takes a Lot of Concentration” by Ken Bosma (2008), shared under Creative Commons Attribution License

That’s why, in Proverbs 2, Solomon gets down on our level and shows us practical steps we can take to become wise. He’s already given the big picture in chapter 1; now he gives details on the process. Here we’ll find not just what we need to know, but what we need to do.

Proverbs 2 has a tight logic:

If you listen – 1-4

Then you’ll get started on the path of wisdom – 5

Why? Because God wants to make you wise – 6-8

Then you’ll continue to grow in wisdom – 9

Why? Because wisdom will change you – 10

Result: you’ll make different choices that protect you – 11

From violent men – 12-15

From adulterous women – 16-19

For endurance on the right path – 20-22

Over the next few Proverbs posts, I’ll boil the argument down into three chief sections: If you listen (Prov 2:1-4), you’ll become wise (Prov 2:5-10), resulting in different choices (Prov 2:11-22).

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Why We Do What We Do

March 21, 2025 By Peter Krol

What we do is a result of what we desire.

Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
Would have none of my counsel
And despised all my reproof,
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
And have their fill of their own devices. (Prov 1:29-31)

The Bible’s Teaching on Desire

To understand this section, we must understand what the Bible teaches about desire. In particular, what we do is a result of what we desire. 2 Peter 3:3 states that those who scoff at the truth of God’s Word are simply “following their own sinful desires.” Jesus said that “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil,” just like different kinds of trees each produce their own kinds of fruit (Luke 6:43-45). This teaching means that we do certain things because we desire certain things.

boy holding cotton candyat the park — Photo by Mariana Kurnyk on Pexels.com

For example, someone yells in anger because he doesn’t get the respect he wants from others. Someone else views pornography out of a desire for comfort, escape, control, or pleasure. Another person says foolish or untrue things because she desperately wants people to like her. In all our actions, what we do is a result of what we desire.

Now when someone believes in Jesus, the Spirit of God takes up residence within him, giving him new godly desires. Galatians 5:16-26 provides a good explanation of this person’s situation. God’s Spirit intercepts his slavery to the old “desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). Those old desires won’t give up easily, though, so a battle ensues over which desires will hold supremacy in his heart (Gal 5:17). The presence of such inner turmoil is a sign that he is growing in grace, even if it feels to him like he’s a miserable failure. Thus, he must be reminded constantly that he is free from the penalty of God’s law because Jesus died for him (Gal 5:18). The more he gives in to the old desires, however, the more he will commit sinful actions (Gal 5:19-21). The more he trusts in Jesus through his Spirit, the more he will demonstrate godly character and behavior (Gal 5:22-24). Over time, the Spirit gains more and more ground over the flesh, and the old desires decrease in frequency and power (Gal 5:24-26).

This process is what we normally call Christian growth, or sanctification, and it’s not easy. But in our ignorant simplicity, we think this growth should be easy and not a battle.

The Problem with Wanting it to be Easy

One’s thinking might go like this: “Because I have become a believer in Jesus, I can now trust that certain thoughts, feelings, or desires I have must be from God. I will intuitively know when God is speaking to me or assuring me of a course of action.” This line of thinking can lead some people to foolish ideas like “God wants me to sleep with my partner because we love each other.”

Here’s a major implication of this teaching on desire, though: it is not necessarily a good thing for God to give you what you want. If you’re holding on to your old, sinful desires, it’s actually an act of judgment for God to grant your wishes. So when God loves people deeply, he doesn’t give them what they want; instead, he changes their desires so they will want what he wants. And since God is good and gracious, and He always wants what’s best for them, it’s a tremendous blessing for them to desire the same things God desires. They’ll live out of those beautiful desires and reap wonderful blessings.

Think of it like this: If a child wanted to eat cotton candy every day for lunch, would you let her do it? It’s what she wants, but you know it wouldn’t be in her best interest. Letting her have what she wants would kill her. So, if you care about her at all, you’d work to persuade and train her to desire something else (good nutrition). Once she desires a good thing, then it’s a blessing for her to live according to that desire.

The Point of Proverbs 1:29-31

What is the point? In Proverbs 1:29-31, notice that the “calamity” Wisdom warned against in Prov 1:26-27 is now described in Prov 1:31 as eating “the fruit of their way” and having “their fill of their own devices.” The judgment and distress that wisdom warns against is to get what we want and not what God wants. We’ll have more space to explore what exactly God wants for us when we reach Proverbs 3:13-26 . For now, take note of the fact that calamity results when we get what we want, and not what God wants.

How do we learn to desire what God desires? We must not “hate knowledge” (Prov 1:29). We must “choose the fear of the Lord” (Prov 1:29). We must heed wisdom’s counsel (Prov 1:30). We must not despise wisdom’s reproof (Prov 1:30). In other words, we must learn to suspect our own desires and learn from God’s Word what we should desire instead. Wisdom cries aloud to us. God loved us enough to write down all that he wanted us to know. Will we listen?

This post was first published in 2012.

Devotion Begets Devotion: Encountering God in the Bible

September 9, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

The force of gravity that one object exerts on another depends on a few factors: the mass of each object, a gravitational constant, and the distance between the two objects. But in the calculation, distance is in the denominator of the fraction, meaning that, all other things being equal, gravitational force and distance have an inverse relationship. The closer the two objects are, the greater the gravitational pull.

If you have trouble with formulas and forces, picture a whirlpool. A feather caught in the outside of the spinning water starts to move slowly in a circle. But the longer it stays in the whirlpool, the faster it moves, pulled steadily inward and down until it disappears.

A Book Like No Other

The Bible is a book like no other. We do not read it like a biography, a novel, or a textbook. We can return to it again and again with much profit. It is deeper and greater and more wonderful than anything else we could ever read.

Why do Christians read the Bible? If you are a Christian, why do you read the Bible?

We read the Bible to know God. About the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith states that “it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church” (my emphasis).

God reveals himself! This means that reading or studying the Bible is no ordinary endeavor. We are not reading just for information or even inspiration. We are studying the Scriptures to learn from God, to know and love him. And as we learn from him and love him, this should kindle a desire to draw even closer.

God Entices Us

When we read the Bible, God teaches us about himself. He also shines light into our hearts and convicts us of sin. God shows us his Son and removes the blindness from our eyes. And like many in first-century Galilee, we are eager to follow the Rabbi-King, Jesus.

By his Spirit, God works on our hearts as we read the Bible. He meets with us and entices us to return and meet with him again.

Reading the Bible creates a longing within us for what is to come. When the world seems to be crumbling around us, we have a sure promise that all will be put right (Rev 21:4). And we will enjoy fellowship with God face to face (Rev 21:3).

Additionally, as we read, we see more of what we will become. In all the ways we offend God and our neighbors, we can cultivate hope that these stubborn sins will not last forever. God’s commands are for our good, and one day we will embrace and obey them fully.

Further Down and Further In

If you’ve talked to any older saint recently, you’ve probably noticed they are still eager for the Scriptures. Even after a lifetime of reading and hearing and studying, they are not tired of those familiar words.

The Bible may be bound like other books. It may sit on our tables, support coffee mugs, and sport dog-eared pages and pencil scribbles like other volumes. But what the Bible offers we can find nowhere else.

God reveals himself to us in the pages of this holy book. To the novice and the expert, to the young and the old, God offers himself to those who would take up and read. And as we taste and see how good the Lord is, we’ll joyfully take another lap around the whirlpool, drawing closer and closer to the God who made and redeemed us.