We have a quote that comes up often on The Spoken Word Church website: "The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today." THIS is SO true! Another great quote from the website is this: "There is no substitute for paying attention." THAT brings us to today's SWC Bible Reading Plan and Proverbs 4! Verse 1 says this:
Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, and pay attention in order to gain and to know intelligent discernment, comprehension, and interpretation [of spiritual matters].
Paying attention when we are in the presence of the Lord is vital for growing in the things and the Word of God! Whether we are praying in the Spirit, studying and meditating on the Word by ourselves, hearing the Word of God taught by someone else, or simply in fellowship with like-minded believers, PAYING ATTENTION is paramount to actually GETTING anything to be able to put into practice. If you have trouble paying attention, Proverbs is a very good tool because it give short simple TRUTHS that we can act on immediately! One commentary calls thyem 'pithy maxims'. "Pithy" is defined as: brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible. A 'maxim' is defined as: an expression of a general truth or principle, a rule of conduct. So, these verses are short, concise and hold a world of TRUTH! Let's look at verses 5-6:
5 Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you.
The very first and sixth words are: GET! That seems so obvious, but there are very many people who never even get started in finding Wisdom! So starting at "GET" is a great place! Verses 7-8 tell us WHY we MUST do this!
7 The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation). 8 Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. 9 She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you.
Getting Wisdom from God and His Word SHOULD be the #1 priority of every born again believer! Getting Wisdom and acting on it will put us in position to receive all that our Father has given us and called us to! Let's make it a 2020 'DETERMINED PURPOSE' to be in the Word, and acting on it, more than any time before. Not only will WE be in a great position to receive, but we will be a great witness and testimony of all the GOOD that God has for HIS CHILDREN! AMEN! Here are Hillsong Kids with "Who You Say I Am":
Shalom in Him!
