10/15/2023
Turn with me to Proverbs 16:20-24. These are our verses to begin studying and memorizing this week.
Proverbs 16:20-24 He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. 21 The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. 22 Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, But the discipline of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Introduction
In the first 9 verses of this chapter the focus was on the bedrock truth of God’s sovereign authority over everything. Having laid that out, there was a continuation of that theme in relationship to human government in verses 10-15. We saw both the king’s responsibility to God, as well as the citizens responsibility to their king’s authority.
Having received instruction on the big picture of our responsibility to God and to governmental authorities we then moved to considering the right pathway of life in Proverbs 16:16-17:6. Verses 16-19 form a four verse introduction to this new section. The first verse highlighted the importance of treasuring God’s wisdom more than anything else. The second verse highlighted that those on the highway of the upright turn away from evil and protect themselves from it. The last two verses then highlighted the essential character trait of humility that is necessary for traveling on this highway of the righteous.
Without treasuring God’s Word, departing from evil, and walking in humility before God we will not truly benefit from, accept, and follow these upcoming proverbs. We need to get our hearts right with God each and every day so that we actually take up our cross, crucify our sinful, fleshly desires, and follow Jesus. To do that we will need to value His Word more than the things of this world. We will need to determine to follow Him and not allow evil to pull us away from Him. We will need to humble ourselves before Him and not allow pride to exalt ourselves above Him or His Word.
Once we get our heart, mind, and will in the right perspective in relationship to God then we are ready to hear and learn from His Word. Are you ready? May we do whatever it takes each and every day to treasure God’s wisdom, run from evil, and walk humbly in obedience before our sovereign, good, holy, just, loving God.
As we move past these introductions the big focus of Proverbs 16:20-16:30 turns to the mouth and words. Verses 20-24 picture the words that the people on the way of the upright pursue and have. The middle verse, verse 25, is a repeat of Proverbs 14:12. Its repetition here is very appropriate because it highlights that there is a way of life which can seem right when in reality it is “the way of death.” Verses 26-30 then picture the evil mouths of people on that “way of death.”
After that Proverbs 16:31 then turns back to focusing on the path of the righteous with a set of proverbs that run to Proverbs 17:6. The first and last proverbs of this sub section are set off by a focus on the crown of the elderly who are reaping the blessing of having lived on the pathway of righteousness.
So that is the big picture of where we are at and where we are going as we look at “wisdom for living on the highway of the righteous.”
As we begin looking at the more immediate picture of verses 20-24, we see that we are being given the positive side of what our relationship should be to words and to the way that we use our mouths. Altogether these five verses form a chiasm. Verse 20 and 24 form the matching outer band of the chiasm. They focus on “the word” and “words” as well as with the blessings that come from them. Verses 21 and 23 form the next matching ring of the chiasm. The “wise” in “heart” are referred to in both verses, as well as the kind of speech that is “persuasive.”
Then we have verse 22. It is at the center of the chiasm. That means it is the main emphasis of the section. It returns to the idea of the fountain of life, or eternal life, that we have seen a few times already in the book of proverbs. It contrasts that with the pointlessness of disciplining fools. The wise in heart, the ones who give attention to God’s Word, who trust in Him, not only reap God’s sustenance and blessing in this life, they have God’s eternal life. The faith in God of verse 20 results in eternal life. Indeed, knowledge of God and His work of redemption comes from the truth of His Word. The one with understanding, wisdom, perception, and discernment sees this. He or she believes it. It becomes evident in their lives. It comes out in their words and actions. It leads to further blessing from God in this life and to eternal life with Him after this life.
With that overview of our passage, let’s take a closer look now at verses 20-21.
20 He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Heeding God’s Word reaps goodness. Trusting in God reaps His blessing.
It is very telling that this section of verses on the words of those on the highway of the upright does not actually begin with their own words. Instead, it begins with our relationship to God and His Word. It begins with the kind of words that we should be pursuing, heeding, and trusting: God’s Word. What comes out of our mouths will depend on what we put into our hearts and who we trust. If we are focusing our attention on God’s Word and trusting in the Lord’s way as good and right then we will speak and live out His wisdom. That will, of course, end up being a blessing and help to our lives.
Now, if you are using a different version than the NASB or ESV you will notice that the beginning of the verse is rendered slightly different in your translation. There is actually no reference to “the word.” You might have something like “one who deals wisely” (NET) or “He that handleth a matter wisely” (KJV).
The reason for this is that while the word for “word” there directly refers to “words” that someone communicates it can also be used more broadly to refer to a matter or a thing. However, even if one preferred to translate it that way, because the context of the second half of the proverb is focused on trusting in the Lord the kind of attention that is being given would clearly be to handle a matter according to God’s wisdom. In that case the focus would be slightly more indirect. Nonetheless, it would still be talking about someone paying attention to both their situation and to God’s Word to see how God’s wisdom would give guidance on how to handle the matter.
Since the context of this whole section focuses so much on words and speech, (along with euphemisms for it like the mouth and lips) it seems much more likely that this should be translated directly as “the word.” In that case, “the word” directly refers to God’s Words, since the second half of the proverb talks about trusting in the Lord. (The surrounding context of wisdom—which ultimately comes from God—also bears this out. Cf. Proverbs 16:16, 21, 23 and Proverbs 16:1-9.)
What then ought we to be doing to find good? We ought to be paying close attention to God’s Word, to God’s wisdom, to God’s guidance for living in His redeemed way of life. He has specially preserved that for us in Holy Scriptures. That is what we ought to be closely heeding. When we do it will bring us good. It will bring us what is truly good. The end result, when all is said and done, is that God’s Word brings to us what is best for us. Why? Because God is the one standing behind His Word. It has come from Him, and He is sovereignly in control of all things. We will be blessed when we trust in Him.
Yes, it is true, as we saw in the previous verse (Proverbs 16:19), the proud may be oppressing people and dividing the spoil of their evil behavior—for a time. Yet, it is also a sure fact that this will not last forever. God’s justice and goodness will conquer all. Proverbs 16:18 emphasized that. The destruction of the proud awaits them. It is just a matter of time. Thus we can trust in God that He will bring goodness upon those who heed His Word and apply its wisdom to their situations. As we trust in the Lord it will bring His blessing upon us.
First, it brings us salvation from our sins and a restored relationship with God because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. Then it brings us His Spirit within us to help us in our new lives. It brings God’s protection, purpose, hope, love, peace, joy, strength, and so much more—as we continue walking with Him by His Word. As we live for God’s glory, for the purposes that He made us for, then we have the blessing of this kind of ongoing fellowship with Him.
Our upcoming proverbs will also point out and focus on another result. Trusting in God and heeding His Word will bring us God’s guidance. He will guide us in the kinds of speech that should characterize us as we live on the highway of the upright. All this guidance begins, and continues, with giving our close attention to God’s Word and trusting Him.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this proverb’s call to heed God’s Word and trust Him in God’s interactions with Joshua at the beginning of the conquest of the land of Canaan. Notice what God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:5-9.
Joshua 1:5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua needed to pay attention to God’s Word. It would bring him good. He needed to trust the Lord that He would do what He said. If Joshua did heed God’s Word and trust in God he would have success wherever he went. God would stand behind all of the promises of His Word. He would bring them into the land. He would give it to them. He would bless them there. But notice what Joshua’s responsibility was. He needed to keep God’s Word in his mouth. How would that happen? It needed to continually be in his mind and on his heart. It did not stop there, though. It needed to be on his heart and mind in such a way that he was obeying it. As he knew it, meditated on it, and obeyed it then it would come out in his words. It would be present throughout every area of his life to guide him, bless him, and prosper him. It would lead him to have success.
While we are not being called to go conquer a physical land of blessing, the truths behind this are 100% applicable and needed for our lives. We need courage to live the life of holiness and service that God has designed for us. To faithfully carry that out despite the opposition, trials, temptations, and discouragements that we will face we need to pay close attention to God’s Word. We need to trust God in all that He says about what He has done, is doing, and will do. We need to trust God for our purpose in life. We need to trust God for the way we are to live and for the way that we are to speak. As we do, we will reap His blessings. Good will come out of it.
Just like with Joshua’s life, God’s calling on our lives will have it’s share of hardships. It is not easy to stand for the truth when people may mock us, persecute us, abuse us, or hurt us. For a long time we have had it relatively easy here in our country. Especially if we compare our experience with other countries and periods of time where Christians have suffered loss of all that they have had and been killed for their faith. But the reality is, we will be prepared to face whatever God calls us to go through if we are paying close attention to God’s Word, if we are trusting the Lord, if we are meditating therein day and night, if we are being careful to obey it and not let it depart from our mouths. Are you prepared to face whatever God calls you to go through? Take courage. You can have the unconquerable joy of knowing that you have His blessing and His ultimate good resting on your life. How? Heed His Word and trust Him.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb to the rest of Scripture we see these truths reiterated over and over again in many places. One interesting place that this occurs is at the beginning of the book of Revelation in Revelation 1:3.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Throughout all of time this has been what we have been called to do. Adam and Eve failed when they did not give close attention to God’s Word and did not trust the Lord. If they had paid close attention to God’s Word and trusted the Lord then they would have seen the danger of how Satan twisted God’s Word from what He had said. They would not have doubted God and decided to follow Satan’s proud path of sin and self-trust. They would have done what Jesus did in His wilderness temptations. They would have accurately recited God’s Word that spoke against the sinful temptation. They would have trusted God’s Word and Him over the lies that were being promoted. Then they would have been blessed to continue in perfect fellowship with God in His perfect creation.
Do you see the progression there? We have to know God’s Word to have it available to us in our moment of temptation or in our moment of indecision about which way we should go or what we should say. We have to pay close attention to it for it to be there in our hearts and minds. But then it has to go a step further. We have to trust in the Lord that His way is right and best. As we do this, we will walk in the right way and God’s wisdom will come out of our mouths. It’s truths will be reflected in the overflow of our words. Then we will continue to have the full blessing of fellowship with God. Beyond that we can look forward to having eternity with Him in His perfect recreation of all things.
Coming back to Revelation 1, we see that God closes His holy inspired Word with the last book of the Bible declaring a special blessing to those who read it and heed it. Why? Because throughout all history the people of God have had the same struggle and the same solution. Even though we have trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior sin will be our ongoing struggle until we go to be with God or Jesus comes back for us. God’s solution remains the same. Day by day we need to meditate on His Word and trust Him. What will believers need to focus on in the excruciating hard times of the book of Revelation? The truth of God’s Word. They will need to know and meditate on the truth that sets us free. We need the hope of the promises of God’s Word to sustain us. We need God’s wisdom to guide us in what to do and say. We need God’s Word to know that no matter how bad things get He is sovereignly working out all of His purposes of redemption and judgment. As we know these truths and trust Him we can follow Him obediently even unto death if that is needed. We can follow Him faithfully day by day in the realities of our sin-soaked world.
Truth in Connection: The question is, will we follow the prescription that God has laid out for how we can persevere and be faithful? Will we follow God’s wisdom? Will we trust God enough to meditate on His Word day and night? Will we give attention to God’s Word in all that it says and trust that God’s way is always best and right? Will we do it when it is not convenient? Will we do it when we might be persecuted or mocked? Will we do it when our rights might be trampled? Will we do it if we might lose money?
If we do, we will find that we have really lost nothing in light of all that we have gained. It does not really matter what other people say or do. What God says is that by giving attention to His Word, by ordering our actions by the commands, precepts, and instructions of His wisdom, we will find good. God says that we are blessed if we trust Him. When God says it, it will happen. There is no other all-powerful sovereign than Him. There is no one else perfectly righteous and good like He is. There is no one who is more trustworthy than Him. He will work out good for us in His perfect timing and way when we walk in the way of the upright by His wisdom.
Do you believe it? Will you base your life on it? Will you take the time to know His Word and to meditate on it day and night? Will you trust this promise of God almighty to you personally? Of all the voices in the world, He alone is truly trustworthy. Will you trust Him with all of your life situations? Will you trust Him with your future? Will you trust Him with your marriage, or with your singleness? Will you trust Him with your children, or with your parents? Will you trust Him with your retirement, or with your schooling? Will you trust Him with your job? Will you trust Him for the very purpose of your existence? Will you trust Him and live for His kingdom and His righteousness as your first priority? Let’s commit to that today. Then let’s start each day committing to it. Seek Him each day until this is your heart focus and trust.
If you do, then the realities of the next verse will start to become a reality in your life.
21 The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Those able to apply wisdom to situations are discerning. Their right words improve learning.
When the habit and pattern of our life is to dwell in God’s Word, to meditate in it day and night, and to trust in the Lord like the previous verse talks about then we will gain a wisdom in our hearts that we will end up being known for. We will be recognized for appropriately applying God’s wisdom to situations. Our reputation will be as a man or woman of understanding.
This exact expression “wise in heart” is one that is just used three times in Proverbs and five times in Exodus. In the uses in Exodus it is always used of the skillful craftsman that God imbued with wisdom and ability to be able to build the tabernacle (Exodus 31:6, 35:10, 36:1, 2, 8). Here in Proverbs it is used in Proverbs 10:8 to highlight that these kinds of people, the wise in heart, will receive commands. They are teachable. Proverbs 11:29 points out a result of being wise hearted. They will end up being served by the foolish. From that we see that these kinds of people are teachable, and they end up reaping the blessings of that. The wise in heart get that way by continuing to go to God’s Word and by listening to His commands, as we just saw in our previous verse. They become skilled craftsman in learning and applying God’s wisdom to life. This is very much a practical thing, not just a knowledge thing. They trust God. They do not elevate their thinking and way of life above God’s wisdom. As they continue to live out God’s truth in this way they reap the rewards of that. They gain a reputation.
The second half of the verse tells us that we will also gain a discernment that entails not just knowing what the truth is or what the right answer is, but we will also gain a discernment on the right way to communicate it. We will learn how to express the truth in a way that will be better understood and learned from. That will add to its persuasiveness. It will improve people actually learning from what we have to say. It is not just the content of what we say that matters. The way that we speak it matters. Our hearts behind it matter.
Scriptural Example: When we look to Scripture for an example of this proverb we see at least three examples of it in the life of Jesus.1 Luke 4:22 records this:
Luke 4:22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
This occurred in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. He had gone into the synagogue, read part of Isaiah 61:1-2 and told them that He had fulfilled that Scripture in their hearing. For a time they were quite enamored with the wisdom and graciousness of what Jesus taught that day. But even with His perfect wisdom and presentation it is worth noting that the people ended up turning on Him at the end of this event and tried to kill Him. Even with a perfect presentation the sin of other people and the lack of teachability will be a limiting factor with how far this goes. Luke 19:47-48 gives another instance where Jesus’ wisdom and teaching greatly impacted people.
Luke 19:47-48 And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, 48 and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.
This event occurred after Jesus’ triumphal entry and cleansing of the temple. Even though the religious leaders wanted to destroy Him, they could not at this time. His reputation, wisdom, and way of teaching the crowds effectively made it impossible.
A third instance where this kind of thing happened is recorded in John 7:44-46. This occurred at the end of the Feast of Booths when Jesus had ended up teaching the people. Verse 17 of this chapter tells us that the Jews were astonished, wondering how He was so learned or wise in His teaching since He had never been educated by their schools. After more teaching, verse 31 tells us that many of the crowd believed in Him as Messiah wondering how any more signs could be done than what He had done. Worrying what might happen to their power, the religious leaders then sent officers to seize Jesus. But the very wisdom and persuasiveness of Jesus’ words kept them from doing it. Listen to what happened.
John 7:44-46 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”
They went, fully expecting to carry out their responsibilities. But Jesus’ reputation for wisdom and understanding was not just a reputation. It was a reality. The sweetness, truth, and power of His speech persuaded them that they could not intervene. So they went back empty-handed. All they could say was that no one ever spoke like He did.
That is a kind of wisdom and understanding as well as a way of speaking that is worth having. That is a kind of wisdom worth pursuing. The mind boggling fact is that we can have this wisdom. We can grow and improve in our communication of it. This is part of our inheritance in Jesus Christ right now through the Holy Spirit which we have—if we are truly Christians. Did you know that? Do you believe it? Look at 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 and then 2:11-16
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
Did you see that? Jesus is not just giving to us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He also became wisdom to us. We have nothing about which to boast whatsoever in ourselves, but in Christ we have an amazing salvation from sin. We are redeemed from our sin and brought into God’s kingdom. We have the promise of full and complete sanctification. But we also are given the wisdom of Jesus! Truly Jesus did not leave us as orphans here on this earth when He went to go and prepare us a place for our eternal dwelling with Him. He also gave us His Spirit to impart to us His wisdom. Notice what this entails and how this works in the next chapter.
1 Corinthians 2:11-16 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Naturally the thoughts and ways of God are far beyond us. Our wisdom is but foolishness to God—as other parts of these chapters says. But, what happens? When we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and receive His Spirit to indwell us the Spirit illuminates God’s Word to our minds. He raises our minds and spirits from their deadness in sin to be able to understand the truth of God’s Word to us. In so doing, as we receive that instruction, illumination, and application, we have the mind of Christ. The mind Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge reside (Colossians 2:3), is part of our inheritance.
In Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit to teach us the meaning and application of God’s Word, we can have God’s true wisdom. That is an astounding blessing and reality that is no doubt much unrealized, ignored, and misunderstood. Yet it is our birthright and privilege in Jesus Christ.
All Christians can have this wisdom. Yes, we all do have our different cognitive capacities, and different spiritual giftings, but the truth is that within the realities of our age, understanding, limitations, and capacities we can have godly wisdom for our lives. We can grow in our ability to communicate it so that our sweetness of speech increases learning in others. How? By continuing to give close attention to God’s Word and humbly trusting the Lord. As we allow the Spirit of God through the Word of God to lead us and teach us we will have the mind of Christ to lead and guide us. We must daily receive and accept our inheritance.
In contrast, though, if we took time to read the chapters around this one in 1 Corinthians, we would note that the opposite is also true. If we do not meditate in God’s Word, if we do not listen to the Spirit but rather grieve Him, if we walk in our sinful flesh, then our actions and words will not reflect the mind of Christ in the wisdom of God. It can get very bad very quickly even among Christians if we do not each submit ourselves to the Word of God and allow God’s Spirit to guide us. In Corinth there was great strife between divided groups following different believers. Open, repeated, immorality was occurring and being overlooked. Lawsuits were happening between believers before government courts. People were mistreating and abusing each other. None of that is according to the wisdom of God or the mind of Christ. Why was all this occurring? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3a tells us.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3a And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3a for you are still fleshly.
They were still fleshly. They were walking according to their old sinful flesh and not according to the wisdom of God’s Word. They were not carefully heeding God’s Word. They were not beating down their sinful, fleshly thoughts and desires and submitting them to the Lord. They were not repenting. They were not trusting God that His way was best in everything.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb and situation with the rest of Scripture we see the same thing was occurring among the audience that the book of Hebrews was sent to. That passage also tells us how we can change this around and develop this wisdom. Listen to what Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. 13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.
Time by itself is simply not enough to develop this wisdom in us. We need the solid food of God’s Word to be digested into our lives. We must build on the foundation of the truths of the gospel that we have believed and continue to study God’s Word day and night. How does this maturity come about such that we would be called people of understanding? How does this maturity come about that we could have a sweetness of speech that enabled others to learn from us? It comes by having our perceptions, our thoughts, our minds, our hearts trained by the continual practice of applying God’s Word to life. As we see it, study it, understand it, and then apply it to life we will have discernment between good and evil. The more we strive to do this—and remain teachable in the ways that we fail or do not succeed very well—we will grow in becoming people of understanding who have a sweetness of speech that helps others to learn. We will grow in our holiness and walk with the Lord. We will actually see and live by the wisdom of the mind of Christ more and more. We will partake of the blessings of the amazing privilege of that reality more and more.
On the other hand, all to often, we simply leave this amazing treasure sitting on our shelves. We do not know or rightly apply the wisdom of the mind of Christ which the Spirit provides. If we would but give rapt attention to the Word of God and humbly trust in the Lord it would become ours.
Truth in Connection: Where are you in relation to the mind of Christ? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? As we heard back in 1 Corinthians 2:14, our natural, sinful man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. In our sin we are blinded to God and completely separated from His holiness and blessing. We are on our way to a Christ-less eternity in the lake of fire. But the amazing good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ became man, lived perfectly, and went willingly to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and to redeem us from it. He died and rose again, conquering sin and death. He calls us to repent. To trust in Him alone. We can do nothing to earn our salvation or deserve God’s forgiveness. All we can honestly say is, like the tax collector in the parable, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ (Luke 18:13). If you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior He will save you. As Acts 16:31 promises, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” All the wisdom of the world, all the efforts and good deeds of the world can never be enough. We must humble ourselves before God and trust in His one and only way of redemption. Nothing else can do it. Trust in Jesus.
If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, where are you in relation to the mind of Christ now? Are you known as a person of understanding? Are you known as a person with sweetness of speech who has the wisdom of God overflowing from your time in God’s Word? Have you been immersing yourself in it so that the mind of Christ is what you daily run to for wisdom in each situation?
Take heart! The amazing reality is that you have been given the mind of Christ. Be encouraged by this amazing fact. But then also be motivated to continually run to the Word of Christ for wisdom. This is the only way that we will be able to see and make use of the mind of Christ. Meditate on God’s Word. Allow the Spirit to convict you, illuminate your understanding, and apply it to your life. It is not easy on our flesh, but God’s Word is a two edged sword that can pierce through our souls and spirits to reveal the truth, expose our sin, cut out our cancers, cut out our wrong way of thinking, and guide us in the way to go.
Will you turn over to God whatever you need to in your life to give yourself time to pursue knowing and applying God’s Word to your life? Will you surrender your whole life to the wisdom of the mind of Christ and what the Spirit reveals needs to change? Will you let the mind of Christ through His Word guide you in the purposes that God has for your life? God made us to glorify Him and enjoy Him. Will you let the mind of Christ lead you in that? As we grow in doing this one day at a time we will grow in being people of understanding. The sweetness of our speech will improve. We will be able teach well those who are teachable. May we be people of understanding who let the mind of Christ transform our lives.
Conclusion
If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.
© 2023, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
1 Appreciation goes to Bruce Waltke, Proverbs 15-31, 29 for pointing out these verses.
English (US) · 