Guard Your Life

My son, pay attention to what I am saying;
incline your ear to my words.
Don’t let them out of your sight,
keep them deep in your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to their whole being.
~ Proverbs 4:20-22 ~

The great lesson of this repetitive content is to retain as many wise sayings as possible so that there is something to remember when life makes sense of those sayings.  Don’t disregard wise sayings just because you don’t understand them.  Don’t ignore wise sayings just because they don’t seem relevant to your present stage in life. Create a file of wise sayings in your heart that you can consult when life takes you to new territory.  Put as much wise counsel in your heart as possible so that you have a wealth of wisdom to remember when life makes sense of that wisdom.  Receive and retain the words of the wise so that when you are old, you have something wise to remember – something that will keep you alive and well.

At younger ages, children can’t understand everything that they need to understand for what awaits them in life.  That being said, if they receive and retain the sayings of a wise parent, they will understand and ultimately, heed those sayings when they are older.  Surely, this is why Solomon wrote what he did later in the Book of Proverbs when he wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and WHEN HE IS OLD, he will not depart from it” (22:6).  Wise sayings retained in the heart of a child are seeds that will produce life-changing and life-saving wisdom in the future.  In time, life will provide the conditions and nutrients to bring those wise sayings to fruit-bearing life.  

The same valuable lesson applies to the child of God.  The Bible is our Heavenly Father’s word – it possesses all of the wise sayings of God.  We need to receive with our ears and retain in our hearts as much of our Heavenly Father’s wise sayings as possibly.  Much of the time, we will not understand His wise sayings.  Much of the time, it will seem distant and irrelevant to our lives.  But in time, life will reveal the meaning of those sayings and make them undeniably relevant.
~ Pastor Kevin Kabel – Message on Proverbs 4:20-22 11/20/2019 – Calvary Heights Baptist Church ~

Since my own personal mindful and spiritual Christian journey I have come to discover that living a Christ-like Life is not one lived passively. It is not something that is random, and it is not a life of wandering. Those who truly wait for God’s word to change them will only find it so doing when they are actively feeding themselves with it. Those who expect the messages, sermons, and inspiring messages they hear or read make them Christ-like will be frustrated and disappointed. I have come to realize that when I’m devoted to meditate on the truth and apply those spiritual truths into my life is what transforms and changes me toward living a more Christ-like life. Certainly, sitting in a pew week after week will do nothing radical in a person’s life. Wisdom is not gained by passive absorption. It must be consumed and savored. It must become the focal point of our thinking.

Those who hear the words of wisdom and do not apply them are like the receivers of the seed in Jesus’ parable of the four soils (see Matthew 13:20-22). They hear the truth. They may understand it. They may even agree with it. However, as I have personally discovered for myself, it has no benefit for each one of us. It is not real faith. James concurs (see James 1:22-24): Hearing, understanding, and agreeing without application is a self-deceptive dynamic. It may appear to be faith, but it effects no significant change in our lives. Something more is needed – diligence, for example. And action. God and His truth are to be treasured more than any other affection of our heart.

Where do my affections lie? Do I hear the truth and then turn my heart toward other things? I will not retain what I have heard or read unless I spend time dwelling on it, turning it over in my mind and locking it within my heart. I will not be changed and I will not grow by passive hearing. I must set my affections on God’s wisdom, act on it, and beat away any philosophical or material rivals. The promise for doing that is amazing: life and health. Truth and righteousness are powerful; they are the substance of my own life.

Living a spiritually mindful Christian life means I am not merely giving over to hearing the inspiring words – it means I am learning to apply them in my life and growing in wisdom and truth. Increasing my faith in Christ and following Him. The best way to guard my own heart, mind, and spirit is to listen and walk out those truths through application.

Have you experienced a spiritually and transforming faith in Christ when you have taken the time to meditate upon God’s word and truths? Have you listened to messages that inspire you to live out your life each and every day? Challenge you to grow in faith and truth?

Please share your thoughts and insights on today’s message and devotional in the comments below. Share this message with others. Subscribe to receive daily inspiring messages. And please partner and sponsor us through a financial donation as it goes to help maintain this website and work to build up resources and means to help those struggling with their own faith and relationships.

Thank you – Damascus Way Recovery