Pay Much Closer Attention

The Scriptures teach believers and followers of Jesus Christ to pay much closer attention to the Word of God than is generally taught. There are multiple Bible verses that instruct us to:

Pay attention,
Listen to the Word,
Keep God’s Word before your eyes,
Keep Scriptures in your heart (memorize them),
Treasure God’s Word, and
Consider the Scriptures as the apple of our eye (a special treasure).

These Bible passages also inform us that God’s Word is wisdom, so it would benefit us enormously to heed these teachings.

My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. ²¹They are not to escape from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. (Pro 4:20-21 NASB)

Proverbs 4 urges us to ‘pay attention’ to God’s Word by listening to the Word, keeping them in front of our eyes, and keeping them in our heart. And that means DAILY and often throughout each day.

My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion . . . (Pro 3:21 NIV)

My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding . . . (Pro 5:1 NIV)

My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye . . . (Pro 7:1-2 NIV)

Don’t disdain or try to bypass the Word of God. Rather, we do well to study God’s Word, honor it, and obey it. God’s Word will bless us with wisdom and prudence. When we treat the Word of God as our treasure and the gift that brings us joy, insight and revelation, it will return to us blessings and contentment that can’t be foreseen! God bless you!

Where Does Wisdom Originate?

Wisdom comes from God—from His spoken Word, His Living Word (Jesus Christ), and His written Word (the Bible).

If we need wisdom and insight for a specific situation in our lives, the Scriptures instruct us to ask God for it, and assure us that we will receive it.

But we need to remember that God’s counsel will only bless us when we obey it. The Word also reminds us that wisdom is demonstrated by our deeds. (Mt 11:19)

Let’s review some Bible passages:

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Pro 2:6 NIV)

. . . so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints . . . (Eph 1:17-18 MEV)

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (Jam 1:5 NASB)

The Lord teaches us that wisdom is better than gold! (Pro 16:16)

Wisdom helps us to make the right choices for our lives, and the wisdom from God will protect us. Wisdom prepares us to handle challenging situations and relationships. It enables us to have success in life. (Eccl 10:10) When a person has the wisdom of God, it will be apparent to others.

Listening for the Lord’s wisdom happens as we spend time reading and meditating upon His Word, and listening for the still, small voice of God so that we can hear the Holy Spirit. Human wisdom pales compared to the true wisdom that comes from the Lord. Listening to God’s wisdom brings spiritual life into every circumstance of our lives. God bless you.

Let the Oppressed Go Free

God calls all children of the Kingdom of God to be merciful and just. We are to work in obedience to and in fulfillment of the multiple reasons why Jesus came to earth. One of the major reasons Christ came to earth was to reconcile mankind to God, thereby setting the captives free. Hallelujah!

Let’s look at several Scriptures:

Isn’t this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice,
and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? (Isa 58:6 ISV)

As our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus has broken the chains that imprisoned us because He bore the punishment that each of us deserved upon Himself. In doing so, Jesus set FREE all those who were oppressed by the devil. Glory to God!

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness . . . (Isa 58:9 NIV)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21 NIV)

Once we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we became the righteousness of God! Therefore, when we cry out to the Lord, He answers us. Every kind of yoke has been removed from us, as long as we live holy lives for the Lord and we obey the Scriptures.

One way that we can persist in bringing glory to the Kingdom of God is to continue spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone that we meet. Let others know that what Jesus has done for you, He will do for them. God bless you.

Discipline: The Path to Life

Our topic today is discipline and how very indispensable it is to the Christian lifestyle.

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. (Pro 10:17 NIV)

In the above Proverb, humility is a crucial trait needed by ALL who travel the highway of life. Whoever refuses to receive correction and rebuke, is abandoned to wandering and left homeless on the path.

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and rebukes for discipline are the way of life . . . (Pro 6:23 NASB)

God’s Words exist for our own good, to lead us and to guide us in a treacherous and dangerous world full of spiritual pitfalls and temptations. Unless we cooperate with and obey God’s guidance, we will experience heartache and untold sorrows.

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. (Pro 29:1 NKJV)

To ‘harden your neck’ means to stubbornly resist and disobey God. This verse speaks about the person who is often admonished but refuses to obey correction. Instead, they decide to go their own way, knowing that they are refusing to submit to God.

But we always have to option of turning to God and seeking His forgiveness and mercy, with a contrite heart. He will always hear and respond to our cry. Praise God!

For Thy Name’s Sake

We may not realize it, but the Lord does many things on our behalf for His Name’s sake. Notice these Bible passages on the topic.

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. (Ps 31:3 KJV)

The Lord leads and directs (influences, steers) His people for His name’s sake. All we need to do is to listen for His voice, and to be sensitive to His promptings.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Your name’s sake. (Ps 79:9 MEV)

The Lord purifies us from sin and delivers us from evil situations all to bring glory to His name.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground. ¹¹For the sake of your name, Lord, preserve my life. Because you are righteous, bring me out of trouble. (Ps 143:10-11 ISV)

The Lord teaches us, leads us, preserves our lives, and liberates us from trouble all for the sake of His name. Our best response is to listen to Him, obey Him, and thank and praise Him for His love and goodness. Glory to God!

We’re Citizens of Heaven

Do you recognize that you are a citizen of Heaven? Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as their own, personal Savior and Redeemer, that person becomes a citizen of Heaven.

However, we must always live according to the Word of God and the will of God. For there is a warning in Matthew, chapter 7:

Not everybody who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. (Mt 7:21 CEB)

Here is what the Bible says about our citizenship:

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. (Phil 3:20 NLT) We eagerly await Jesus’ return.

So then you are no longer foreigners and non-citizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household . . . (Eph 2:19 NET) We’re members of God’s household!

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Tim 4:8 NIV) One day, we will each receive a crown from the Lord.

A citizen is a person who belongs to a country and has the rights and the protection of that country. Citizens embrace the culture and practices of the kingdom to which they belong.

As citizens of Heaven, we serve King Jesus, and obey His Word and His teachings. We also receive His protection and receive His blessings. Let’s rejoice and praise God for these wonderful truths.

Maturing in Christ

As servants and followers of the Lord Jesus, we are called to grow in grace and in faith. As we continue to obey the teachings of the Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will grow and mature in our relationship with the Savior.

Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah . . . (Eph 4:15 ISV)

We are one with Jesus, the Messiah. As our obedience continues, and our faith matures, we will become seasoned soldiers of the cross.

Therefore, putting away lying, let every man speak truthfully with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Eph 4:25 MEV)

We are all members of one another—one body, so we need to be truthful and considerate of our neighbors and fellow believers.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— (1 Peter 2:2 NIV)

This is exactly what happens the longer that we pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus! We grow up into salvation. Hallelujah! We are blessed.

The Spirit of the Lord Brings Freedom

Whenever the Holy Spirit of God is present, there is also an atmosphere of freedom. The Word shares this truth with us:

. . . and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (Joh 8:32 NASB)

If you read John 8:30-34, you’ll see that Jesus is speaking and is talking about the fact that His disciples follow and obey His teachings. The Jews who believed in Jesus, responded by saying that they were Abraham’s descendants and had never been anyone’s’ slaves. Jesus explained that anyone who sins is a slave of SIN.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor 3:17 NRSV)

Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is present and moving, there is also liberty, free will, and openness. Glory to God!

For the Spirit’s law of life in the Messiah Jesus has set me free from the Law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2 ISV)

Praise God, Romans 8 reminds us that every person who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior has been set free from the Law of sin and death. We are no longer slaves to sin, wickedness, and immorality. Let us meditate upon this wonderful blessing and benefit of our salvation, and praise the Lord most High!

Listen to and Accept Instruction

We’re taught by the Word of God to listen to the Word and to obey it. We’re also encouraged to accept instruction from our parents, our elders, and wise counselors. Most human beings find these instructions challenging—at least some of the time!

But the Bible reminds us repeatedly that blessings, wisdom, and long life will be given to us if we listen to and accept instruction. Let’s look at some Bible verses:

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. (Pro 4:10 NIV)

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold . . . (Pro 8:10 NIV)

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Pro 19:20 NIV)

Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. (Job 22:22 NIV)

This verse in Job recommends that we memorize the Scriptures to make it easier to meditate upon them.

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thes 2:13 NIV)

The more that we memorize and meditate upon the Word–as well as obeying it–the more powerfully the Word will work in us and transform us into the image of our Savior and Creator. God bless you.

Allow God’s Word to Lead You

If we obey the Bible, it will lead us and guide us in wisdom and truth.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. (Ps 119:9 NIV)

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (Jos 1:7 NIV)

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim 2:22 NKJV)

From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good action. (2 Tim 3:15-17 ISV)

The Scripture passages that I have shared above demonstrate the wisdom of obeying the Bible, and the benefits that we receive from doing just that.

Obedience to the Bible will give us:

A righteous life,
Success in life,
A pure heart,
Wisdom, and
Training in righteousness.

God bless you and guide you.

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