Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health. Proverbs 4: 21-22
I began this series of posts before Father’s Day. Here is the third installment.
“Those who discover these words (God’s words) live, really live….” This is the essence of a close personal relationship with the godhead. When Adam (the male species of God-created humanity) walked with God in Eden’s Garden, he heard God’s words first-hand. Imagine your ears capturing the voice of God as he speaks to you! For me, this is why you must find a translation of the Bible that you relate to. It is the closest thing you have to hearing God’s voice. (Although, there have been instances where God has audibly spoken, and people have actually heard him).
Hearing God’s voice speaks God’s words allows you to know God in a profoundly personal way. Reading so you can check off a chore on your to-do list does not equal hearing God’s voice. Checking the box may be a good discipline, but it does not necessarily get you close to God.
Do you remember the first time you learned to do something—say, ride a bike? The adrenaline pumping through your veins empowered you to sit tall in the seat while a broad smile covered your face. That kind of discovery stays with you.
I remember receiving a call from one of my daughters the first time God used her to speak into someone’s life. The excitement she felt reminded me of the bike riding experience—you do not forget it.
Discovering God’s word=life
“Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health.”
The Bible declares that when you discover God’s word “body and soul,” you are “bursting with health.” That is a remarkable statement in this sickness-filled world.
The beauty of the word of God is that there are endless discoveries, which means a wholly healthy life. Consider what it means. You are reading the word of God in a translation that speaks to you. As a result, you are getting closer to God, AND your body and soul are getting healthier.
How can that be?
One (of the many) benefit of knowing the word of God is discovering what it says about how to live, what to eat, what to avoid eating, how much to sleep, and why. In other words, as you draw closer to God, the godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, you gain wisdom for living, which makes sense because you are getting close to the one who created humanity.
I recall an old Christian song whose words go something like this. “Draw me close to you,” and never let me go. I lay it all down again to hear you say that I am your friend. To say it another way, I desire to get close to you, Lord, and I am willing to let go of the things I thought necessary.
We live in an increasingly dangerous world. Judeo-Christian values are no longer being attacked; they are thrown to the curb like discarded rubbish. It will take a close solid personal relationship with God to stand against such blatant abandonment of humanity.
“Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health.” Draw close to God.