Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life.
Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding.
That’s right – if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer,
Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,
Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5 The Message
What is so important that it needs to be guarded with your life?
Israel’s third—and wisest—King is saying to gather his words. The Old Testament book of Proverbs is the collection of King Solomon’s counsel.
In the broader sense, the king is talking about the Word of God.
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah speaks about finding God’s Word.
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.”
Jeremiah 15:16 New International Version
Jesus makes this statement in the New Testament book of Revelation.
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
Revelation 22:7 New Living Translation
The Christian group Mercy Me wrote a song entitled Word of God Speak.
It talks about positioning your life so that the Word of God can wash over you and change you from the inside out.
The Word of God is so important that you must guard it with your life because of its life-changing power.
What does it mean to guard something with your life?
Have you ever owned anything or believed in something so strongly that you would die to protect it?
The Bible says that the Word of God is that important, so how do you guard it with your life?
A point of clarification
The Word of God is more than a collection of pages wrapped in a cover called the Bible. God the Father deemed the group of words important to mold, shape, and transform all humanity.
Guarding the Word of God is more than keeping the Bible under lock and key, although that is necessary in some countries.
When the prophet Jeremiah said he ate the Word of God, he did not mean ripping out pages and cramming them in his mouth.
The prophet read the Word, spoke it, and thought about it until it worked its way into the very fiber of his being.
So, guarding the Word of God means:
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- Reading it daily
- Not allowing anything to prevent you from that discipline
- Being aware of the Words that enter your hearing because they impact your thoughts
- Removing yourself from surroundings that could steal the Word of God from your heart
- Surrounding yourself with people who believe like you
This is not to say that you isolate yourself from everyday life. It means you are aware that everyday life can steal the Word of God from you, and you are quick to stop it when it tries.
For example, the Bible says that Jesus was called a friend of sinners because he hung out with them. If hanging out with a group of people tempts you to be unfaithful to God, or relax your commitment to walk with him, then DO NOT hang out with them—guard the Word of God with your life.
Proverbs two reveals several key steps in developing a close personal relationship with the Godhead.
I invite you to talk with me as I unfold them.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is needed now more than ever.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. I will pass it along as I learn so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.