GET SMART

REFERENCE
Proverbs 2:1-5 [ESV] My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 [Message] Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. 2 Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. 3 That’s right—if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer, 4 Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, 5 Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

EXPLORATION
Eight imperatives in this paragraph reveal our responsibilities toward God’s truth:
1] receive (accept) God’s words 2] and treasure up (store them up) in our minds and hearts; 3] incline the ear 4] apply the heart; 5] cry after knowledge and 6] lift up the voice for understanding; 7] seek for wisdom and 8] search after it.

APPLICATION
If I want wisdom, I must:
listen to God attentively (Matt. 13:9) He who has ears,let him hear.”
obey Him humbly (John 7:17) l If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
ask Him sincerely (James 1:5) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, l who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him
and seek Him diligently (Isa. 55:6–7) “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

PRAYER
Father,
In the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. teach me to listen attentively, humbly obey, sincerely ask and diligently seek YOU!