Verse of the Day 1/25

Verse of the Day 1/25

Proverbs 4:20-21 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;    New King James Version (NKJV)

God's Word has never been more accessible to us.  We have it in the Bibles that we carry or or on a shelf at home, but today we can have it on our computers, we have it on our phones and tablets, we have audio versions available and it is available to us at any time in any translation on the internet.  Yet with all that, I wonder if it is accessed as much today as it has been at any time in the past.

Proverbs is the book of wisdom and in it wisdom calls out to us, God calls out to us and speaks to us through His Word.  Wisdom calls to pay attention to the God's Word, lean into what God is saying and to keep those words in front of us and in our hearts, at the core of our being.

I read the verses this morning in The Passion Translation (below) which says in verse 21 "fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit", or as the NKJV (above) says in the midst of your heart.  Reading in such a way means that we are not just reading as a task to "check off" on the daily checklist, but reading and carrying it with you through the day, returning to those words and thoughts that caught your attention in the morning or perhaps last night.

The desire is for transformation, transformation of our hearts.  As I read "until they penetrate deep into your heart" I was reminded of the hymn "O To Be Like Thee" and the line in the chorus, "stamp thine own image deep on my heart."  May that be our longing and prayer as we read God's Word, His wisdom, and carry it with us day by day, in our hearts and minds.

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer; This is my constant longing and prayer; Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
	O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art; Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;   Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Proverbs 4:20-21 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Healing Words

²⁰ Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you,
    and pay attention to all that I have to say.
²¹ Fill your thoughts with my words
    until they penetrate deep into your spirit.