Proverbs 4:20-22
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
An intellectual gets great joy from learning and is invigorated by knowledge and good debate.
An avid reader gets great joy from a good book and has his or her spirit lifted by a great story.
A social person gets great joy from social interaction and is sustained by spending time with others.
A private person gets great joy from some quiet time and is refreshed by personal alone time.
God gives these desires … and uses them for His glory.
Nicodemus sought knowledge from the Teacher, and he was born again (see John 3:1-21, for example).
The Bereans found new life by reading the Scriptures foretelling the Messiah (see Acts 17:10-12).
Mary discovered everlasting life by talking with (and listening to) Jesus (see Luke 10:38-42).
Anna beheld her salvation after decades in prayerful solitude (see Luke 2:36-38).
These were all people who listened to the teachings of those who came before and especially of God. They kept God’s word within themselves and studied it fervently.
Do you?
It is not enough to just read books, talk with people, or seclude yourself from society. It is not enough to go to church services and functions or to do good things.
It takes a disciplined heart and a passion for God to truly live a godly life. And the best possibility for a long, healthy life this side of heaven comes from living a godly life (see verse 22).
Dear Lord, give us that passion for Your truth. Help us to cherish Your word and to live out Your commands.
Caitlin Klem
Chris Jordan
Daniel M. Klem
dawnlizjones
David
Grady Davidson
Jason Sneed
Michael Wilson
Nick
Anthony Baker
Katie Marie
Wally Fry
Proverbial Thought 
May 17th, 2012 at 6:59 am
Honestly, I think this is my favorite post from you so far. Isn’t it great that God can use the introvert as well as the extrovert?
May 17th, 2012 at 10:46 am
As I was reading it, I forgot to see who wrote it (but thought it seemed quite familiar). I thought, “This is really good!” Then, after reading it was by me, said (out loud) “Duh! Well, at least I think I submitted something good!”
I think it is my favorite of mine so far, as well.
May 17th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Maybe my favorite post to, nice parallelism.
May 17th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
You might want to change your name from ipw7 to something more real, like Kevin, or Bob. Most of your comments are initially being flagged as spam by WordPress. I have to manually ok them. Just a suggestion.
October 5th, 2013 at 9:20 pm
[…] and their importance in developing and maintaining a relationship with God. The ear is the focus of Proverbs 4:20 and this is followed by a brief mention of the eyes in verse 21. Two days ago in Proverbs 4:23 the […]