How to really LIVE

“My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;
Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.”
– Proverbs 7:1-3

I just love the book of Proverbs! So many wonderful little nuggets of wisdom that are straightforward and easy for me to understand! I’ll read a verse in Proverbs and say to myself, “Well that’s just common sense, I can do that!” Then I finish reading, get up, and too often completely forget what I just read. My day begins and life intrudes. Work demands my attention; my husband needs me to help with something; the children need my attention; the house needs cleaning (always!); dinner needs cooking; dishes and clothes need washing…the nugget of wisdom and common sense I read that morning has long since fled my mind. My life goes on…unchanged. Unfortunately, there are other days that begin before I even read my bible; God’s word doesn’t even have a chance in my life on those days!

Does this sound like your life? Does it feel like some days you are just surviving, just going through the motions, but not really living? I don’t know about you, but I want to really LIVE my life! I want to be present and purposeful in each moment of each day. But how can do that? The answer is in Proverbs 7:1-3.

“My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live.”

The only way I can store up God’s commands is to first know what those commands are. I can learn from other people; from reading this devotional, from listening to sermons and lessons and while this is good, it is secondhand information. The best way to learn is one-on-one with God through His word. Reading my bible each day. Not reading because that is what I am “supposed” to do, but really looking at the word and allowing the Holy Spirit to provide understanding and conviction in my life. Even if I read only one verse, if that one verse challenges and convicts me to make changes in my life, then my reading is successful. The important thing is that I take what I read and apply it to my life.

“Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”

This tells me to guard God’s teachings. From what? I don’t know about you, but my children are the apple of my eye and I will guard them with my life to prevent someone from harming them. In the same way, there are people out there who harm God’s word through false doctrine and false teachings. I want to keep the word of God pure in my life; that is why it is important to verify all teaching by making sure it is truly what the Bible says. We are each responsible to protect ourselves from false teachings and guard God’s word in our own lives.

“Bind them on your fingers;”

How do I bind God’s commands on my fingers? Do I need to attach sticky notes to my fingers? Maybe tie a string around them? There is a better way…I memorize scripture. I know this can be scary, but scripture memorization is the best way to keep God’s commands first and forefront throughout your entire day. Once I started memorizing scripture, I found that I could easily refer to it in many different situations in my life as well as in conversations with others. Start small. Memorize a single verse that speaks to you and then keep adding to it little by little. Before long, you will have an entire arsenal of wisdom at your fingertips to use every moment of every day!

“Write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Finally, I found that it is important to meditate on God’s word. This doesn’t mean that you have sit cross-legged on the floor in some “new age” position and start chanting. Meditation means that we intentionally focus on something for an extended period of time. So as I read something in God’s word that convicts me, instead of getting up and immediately going about my day, I will spend an extended period of time just thinking about what God is saying to me. I will talk to God through prayer and allow Him to answer through His Holy Spirit. Some days this may be 30 minutes, other days, just 5 or 10 minutes. Whatever time is needed to allow God to “write on the tablet of my heart”.

By putting these few verses in Proverbs into practice in my life, I have found it so much easier to remember God’s commands and apply them to my every day life. Because of this, I can now really “live” my life. God’s promise is true:

“Keep my commands and you will live.”

Why don’t you start right now?  Close your computer, open up your Bible, and read what God wants to say to you today!

~ Michele Barnes

Prayer: 

Dear Lord, I want to know you more. I want our relationship to be one of intimacy; a relationship that allows me to be aware of your presence and guidance each moment of my day. I want to stop going through the motions of my life and start really LIVING the life you have planned for me…a life of passion and purpose! You have promised that your “yoke is easy and your burden is light”. Too many times, I forget to ask you what your priorities for my day are. Instead, I start my day running from one activity to the next without pausing to question if I am even doing the BEST thing. I know many times the things I do are good, but are they really the BEST? Help me to make my time with you a priority so that I will learn your commands. Write your words on the tablet of my heart. Remind me of them throughout the day so I may truly LIVE. I love you Lord and I want to know you more and more. Amen

Additional Scriptures to study:

• Psalm 119: 9-16
• Deuteronomy 11:18-21
• Matthew 11:28-30
• 1 John 5:1-4