December 2, 2022 -- Proverbs 2:1-5 -- Journey to Christmas through Proverbs and Luke

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

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 ESV

On this journey to Christmas through the Proverbs and the reading of the Gospel of Luke, remember to commit yourself to a minimum of seventeen minutes a day. It is a wonderful challenge, and the best part is, you will be building up a strong foundation for your walk with God our Faithful Father. If you haven’t started, start now. Pick up the Gospel of Luke and start reading, aim for a chapter a day and for a chapter a day in Proverbs.

Have you ever received a gift that was truly special? Perhaps one Christmas you received your grandmother’s engagement ring. It has three small diamonds. You remember when she wore it and how she loved her husband all the more for giving it to her when he proposed. Though in those long-ago-days when money was tight, he gave her that ring. In today’s dollars it might not be considered valuable but knowing how much it cost grandpa to give it, well, according to your heart it is priceless. It is part of your family history, your family story.

The Word of God is a treasure for all who receive it. Consider the context of these Proverbs. They are written to the people of God for instruction in life, for knowledge, understanding, and the fear of the LORD. All believers have this precious Word available to them. The Word of the LORD is neglected by many seated in the pews all around you. Some have it, like old jewelry, in a box, long forgotten, a treasure to be pulled out only on special occasions. But the Word of God is a treasure for every day. It is to be read with joy, searching out its pages for insight into the Holy One. It is to be shared with all you meet, like grandmother’s engagement ring, “Look at what I have!”.

LORD Jesus,
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart
shall be thine alone.
Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself
as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.
Plough deep in me, great Lord,heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no Master but thee,
no law but thy will,no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.
I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing
with living water.
"THE DEEPS" The Valley of Vision, page 134

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