Preventive Medicine

Follow my advice, my son;always treasure my commands.Obey them and live!Guard my teachings as your most precious possession.Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.Write them deep within your heart.Love wisdom like a sister;make insight a beloved member of your family.Let them hold you back from an affair with an immoral woman,from listening to the flattery of an adulterous woman.

Proverbs 7:1-5

There you have it: a love affair with God’s Word will make you immune to love affairs with the world, the flesh, or the devil. How great is that?

So exactly how do you do that? How do you fall in love with the Word of God? Let me give you three practical things.

1. Ask the Lord himself to stir up your heart and to give you a joyful hunger for his Word. This is a supernatural work. Please know that this is the kind of prayer the Lord is so happy to answer.
2. Since it’s helped me so much, I will recommend that you go out and buy a One Year Bible. This helps you with that beloved habit of daily personal reading.
3. Scripture memorization. I know you might think this is impossible for you to do, but just try it. Write out a verse that you would really love to know on a 3 x 5 card. Carry it everywhere. Read it and practice it. In days it will be written on your memory, in your thought life, and also in the deep places of your heart.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Our proverb today tells us not only to treasure God’s Words, but to “obey them and live.” This is where the rubber meets the road. Let me challenge you to a seven-day test. For seven days straight, read your Bible first thing in the morning and write down two lessons you learn.

Then, don’t just put your Bible away and move on. Still your heart and ask God to show you one specific thing you can apply to your life right away. Something amazing and personal happens when you sense the unction of his Spirit moving on your heart.

And then, of course, do it! The results in the days to come will indeed reveal God’s teachings as your precious possessions.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 19:16–21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5