The value of listening (5)

Father God is calling you and me today to listen, just as much as Salomon called his children to listen thousands of years ago.

Every time I read 'Listen' in the Book of Proverbs, that's what I do. I stop reading and I listen. I wait before reading on, quieting my mind. 

Oh, we have such a tendency (I know I have) to read too fast, almost hurrying through the pages. Well, with the Book of Proverbs, you can't. Let's take a look at Proverbs 8;6-7,

Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception.

Wisdom, Jesus Christ the wisdom of God, is calling us to listen. He wants to share important things with us. How wonderful, how exciting! I whisper a short breath prayer before moving on... Holy Spirit, talk to me.

We could walk through all 31 chapters of Proverbs and find more benefits of listening, of tuning our ears to wisdom. But you get the point. The value of listening is just as big as the value of reading. Let's practice both!

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful (Proverbs 16:20).

The value of listening (4)

According to the writings in the book of Proverbs, listening to wisdom (listening to Jesus, to His Word, to the Holy Spirit) has great benefits. Proverbs 1:33 says,

But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.

Oh, to be untroubled... don't you love that idea?

Let's move on to chapter 4 in the book of Proverbs. The heading in my NLT Bible says 'A Father's Wise Advice'. I love that chapter. It speaks so much about life 💖. Let's stop at verses 20,21 and 22 and listen:

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

Listen carefully to my words. Father God is calling you and me today to listen, just as much as Salomon called his children to listen thousands of years ago.

God's words bring life to those who find them. We can find words everywhere today; in the newspaper, on television, on the internet, in books, and in magazines. And yes, these words can be encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting. But none have the power to bring life. None have the power to bring healing to our whole body!

I have a deep desire to listen to His words. I hope that is your deepest desire as well. The benefits are eternally good!

The value of listening (3)

'The value of listening to God's wisdom is tremendous', I wrote in my previous blog post.

In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is calling and because Jesus is the wisdom of God for us (1 Corinthians 1:30), I feel free to say that it is Jesus beckoning us.

Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise (Proverbs 1:23).

Jesus wants to share His heart 💗 with us and make us wise. We would be insane to say no to His invitation, wouldn't we?

Of course, from a human point of view, we can go to school, study, and learn all we want... but in a sense we will just gather knowledge and more knowledge. There is nothing wrong with that, but true wisdom is divine in nature.

According to the writings in the book of Proverbs, listening to wisdom (listening to Jesus, to His Word, to the Holy Spirit) has great benefits indeed. I love how that first chapter ends (Proverbs 1:33),

But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.

I just love that and I receive that word in my heart! Listening to all the voices in the world screaming for our attention will make us restless, worried, distressed, and fearful. Listening to Him will give us peace!

The value of listening (2)

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance (Proverbs 1:5).

The book of Proverbs is just as much about wisdom as it is about listening. And with that, I mean listening to God's voice. His voice in the written Word (the Bible) just as much as in the spoken Word (through the Holy Spirit).

King Solomon wrote and compiled most of the sayings in the book of Proverbs with the purpose of providing wisdom,  understanding, and discipline. He often addressed his son(s) or his children.

Now, it would be wonderful if we would read these saying as if God, our Father, is addressing us (which is exactly the case). Every time a sentence starts with 'My child', we should lean forward and listen.

The value of listening to God's wisdom is tremendous. As a matter of fact, 👉In 1 Corinthians 1:30, it is written that Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God for us. So, in reality, Jesus is speaking to us. I realize that needs a little adjustment in our thinking since wisdom is portrayed as a female in the book of Proverbs. But I am sure you get the point I am making.

Let's go back to the first chapter, verse 23. Wisdom is calling, → Jesus is calling!

Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise.

Jesus wants to share His heart with us and make us wise. I love it! What an invitation to sit at His feet and listen. Our response should be: 'Yes, here I am, I am listening.'

The value of listening (1)

Too many chiefs and no Indians. When we were in the USA, I have heard people say that often. I would like to give that saying a twist:  Too many talkers and not enough listeners.

Now, if the world would just be filled with listeners, it would get awfully quiet (well, we might finally hear the birds!). Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking... but we want our words to count, right?

Let's be honest here, there is way too much foolish and obscene talk, way too much lying and manipulating, and there are way too many useless words spoken. Let's make it our goal to speak truth with power!

👉I truly believe that being an influential speaker starts with listening. That is, listening to God's voice, to His words (I am still learning!). And since we are kind of losing the art of listening, I decided to do a blog series on the value of listening.

I will base this series on several verses in the Book of Proverbs and I will be using the New Living Translation (NLT) in case you want to read along. The short posts will surely inspire and encourage you and maybe even ignite a deeper longing to sit at His feet and listen. I hope you will join me. Proverbs 1:5 says:

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance.