Putting the I into WISDOM
The Christians who have most influenced me for good have had a fully functional familiarity with the book of Proverbs. They were (and are) able to take their considerable knowledge and apply it to their lives, providing both godly examples and godly advice. Join with me as each one of us endeavors to put the I into WISDOM. Let us seek to exemplify God’s wisdom in our daily lives. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Yesterday we considered Proverbs 2:1, which enjoins us to continue to read and cherish God’s Word. Verse 2 expands that thought, focusing on our attentiveness to preaching (“incline thine ear”). When the Bible is being taught, we must make every effort to focus (“apply thine heart [here, our intellect] to understanding”). Granted, some preachers (including one who shall remain unnamed but who looks much like my father did in his sixties) are long-winded, garrulous, verbose, loquacious, wordy, using a multitudinous multiplicity of words when one – perhaps babblative – would be sufficient. How can we listen better? First, open the Bible, and follow the preacher’s reading of Scripture. The most important part of any sermon is the Scripture. If you struggle to find certain books of the Bible quickly, do not be ashamed to use the table of contents. None of us know everything. Having the Bible passage before us enables us to read it rather than just listen to it, thereby increasing our chance of remembering it fivefold (on average). Second, develop a strategy to interact with the message. I always take notes when I am listening to another preacher. I am forcing myself to pay attention, am more fully engaging my entire body and mind, and am able to review the key thoughts later. If you find taking notes to be distracting (as some auditory learners do) nod your head in agreement when the preacher says something that especially strikes you (but do not nod off!). If your church tradition is amenable to an “Amen!” every now and then, don’t be afraid to speak aloud. Perhaps your church provides an outline of the message, either in a bulletin or online; a perusal of that after the service will be beneficial. If there are other things that help you, do them. The Word of God is too important to let it slip casually away.