Recently the Lord reminded me not to ignore my personal Bible study time with Him.  I had been starting to feel a bit dry spiritually. I was praying for others and just talking to Him but not getting new insights.  Something was missing! So, I upped Bible study on my priority list and that helped!  Today, as I was going through my routine of finding a journal entry, I was looking in 2002. I came across these two entries that I received while reading the book of Proverbs.  The Lord had more to say to me on these two different days from two separate chapters.

From the journal . . . . March 28th 2002

Prov. 15:33  “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,”
    and humility comes before honor.

I wrote:  Before honor comes humility. 

Lord, I want more of You.  Honor is nice but sort of uncomfortable. Humility isn’t fun but, Jesus, I want whatever You want.  Oh Lord, don’t let me miss it.

And the Lord Said to Me:

I want hearts that yearn for Me.  Trust Me to lead you and keep you.  Look for the humble and look for those who delight in Me.  You will find kindred spirits.

Psalm 119:79 May those who fear You turn to me, those who understand Your statutes.
Micah 6/8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.
Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and He will give you the desires of your heart. NIV

Trusting Jesus is always a good idea.  I know that I am prone toward pride and I don’t want that.  I trust Him to protect me and lead me away from temptation, and He has done just that many times.

As for kindred spirits, two dear friends come to my mind that I have gotten to know after 2002.  One is always very humble and faithfully gives all glory to God.  The other radiates the love for the Lord!  Both are precious friends and kindred spirits in our love for the Lord.

A little over a week later and I was still in Proverbs.

From the journal . . . . April  2002

Prov. 26:12  Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.  NIV

I wrote:  Don’t be wise in your own eyes.  Lord, sometimes I feel wise but it’s because I believe You give me wisdom.

And I Believe God Said:

The fear of Me is the beginning of wisdom.  When you get a wise thought, always look to Me.  You know it didn’t originate with you. You sometimes get other wisdom, but when you look at Me, I show you truth.  The person who is ‘wise in his own eyes’ thinks his wisdom is independent from Me.  Beware of ‘common  sense.’ Don’t fear it or ignore it but be aware.

Prov 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Prov 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Common sense is a worldly concept but necessary because much of it is directly from God.  But there is a difference between common sense and Godly sense. We should always let our thoughts be filtered by God!

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

I hope you have gotten something from the Lord in this post.  If nothing else, a desire to study.  Proverbs can be so helpful and full of Godly common sense.  Many people have made it a practice to read a chapter in Proverbs each day.  There’s thirty-one chapters in Proverbs and thirty or thirty-one days in a month!!  You could also do five chapters of Psalms a day and finish the book in a month!! 

Any time we spend in the Word of God is a good use of time. There are many Bible plans, studies, and resources available.  I personally prefer to do an audio Bible in a year plan simultaneously with a slower paced study that allows research, meditation, and note taking.

As this year comes to a close, plan to deepen your understanding of the Lord.   You may want to consider more prayer, more study, more service and more worship in one, some, or all of these areas.

Pray about it, listen to Him, and put something together!