Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge...Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

Pages: 374-387

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge...Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Proverbs 22:17, 23:12

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-seven: Querying the Text About Paradoxes, Pleasures, and a Transformed Life.  Here, in this final chapter of the book, Piper gives us final encouragements about natural reading of the Bible; he urges "aggressive attentiveness", to look, look and look and to ask questions and seek answers.  He recommends arcing as a mechanism or device to structure our approach.  He then describes how we are to seek not just the "meaning" of the text in terms of the author's intent, but also the "significance" or application.  Looking for significance or application "often sheds light back on the meaning of the text, not just its significance."  This is described as perhaps "merry-go-roundish" as we need to first seek meaning but the meaning may be further illuminate by seeking significance or application.  Piper also urges us to "ask questions about the kind of emotions the author is trying to awaken....[as] everything is meant to move us.  Being moved is part of what Scripture intends.  Piper looks at Proverbs 22:17-24:22 as an example. 

Finally, as we ask questions and seek both the meaning and application of Scripture, Piper wants us to ask "am I being changed in a way that conforms to what this author intended to communicate?  Perhaps more than all the other questions we must ask as we read, this one will put us on our faces in prayer for the supernatural work of God."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God indeed and I am amazed at Your creation and that You provide it for my enjoyment and You provide Your Word which feeds me in all ways and I have been transformed by it and blessed by it - thank You Jesus!  I am blessed yet undeserving.  My sin continues, including worry, and other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your Word for me today and every day.

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Matthew 4

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” v10

As He begins His ministry, Jesus is tempted.  We should understand that we have a God who knows what we experience with temptation because He was tested as well.  Jesus is able to defeat Satan of course because He is God.  A key weapon to defeat Satan is understanding of scripture. On three separate occasions (v4,7,10) Jesus is able to quote scripture as means to defeat Satan.

We must read to God's Word to know Him, love Him, to develop a relationship with Him, for Him to do a work in us, and for us to obey Him.

See other posts on scripture.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who gave Your Son, and the Word - thank You Jesus for this and more.  I am not worthy of such a God as I am quick to anger - please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. v10-11

I do desire to have a rich welcome to the eternal kingdom.  I also wish to not stumble...and according to Peter I am to do these things:

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. v5-8

...and I must "make every effort to confirm my calling and election".  Key it appears is being ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ineffective implies both a head (absolute truth) and heart (application) understanding of scripture.  I certainly desire this.  Help me Jesus with these things.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God full of love, patience, kindness, mercy, compassion, etc. for me...even though I know I am not worthy of such things.  Thank You Jesus that You bless me with these things.  I am deeply grateful for them and for everything that You do.  Yet again I am undeserving.  I am full of anger, impatience, harshness, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith - my effectiveness and productivity in my knowledge of You.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

James 1

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. v22-24

James wants us to be in action, specifically in the context of our scripture reading - and this appears to be for two key reasons: (1) the act in of itself and its role glorifying God, (2) the application of our scripture reading will help us reinforce both head and heart learning of the scripture - on this latter point Jesus was able to remain pure, holy, and blameless in part because of His perfect understanding of scripture (Matthew 4, Luke 4).  I am in dire need of a spiritual discipline that applies scripture so as to reinforce the learning.  I need to defeat sin in my life.  I know Jesus will save but I know also that I can be more successful in beating sin.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, pure, holy and blameless.  I am not - I am filthy and in need of cleansing.  You have been patient with me, merciful, gentle, etc. and not punishing me with what I deserve.  Thank You Jesus for Your mercy and patience...and Your blessings.  I am not deserving of the many blessings You provide. Please forgive me for my lustful actions and my indiscretion...help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me apply my scripture and reinforce my learning.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength, comfort, and freedom from pain.  Please heal and cure her cancer.  Please help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.