Seeking God’s wisdom and staying in his paths (4:1–27) requires receiving and retaining God’s Word (1-9) and following righteousness while avoiding wickedness, as there are only two paths and two destinations (10-19). This requires devotion on your part: be entirely (20-23) and exclusively devoted to God’s Word (24-27).
Entire devotion to God’s Word means giving God your ears (20), listening only to God’s “words” and “sayings.” Give God your eyes (21-22). You should always look to God’s Word—it shouldn’t be a distant outpost (like Antarctica), it should be the very command center of your life (Washington D.C.). Your “ears” and “eyes” are the doors of your heart, and you must give God your heart (23). Whatever enters your heart affects your life. Your desires, decisions, and direction are determined by your heart.
Exclusive devotion to God’s Word involves your words (24), they must be completely in line with God’s character. What you say reflects and reinforces who you are. Don’t talk like an unbeliever or listen approvingly to godless talk so you are not harmfully influenced by such. Exclusive devotion involves what you see (25); there will always be things to distract you from what you should focus on. There are so many distractions in our time—you must discipline yourself to have a laser-like focus on Jesus Christ. Lastly, exclusive devotion involves what you seek (26-27), you must stay only on God’s path. This is not “staying between extremes,” but complete separation from what is wrong and entire commitment to what is right.
- What you see, listen to, say, etc. not only influences you, it reinforces and trains your direction in life. Is everything you hear, see, think, and say in line with God’s character?
- What is the most valuable, precious thing you own? How do you care for and protect it? What about your heart (4:23)?
- Check out Luke 6:43-45. What do your words, emails, social media, texts, etc. say about your heart?
- Think about what you read, watch, and listen to. Do they express and help you with entire and exclusive devotion?
- Do you think about the direction of your life (v. 26)?
