Proverbs 9:10
Wisdom begins with respect for the LORD, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One. [NCV]
How can we begin to understand this life without knowing the Holy One?
We can’t.
YHWH is the front and center hero of the OT. He just is. He is portrayed as the Creator of all, the Provider of all that is good, the Source of life. Therefore, life only makes sense thru Him.
Creations of any kind make the most and truest sense thru the heart and mind of their creator. Think of a beautiful song of richness and depth. True, it can and may resonate with you and move you greatly. Yet you will only know its deepest meaning by getting to know its writer. First off, the writer can tell you from what this song was birthed. That alone is very helpful. But deeper than that, you can spend time with this writer, getting to know him/her and gain an even fuller understanding of the thought and experience behind the song to open it up in new ways for you.
The Bible is rich and deep. Getting to know its Author, tho, is key. Reading it is one thing. Knowing YHWH is quite another. Perhaps you just need to make the slight adjustment to read it in order to know Him, as opposed to reading for the purpose of information gathering or some new ideas on how to live your life a little bit better. Good things, but not the main thing.
The main thing is to keep the Main Thing the main thing.
What if you could ask Jesus, “What does God want from me?”
I believe He would say something like, “To know Him and to love Him. And to be known by Him and loved by Him.”
Revering Him makes all the difference for every one of us in the most personal way: “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it” (v.12). As important as community is, I cannot borrow character from you, nor can you borrow character from me. Just being at church will not change us. No one gets a degree from Vanderbilt by hanging out on campus and blending in with the students. Even so, each of us must receive Christ personally. We must seek Him and engage with Him personally. He is how we change. He is how wisdom enters into us. And when He gives it to us, no one can take it away from us, no matter what they say or do.
-Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.
John 2:5
His mother spoke to the servants. “Do whatever He tells you to do,” she said.
Jesus’ mommy gives the best advice ever right here.
This goes for us too. Do whatever He tells you. And it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway– To do this, we must be listening.
Mary spoke to the servants.
We are His servants.
And servants do what they’re told to do. We don’t need to strain to figure out what to do, or what God’s will is. We must listen. Sadly we are not trained to listen well.
The first rule of Listening Club is to stop talking.
The second rule of Listening Club is to stop thinking.
Listen, and do what He tells you.