Proverbs 16:20

I am going to start off my week to blog following Vickie's example. I really appreciated how she took a verse and looked at it, breaking it down to let God really speak through it.

The verse that God has been speaking to my heart over the last week is Proverbs 16:20:

"Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord."

This verse jumped off my Facebook feed and I've been "giving thought" to it every since.

"Whoever" - Dear Friend, I don't know who you are, but I do know that you and I are both included in this word, "whoever." Not even our salvation is a prerequisite for the promise contained in this verse. Regardless of our Biblical knowledge or high school math grades, independent of how we feel about our self-worth or in spite of what others might say about us, whoever in the original language is still whoever. WHOEVER gives thought . . .

"gives" - Giving something requires intention. Today, my sweet mother-in-love turns 81. I want to mark the occasion. I have given thought to a gift. I have picked out a card. I will take my little women to visit her after school. In order to "give" I have to take budget and time and schedule into consideration. I have to make an effort. I have to be intentional. The same applies to this verse. If I am going to discover good in the word, I have to be purposeful to GIVE thought . . .

"thought" - There are A LOT of things that compete for my thoughts. Keeping up with a busy family of five on top of the church calendar, with the distractions of various social media outlets my thoughts are mostly on things that won't matter a week from now. Add in Satan's lies and my own insecurities, it's no wonder I can never call my daughters by the names on their birth certificates! But when all the demands are set aside and the distractions are done away with, the thought path that remains is worth following. Intentionally giving THOUGHT is done by following Vickie's verse, being still and knowing He is God . . .

"to the word" - As even a casual student of the Bible, we can know that the Bible is many things. It is sweet, useful for a variety of purposes, deep for the most learned to still contemplate - yet simple enough for my two year old daughter to understand. The word is truth. It is God's revelation to me, the one He pursues, of His incredible self. Without question, THE WORD is worth giving thought to.

"will discover" - This verse assures me that when I give thought to the word, I will find. Seek and you will find, ask and He will answer. This verse dovetails so many other passages where God promises that He will not be hidden. If we look, we will find. As I give thought to the word, I WILL DISCOVER.

"good" - In my years walking with Jesus, I have never regretted the good I have found when studying His word. The good I have discovered includes a deeper understanding of myself and my God, an assurance, affirmation, and remembrance of truth. His peace, His love and even conviction of my own sin are among the good that I have found. No one wants to think of their sin being pointed out as a good thing, but if it makes one more like my Jesus, it is most definitely a good thing. Here we are told what we will discover is GOOD.

"and"- If this verse, wasn't enough this little three letter conjunction is included to tell us that there is more to this promise. Due to time and space issues, this is where I will pick up in my next post. (I don't know about you, but I don't like blog posts to get too long. It's too hard to keep my thoughts focused on one thing for too long!)