Hold On!

Here is Proverbs 4:10-13 from the NET Bible

Listen, my child, and accept my words,
so that the years of your life will be many.
I will guide you in the way of wisdom
and I will lead you in upright paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered,
and when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
protect it, because it is your life.

Because it is your life. Sounds important. Let’s ask ourselves some important questions.

1. What happened in the text?
2. What do I learn about God?
3. What should I do about it?

1. What happened in the text?
   The writer offers to be a guide through an effective life.
2. What do I learn about God?
   He wants to help us live upright lives.
   He has a way that will prevent stumbling.
   His ways define our lives.
3. What should I do about it?
   Keep reading, for one thing!
   I think I have stumbled what seems like quite a few times in my life, often when I contradict things Proverbs advises. So this is yet another reminder that just reading this stuff isn’t the action item, it’s remembering and understanding and living according to this stuff that makes a difference.

Is there an area where God’s instruction and the way you live your life are in conflict? What should you do about that?