Proverbs 1:33. but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.
One thing that Proverbs makes very clear is that none of us casually slides into wisdom. We aren’t born wise; we are born simple. And we don’t naturally grow into wisdom; if left to our own devices, we naturally grow up into fools. Wisdom must be sought after, searched for, and listened to.
In Proverbs 1:33 Wisdom is making a promise – if you listen to me, you will dwell secure and be at ease. Do you want the good life? Listen to me. Do you want dread of disaster? Ignore me. It’s that simple.
Jesus is saying the same thing to us.
John 5:24. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.
To listen to Jesus is to listen to our Heavenly Father, our creator. To listen to Jesus is to have eternal life. His own divine life. To listen to Jesus is to avoid dread and disaster. The disaster of a life apart from God. To listen to Jesus is find security and ease. Security of soul, and ease of spirit.
Are you actively listening to Jesus? To Wisdom?
If you’re like me, then there are two little voices inside your head that you listen to. One is your flesh, and the other is Christ’s Spirit. But how can we begin to hear the voice of Jesus that is speaking inside of us? Obviously the first answer is through scripture and prayer. But what of the moment by moment wisdom needed in the daily Christian walk with Christ? How do we hear Jesus in the midst of the complexities of life? Great question.
Here’s the thing, because of our union with Christ, Jesus’ voice will sound like YOUR voice. To hear Christ is to hear yourself. Yes, there is a voice in you that sounds like indwelling sin, the world, the flesh, even the Devil (just ask Peter). But the voice of Christ in you is just as much a part of you, even more really, than the voice of your flesh. So the question becomes, which you are you listening to? The you that is trusting Christ and his gospel? The you that is preaching the gospel to yourself?
Be sure that the voice of Christ in you will never contradict the scripture nor the historic Jesus. But also be sure that hearing the voice of Jesus requires going no further than your own heart and mind. Your new heart and mind that are the very heart and mind of Christ.
You: In what ways have you tried to hear the voice of Jesus in the past?
You in Christ: Are you actively listening to Jesus? In what ways?
Christ in you: How can you practice distinguishing between the voice of the flesh and the vice of the Spirit in you?
Pray: Father, you have placed the voice of Jesus in my mind and heart so that I can always be close to you. Open my ears to hear him by faith and with wisdom. Amen.
To Live is Christ 