Day 20: GREATER APPLICATION
Proverbs 22:17-21
Perhaps when you were in school your parents received a note such as this from your teacher, “A very bright student, but doesn’t apply himself.” Ah, the dangers of knowing what to do but not doing it! Solomon tells us, “apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you.” He is talking about his words of wisdom and knowledge that we should apply, and those words are the words of God. It is one thing to have filled your head with knowledge and to “know” many things, it is quite another to apply that knowledge in the form of wisdom. The mature believer knows what God’s Word says and also lives it out in his daily life. This is much like what James means when he says, “faith without works is dead.” It’s one thing to believe it, but without application your faith means nothing.
God places a real and living faith within us, and then provides for us His Word to nourish and feed us. This has happened so we can apply this truth in all areas of our lives. The application of what you know to be true comes in many forms: greater faith, greater giving, greater love, etc. The world will not be so impressed with what we have to tell them about Jesus Christ until they are impressed by what a difference Jesus Christ makes in the way we live.
Prayer: Lord, I want to live out this faith You have given to me. Show me hohw I can move from where I am to whee I need to be. Show me where I have not applied Your Word and give me the strength to live faithfully. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.