"My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart."
He says never forget, that takes us studying all the time so we have it in our hearts. God's word is alive and active so as we open it, it is working on us and we are growing. When this is constant in our lives we don't forget it and we continually change to be like Christ. Verse 2 says, "If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying." When we store His commands in our hearts we feel the peace and joy that the Holy Spirit gives and the things of this world don't cloud out what God is showing us. When we aren't growing our mind continues to think of things of this world and what our flesh desires and we don't live satisfying lives.
Verses 5-6 go on to say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." When we have our hearts filled and we trust in Him we seek His will and He shows us what to do in all areas of our lives and people not only see a Christian but a fully devoted follower led by the Spirit of God.
In verse 18 it says, "Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly." This is amazing to me because all through God's word we see that we have to co-labor or join in on a relationship, plainly we have a responsibility to learn and then do what we are learning. Never is it a one way street. In verse 18 the words embrace and hold tightly are our reaction to something God is giving us (free) just like His Son going to the cross and bridging the gap to the Father. Hold tightly and embrace what Jesus did and let it fill our heart so when we hear the Spirit guide us; (we actually hear the Spirit guide us.) there will be no mistake on what is good and right because God's word teaches us this and when we open it asking we will find the answers. If we don't open it we will find the world and what it has for us more than not.
This always makes me think of what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6 verse 23, "But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!" When we store His commands in our heart, when we hold tightly to wisdom and embrace it and when we trust in the Lord our light is light and we shine just like Jesus, desiring to do only what God is showing us. Then as we grow we are excited to go and share our faith and make disciples. The more we fill ourselves with the word of God the more we learn to know Jesus and the more we know Jesus the more we hear the Holy Spirit who is in us showing us how the word will keep us focused on living as a citizen of heaven not trying to please the world. Amen