Building Spiritual Muscle Tone

(Proverbs 4:13 KJV)  Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

As we look at this verse we see a statement that wisdom is “life” (2425b).  To get there we must deal with three verbs.  Remember your lessons in English?  What is a verb?  I cheated.  I used my software dictionary.  It says a verb is a word “used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.”

The first verb tells us we must “take hold” (2388).  Notice that the KJV adds “fast”.  This is a fairly common word in the OT, used over 300 times.  It is interesting to read the definition and see all the nuances of meaning.  What does not come through in this one spot is the idea of exercise.  It has the idea of strengthening.  It says it can mean to “be sore.”  Remember the Nike commercial?  “No pain, no gain.”  Actually, Nike stole it from an old German proverb.  If I can remember from my junior high days, “Ohne Fleis, kein Preis.” 

Do you want life?  Then grab hold of the bar and start the pull ups.  Take hold of the word and begin to work with it.  We are not saved by works, true, but Solomon is telling us it is part of the path to life.

So?  Wisdom does not come out of the empty air or the empty head.  Fill it.  Give the Holy Spirit something to bring to your mind.