What does it mean to have “Christ in us, the hope of glory?” How do we let the light of Christ shine through us?

1 My child, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight, 2 that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

LISTEN AND READ. That’s what verse one says. Listen to what? to Whom? We are listening for His voice inside us. “You will hear a voice behind you [in your ear, your mind] saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.'” Isaiah 30:21. Christ’s habitation of us is real, yet feels perfectly natural. Why is that? BECAUSE HE CREATED US THAT WAY. We all began with a God-sized hole in us that could only be filled by Him.

What happens is this:

1. We pray for guidance.
2. We read His Word.
3. We walk with Him through our day depending upon His leadership.

Tomorrow, we do the same thing. The key word in verse 2 is “maintain.” To us it is maintenance. Maintenance means “care or upkeep, support or subsistence; livelihood.” It means “consistency.” We become dependable–we depend upon Him for interpretation of what we read and then we become dependable by doing what He says. This consistency in our lives builds integrity and moral authority.

How much maintenance do you do at home? At work? It’s important for things to be in their proper place and for things to work right. So, too, in our spiritual lives. We need to be looking to Jesus for guidance, strength, discretion, and consistency. We get all of these things through our maintenance program of praying, reading and walking.

One other thing: If we are lazy in our spiritual maintenance, the enemy will blind our eyes to our need of Him. We will, then, do things in our own power, which is wickedness. There is no hope in that way of life. “For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.” V. 25. Let’s maintain discretion concerning His voice among all the other voices we hear, and preserve knowledge by hiding His Word in our hearts.

Abba, I pray for my brothers and sisters in You that they will take seriously the call to know You in Your fullness. You have made Yourself available to us through Your Spirit and Your Word; all we have to do is take advantage of both. One without the other leads to failure. May they know Your Word inside and out so that You can “show them great and mighty things that they do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Give them thirst for You and hunger Your Word, LORD (Matthew 5:6). Me, too. Amen.