Silence: Find a quiet place, remove potential distractions, clear your mind of other thoughts, and ask God to speak to you as you read and contemplate this passage:

Reflective Reading: Read Proverbs 23:12, 23 thoughtfully:

12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.

23 Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.

Meditation: Reflect on this passage from the Book of Proverbs – the practical guide to living recorded by Solomon. What is God speaking to you through this passage? What is the challenge that Solomon gives to these readers?

Oration: From your reading and prayer, verbalize or write in the space below your response to what God is speaking to you from this passage:

Contemplation: Over the next day, contemplate this passage and what God is saying to you. Think on these topics:

• Did any of your teachers or parents ever say, “You could do better if you just applied yourself?” Have you applied yourself in learning God’s Word, in following His instruction?
• If you got a report card from your Bible Study group, what would it say about your effort?
• Are there things that ‘hinder’ you from learning God’s Word? If so, ask God to remove these ‘hindrances’.
• What actions or attitudes might this passage be directing you to begin?