God puts a premium on attentive obedience that springs from love for Him. Jesus said explicitly that those who love Him should obey Him.

Thus, those who love Jesus continue to sharpen their acquaintance with Him so that they might know His will better and more clearly. This enables them to discover more ways to express their love for Him.

What got me to thinking along this line this morning?

“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

May I keep my ear turned toward and tuned into God and His law.

But what does that mean?!

Foolishness is integral to a fool. Short of changing his character, there’s nothing you can do to separate a fool from his foolishness.

Proverbs 27:22 presents this vivid word picture to make the above point: “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.”

bray — (v) To crush and pound to a fine consistency, as in a mortar.

OK, so that’s how closely fools are attached to their foolishness. In fact, it’s not a matter of mere attachment but of identity and essence.

I want that kind of attachment to and identity with wisdom.

Let there be no circumstance, environment, or person that will separate me from wisdom!

No matter how finely ground, or how thinly sliced, or how sorely tempted, or how poorly influenced — let me always retain wisdom.