September is kind of the “lesser January.” It’s the end of summer and the beginning of a new “regular calendar” . . . the school calendar for families with kids . . . the church calendar for those tied into a local body of believers. In that sense, like January, it’s an opportunity for a fresh beginning. Yesterday, in anticipation of getting back into my routine . . . of finding my renewed cadence . . . I cleaned up my office. The pile of stuff in need of filing, got filed . . . the closet in need of some of de-cluttering, got a bit (not enough) of de-cluttering. The commentaries I’ll use for this next season of men’s Bible study got moved from the bookshelf on to my desk. Something a little exciting about a “new year” even though it isn’t the New Year. And this morning, reading in Proverbs, this gem was presented to me . . . worthy of resolution status . . . a fresh exhortation to take advantage of this new season.

Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.     (Proverbs 23:23 ESV)

Years and years ago a preacher told me that listening to a sermon, or being taught in a Sunday School class, was like taking in advertised truth. He said that if you wanted to make the truth yours, you needed to buy it . . . that you needed to invest some of your own time and brain power in order to take possession of it . . . that you needed to be like the Bereans who ” received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts. 17:10-11).

If anything, we live in an age of “truth selling.” The spirit of the age is to “suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18) and exchange the truth about God for a lie (Rom. 1:25). Men and women will shop around, not looking for truth, but instead seeking those who will tell them what they want to hear . . . “people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2Tim. 4:3-4). If ever there was an age for the people of God to heed the exhortation to buy truth, today is the day.

I’m thinking we’d do well to reflect on how much of our “time & effort bank account” we’re investing in buying truth.

It’s probably worth me taking a look at my own “check book” . . . reviewing the list of “recent purchases” I’ve made. Oh, how we as believers need to set aside a budget for truth-buying. Some real time . . . some real effort . . . some real investment. We just kid ourselves about growing in Christ or living the abundant life if we never invest in buying truth. The Bible just becomes a series of three-point sermons or a storybook of cute Sunday School lessons rather than the “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” word of God (Heb. 4:12). Worship, at best, is a feel good activity with little depth to draw from. Practical biblical application never really takes because it’s not grounded in truth that has been mined, excavated, and internalized.

In our fellowship, we’re back into a chapter-by-chapter exposition of Genesis on Sunday mornings. Sunday School for all ages is on the calendar again after the summer break. Youth groups will again start meeting and, as mentioned, our men’s bible study will be starting up, as will a couple of ladies studies for those available to gather during the week day. In addition, our home groups will be reconnecting after the summer hiatus to go deeper into Sunday’s sermon and in fellowship with one another.

It’s a new year! . . . with new opportunity to buy the truth. I need to make sure I “budget appropriately” . . . and “invest wisely.”