Wisdom

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Based on what we know about God, fearing Him should almost be a given. The fear that I believe the verse is referring isn't horror movie fear, well at least not completely. The reality of Hell can just about get you there. But the fear in this verse is a healthy fear like a child has of his parents. The child knows (at least they should) that doing anything against the parents' desires will result in punishment and sometimes that fear is enough to cause them to take the right path. That fear can lead to wise decisions.

Shouldn't our fear of God be all the more intensified? Well the truth is, too often it isn't. Maybe its because we take his grace for granted or maybe because He's chosen to Klein himself invisible to us, but for whatever reason we don't consider the consequences of our actions great enough to change them. Even more, we fail to see the benefits! We miss out on the wisdom that cones from trusting Him.

Is it possible that we fear God but just in the wrong context? I believe part of this fear is understanding the nature of the one you're fearing. He's a loving God, bot seeking to punish us but to bless us, if we'd only obey. Children often sneak behind their parents back so they can do the wrong thing. They obviously fear the consequences but the benefits of doing what's right doesn't outweigh the temptation of doing what is wrong.

God, help us to fear You and to know wisdom. Give us a healthy fear of you that leads to righteous living, not paranoia. Lead us, in Your word, to understand the benefits of obedience. The peace it brings and the blessing we can be to others. Let us not be foolish in trusting our own desires. When we fall away, cause us to learn from Your discipline. Illuminate within us the right perspective of you - a loving Father who wants what's best for his children.

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1 Chronicles 29:10-15

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, O Lord,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

God, everything comes from you. Every blessing, every lesson, every good thing comes from you and we thank you for it. Help us remember that. Help us to understand that our money is not ours nor is our time. Every dollar and minute spent is all possible because of your grace. Let all of our works bring you glory. Help us to gain the perspective that David had in verse 15 - we are pilgrims in this land and our time on earth is very short. Let us place our hope in things that have eternal value.

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Isaiah 45:9-13

“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘He has no hands’? http://read.ly/Isa45.9.NIV

Too often we get caught up in our own thing & the work God set out for us to do becomes an inconvenience or down-played as a "nice to do". Our priorities become our focus rather than God & His work. Just like Adam, we want to lead instead of follow. Knowing intellectually that we are clay, we would never say - "God, what are you making?" - our actions show it.

God, teach us to trust & follow you. We know your ways are perfect but we don't always show it. Help us believe this truth & live it out.

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Psalm 103:11-16

Psalm 103:11-16 NIV

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

God is merciful. He knows who we are & how we behave yet he still loves us. He has compassion on those who fear Him; those who sin yet are humble enough to repent.

Our days here are short. Let them be filled with praise toward our merciful maker. Thank you Lord for another day.

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