Power of 10 - Day 6
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
The POWER of 10
Day 6 | THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
The POWER of 10
Day 6 | THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
I think this may be one of the Bible's most familiar verses, yet one that is not well understood and thus often receives a lot of current-day pushback.
It's helpful to remember that the book of Proverbs focuses on WISDOM and how to live with others. Yet this book is founded on one KEY principle: that WISDOM – real God-inspired wisdom – begins with a right relationship with Almighty God.
The "fear of the Lord" is real but also includes a sense of reverence and awe of God Himself. It recognizes that the Lord God is HOLY and the Creator of everything. Yes, God is LOVE, which everyone likes to say, but the other side of that "love coin" is HOLY. God is love AND holy and requires justice because He is HOLY.
Gaining WISDOM… was why Solomon wrote this book in the first place. But that writing – Proverbs – is built upon a vital theological principle: real KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM require a starting point.
The “FEAR of the LORD” is that starting point.
The "Fear of the Lord" is not a frightened, cowering type of fear that you might feel if a mugger attacked you. Instead, it is a high-level REVERENCE that we creatures owe our all-powerful Creator, or put another way, those who are Saved owe their Savior.
One author put it this way: "But what is ‘the fear of the LORD’? It is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father's law." (Bridges)
Our Heavenly Father should be regarded with great respect, awe, and reverence.
That is where WISDOM begins… with that right attitude and relationship with the LORD. Learning God's wisdom about life without that proper relationship with Him – without that first step – makes Proverbs no more potent than an ordinary self-help book; interesting reading perhaps, but no power. Fear the Lord and find Power in His Wisdom.
Prayer: LORD, You are amazing. You are God. You are the Creator. You are my Heavenly Father. I worship You, I bend to You, I am your child. Thank You, Amen.
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
I think this may be one of the Bible's most familiar verses, yet one that is not well understood and thus often receives a lot of current-day pushback.
It's helpful to remember that the book of Proverbs focuses on WISDOM and how to live with others. Yet this book is founded on one KEY principle: that WISDOM – real God-inspired wisdom – begins with a right relationship with Almighty God.
The "fear of the Lord" is real but also includes a sense of reverence and awe of God Himself. It recognizes that the Lord God is HOLY and the Creator of everything. Yes, God is LOVE, which everyone likes to say, but the other side of that "love coin" is HOLY. God is love AND holy and requires justice because He is HOLY.
Gaining WISDOM… was why Solomon wrote this book in the first place. But that writing – Proverbs – is built upon a vital theological principle: real KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM require a starting point.
The “FEAR of the LORD” is that starting point.
The "Fear of the Lord" is not a frightened, cowering type of fear that you might feel if a mugger attacked you. Instead, it is a high-level REVERENCE that we creatures owe our all-powerful Creator, or put another way, those who are Saved owe their Savior.
One author put it this way: "But what is ‘the fear of the LORD’? It is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father's law." (Bridges)
Our Heavenly Father should be regarded with great respect, awe, and reverence.
That is where WISDOM begins… with that right attitude and relationship with the LORD. Learning God's wisdom about life without that proper relationship with Him – without that first step – makes Proverbs no more potent than an ordinary self-help book; interesting reading perhaps, but no power. Fear the Lord and find Power in His Wisdom.
Prayer: LORD, You are amazing. You are God. You are the Creator. You are my Heavenly Father. I worship You, I bend to You, I am your child. Thank You, Amen.
Posted in Power of 10