Where Wisdom Starts

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). I wonder what kind of fear that is. It must not be the fear that He will reject me if I accidentally do something wrong or that He will give up on me if I fail too many times. No, it can’t be fears like that because that fear involves torment, and God’s perfect love casts that out (1 John 4:18).

Rather, surely that “fear of the Lord” recognizes His awesome power, might, intelligence, and total authority. It acknowledges that He is God, and I am not; that He is the potter, and I am clay; and that He is absolutely righteous, pure and true. It is fear that seeks to obey His commands and walk His way. And obeying Him and His laws always results in a better outcome than anything I or any other human being could plan or do. Thus, the fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom.

Speak Words of Blessing

“Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.” (Proverbs 15:30 NIV)
Light in the eyes means the messenger brings good news. That news brings joy to both the bearer and the hearer.

<p class="wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code brush: plain; notranslate">Whether I'm bringing good news or just contributing to conversation, I want my words to help and bless.I can see that I need to choose my thoughts wisely since the things I say result from the thoughts I think. (Luke 6:45 NLT–“What you say flows from what is in your heart.”) </p>

Lord, please help me think about what is right and true and excellent and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8) Then the words that come out of my mouth will build others up and bring blessing. Holy Spirit, thank You for persistently reminding me to practice wise thinking. The more I do that, the less I fall back into old habits of self-pity, anger, jealousy, and criticism.
Today let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart please You and bless others. (Psalm 19:14) Amen.

Wise Choices

As a young person, I prayed to know God’s will, mainly wanting to know what career I should choose. I didn’t hear any answers to that prayer. I had grown up in church and committed my life to Christ at an early age; however, I didn’t learn to rely on Him and to submit my will to His until years later.

 

Most of the time, I tried to live by feelings, fear, “ought-to’s,” and my own understanding. This resulted in my making many poor choices in life. Those decisions never gave me the happiness, satisfaction, or sense of being loved which I craved. It’s no wonder they didn’t provide those things, though. What I longed for comes only from trusting and loving God with my whole being, letting go of my own ways, and living for Jesus. I wanted good things, but I didn’t trust the Giver of all good things.
Although my faith has grown since then, I still don’t always make wise choices. But I’m learning to trust God more and ask Him about things in life. I’m also trying to focus more on Jesus and less on me. How thankful I am for God’s patience and forgiveness! He never quit loving me, and He never gave up on me.
Thank You, Lord.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 – NKJV
“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’” Galatians 3:11–NKJV

Search for Treasure

God is the giver of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. They come from Him (Proverbs 2:6). I need to tune my ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding, cry out in prayer for insight and ask for understanding. I’ll seek and search for them as the treasures that they are (Proverbs 2:2-4). That’s how I’ll prepare my heart to receive God’s Word, His communication to me. I’ll understand what it means to fear the Lord and will gain knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:5).

Then the wicked one won’t have a chance to snatch away what is sown in my heart. Nor will my heart become stony, preventing my roots from growing deep in love and truth. Likewise weeds of worldly cares and riches won’t have opportunity to crowd out knowledge of God and His ways, which would make me unfruitful in His kingdom. (Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23)

Dear Father, giver of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, grant me these things that I may learn to fear You and be fruitful in Your kingdom. Amen.

(Image from FreeImages.com/kristian stokholm

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Beyond My Power

    Genesis 41:16 (New Living Translation) says, “’It is beyond my power to [interpret dreams],’ Joseph [told Pharaoh]. ‘But God can tell you what [the dream] means and set you at ease.’” In The Message, “set you at ease” is “set Pharaoh’s mind at ease.”
It’s often beyond human power to do things. That’s why a doctor may say, “We’ve done all we can.” Those with faith may even add, “It’s up to God now.” Also, when I’ve sought help for problems from human beings, I’ve often been asking more than they can give.
But God is healer, problem-solver, dream-interpreter, provider, peace-giver, source of wisdom, and so much more! He can give us peace of mind. I need to seek Him always, because human power and human wisdom are limited, but He is almighty. And because He is all-wise, He will do what is the very best.
I’m not saying that God doesn’t use people, because He does. He used Joseph to interpret the dreams. But Joseph was careful to give God the glory because the interpretation was from Him. I want to remember to acknowledge and glorify God for every grace and gift I receive also.

Our Wonderful God

Isaiah 40:25 “‘To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One.”

I see beautiful clothes, lovely and fair,
But consider the cardinal, dressed beyond compare.
Who made the cardinal and dressed him so fine?
Our great Creator, the Lord of design.
What art of man compares to what God has done?
Or what feat matches His power? There’s not even one.

Lord, You are awesome, sovereign over all.
Yet You’ve chosen to love us, both great and small.
Your wisdom is broader than the universe vast,
And Your power is stronger than imagination can grasp.
Your mercy and favor, Your grace and Your love—
Overwhelming and humbling, such gifts from above!

Walking in His Love
Colossians 3:12-13 “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Knowing I am beloved to God puts joy and love in my heart. The more I’m rooted in this truth, the more I can be merciful, kind, and forgiving to others. The more I recognize His magnificence, might and total adequacy and my own powerlessness and inadequacy, the more I want to praise and thank Him and bring Him glory.

(Both Scriptures New Living Translation.  Picture courtesy Public Domain image.com, Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, creator.)

A Microsecond in a Millennium

    Father God, all-wise Creator, You are wonderful and amazing. There is no one like You. Your marvelous wisdom and vast knowledge are far beyond our comprehension. We humans are so arrogant sometimes, thinking we know so much. We’ve built robots and developed “smart” phones, computer tablets/notebooks, as well as the Internet which makes massive amounts of information available to great numbers of people. Advances in medicine have enabled healing and/or prevention of much disease. People have invented cars, kitchen appliances, heating units, water wells, and dozens of other things that improve our earthly lives.
And yet, You, Lord, are the giver of all this knowledge and understanding. Compared to yours, even the sum of all human understanding—all that ever was or will be—looks like a microsecond in the midst of millions of millennia. You are Creator; we are created. You are infinite; we are finite.
Only You, Lord, have the wisdom, knowledge, power, and love to take care of this world and its troubles. Your marvelous creation shows us these things time and again. You’ve shown us Your love with blessing after blessing. Not only that, You came to us and became one of us. You died to redeem us from our sin. And You rose in power to give us real life.
Jesus, You came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), and that includes me. Thank You for redeeming me. Amen.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ‘” New King James Version

Waiting on God

Excellent blog post by Pastor Joe Quatrone, Jr.! Very helpful. I especially liked the part about HOW we are to wait.

Joe Quatrone, Jr.

“Wait for the Lord.  Be strong and take heart.  Wait for the Lord” (

Psalm 27:14

).

I am in a period of waiting right now. I believe God has a specific reason for telling me to wait. My responsibility is to trust Him. I need to slow down and wait on God to clearly reveal His will to me. A lack of trust is perhaps the root cause behind my decisions to jump ahead. I believe God will give me clear direction, but I must wait until He is ready to give guidance.

In this hurry-up world, waiting for anything can cause us to lose our tempers, tongues, and good senses more frequently than we care to admit. I don’t know anyone who enjoys waiting in line. We don’t like waiting at stoplights. We don’t like waiting for dinner. We don’t even like waiting for good things – like…

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Focus!

    “Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” (Proverbs 17:24) I do want to be sensible and keep my eyes glued on wisdom. O Holy Spirit, please keep reminding me!
“Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8) I learned this Bible verse years ago, but I still have trouble putting it into practice. Help, Lord!
I’ve heard many times that change is part of life, but I guess I thought it was true for everyone but me. For too long I’ve clung to what once was and won’t be again. If I keep wishing for what used to be, I’ll miss out on life today. Paul focused on forgetting the past, looking ahead, and then pressing on toward the end of the race so he could receive the heavenly prize for which God calls us through Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14). Only God and His Word remain forever. He never changes. Lord, You are always faithful. I want to let go of the past and also to hold loosely to the present. Because of Your grace, I can, and I will. Please show me more of how to keep my mind anchored in You and keep my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. Amen. (See Isaiah 26:3 and Hebrews 12:2)
“A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)
 Dear Father, please help me build my spiritual house with wisdom on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. Let me strengthen it with the good sense to focus on You and go Your way, not mine. And may I fill its rooms with valuables by getting to know You better and better. Amen.

(Scripture quotes are from the New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

Love Correction

Proverbs 12:1 “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” New Living Translation (NLT)
Dear Heavenly Father,
    I want to be the person You planned for me to be from the beginning. I want to be pure and true to shine Your light to others, strong and useable as a tool You can use, and sharp and focused to serve and honor You well.
    So please teach me to find Your purpose when the refining fires burn, when Your mallet and chisel strike my hardened soul, and when Your hammer pounds the blade of my iron will. O let me not respond with self-pity, anger, frustration or hurt feelings as I’m so prone to do! Let me wisely love correction so You can make me who You desire.   Amen.

Proverbs 1:29-31 NLT [Wisdom says,] “For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way….”
(I know from experience that such fruit is bitter indeed!)
My own ways seem right and good to me, but they end in trouble and bad consequences. At the time, they seem easier and better than other alternatives, but they aren’t God’s ways, and they aren’t good.
So Father, please forgive me for going my way. Teach me to follow Your path that leads to life. Let me be quick to hear and obey the still small voice that says, “Choose compassion instead of anger. Let go of blaming, bitterness, and trying to control. Take hold of humility, forgiveness, and trust in God.” Amen.

Proverbs 9:12 NLT “If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”