FEARING GOD, AND THE CHALLENGE OF WISDOM VERSUS FOOLISHNESS

THE FEAR OF GOD. Is it something that you have given some time to contemplating in your walk as a Follower Of Christ ? The deeper I grow in my relationship with Jesus, the more important this understanding is in terms of becoming one who walks in and desires to bring Light into the world around you. The last year has been a journey for me in truly seeing what a “Biblical World View” is versus a “Worldly View”. It all begins with God, and what your perception is of Him. Some people would ask, “why would you believe in and follow a God that you fear ?” It is a valid question for sure. The “KEY” is in understanding what “FEAR” means in this case, and realizing what that fear does for a person who is Seeking God, Our culture today, and many “Churches and Denominations” seem to think God is simply about Love and Acceptance. God is truly a God who loves us. The “Important Piece” that they are missing however is that God is also JUST ! He is a Judge of Right and Wrong. He has order and He has Standards that will not be trifled with. IN ORDER TO KNOW GOD, ONE MUST SEE HIM IN A CERTAIN WAY….with AWE AND REVERENCE ! So far beyond our understanding of His Power and Authority that we must indeed feel very small and insignificant in light of HIS GREATNESS. There must be a sobering realization of All The Things He Requires Of Us. Things we could Never Achieve on our own without the Amazing Gift Of His Son, JESUS ! Only through Jesus can we approach the Father, knowing that In Jesus we are Forgiven and Worthy….not in ourselves, but in Christ Who Abides In Us. Knowing God and Fearing Him opens our lives to Wisdom and Completeness. Fear of God is indeed the starting point for Knowledge and the Path to Wisdom according to King Solomon, writer of The Book Of Proverbs. If one takes the time to study this Scripture it will indeed open your eyes and ears. Most importantly, it will Open Your Heart To God and wisdom, or, show you a path to Foolishness and a rejection of God in your life. THE WORLD will tell you that everything is about YOU and your Self Proclaimed Wisdom. A celebration of Cultural Intellectualism and Pride. It is the path that many will choose to take; sadly a path that will bring Foolishness and Darkness; without even understanding WHY they keep stumbling and falling down. NO LIGHT….ONLY DARKNESS AND CONFUSION.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE; FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND DISCIPLINE. Proverbs 1:7

MY SON, IF YOU ACCEPT MY WORDS AND STORE UP MY COMMANDS WITHIN YOU, LISTENING CLOSELY TO WISDOM AND DIRECTING YOUR HEART TO UNDERSTANDING; FURTHERMORE, IF YOU CALL OUT TO INSIGHT AND LIFT YOUR VOICE TO UNDERSTANDING, IF YOU SEEK IT LIKE SILVER AND SEARCH FOR IT LIKE HIDDEN TREASURE, THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND DISCOVER THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. FOR THE LORD GIVES WISDOM; FROM HIS MOUTH COME KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. HE STORES UP SUCCESS FOR THE UPRIGHT; HE IS A SHIELD FOR THOSE WHO LIVE WITH INTEGRITY SO THAT HE MAY GUARD THE PATHS OF JUSTICE AND PROTECT THE WAY OF HIS FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS. THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE', AND INTEGRITY- EVERY GOOD PATH. FOR WISDOM WILL ENTER YOUR HEART, AND KNOWLEDGE WILL DELIGHT YOU. DISCRETION WILL WATCH OVER YOU, AND UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOU. Proverbs 2: 1-11

When I read the Word Of God, I am amazed at the Powerful Truth and Life that it holds for me. It drives me to stop making foolishness a companion in my decisions. Good Old Foolishness. All of us have embraced it from time to time in our lives. The crazy thing about being a fool is that it is a multifaceted conundrum. Am I a “Naive” fool ? Or far worse, Am I a fool by design and acceptance ? Am I so self absorbed and Prideful and Stubborn that I will embrace Foolishness JUST BECAUSE I CAN AND I WANT TO ! I can think of many times as I look back that “ I Knew Better” than to follow certain paths and make poor decisions. More than once, I rejected wise counsel and pridefully “did it my way. “ Fortunately, we serve a Loving God who has given us a path to confession of our shortcomings and the gift of forgiveness and the strength of Repentance. One thing that I am totally sure of is that Rejecting God’s Wisdom will surely bring us Pain and Destruction. Foolishness Will Make Us Stumble, and if we refuse to leave it, it will pull us into more and more Darkness. Perhaps it is of utmost importance to truly STOP RIGHT NOW, and think about what path you are truly on. Are you Living For God and Honoring his Ways, or are you Trapped in Yourself and the myriad of things that The World promotes you to seek, follow, grab, consume, cherish, and revel in ? We all know in our Hearts where we are focused. The Power Of God is in the knowledge that He Loves Us, and In Him, We Can Change and Seek The Right Path as we learn to Fear Him and DESIRE HIM IN THE DEPTH OF OUR HEARTS. The best place to start is Face To Face with Jesus. He died for you and me. Took on our Sin and our foolish choices that We Might Be Forgiven And Have Life ! Light and Darkness are choices. They both can draw a person in the more they are the focus of our actions and desires. Light Is Life….Darkness is Death. Why would anyone pursue Darkness ? Wouldn’t One Have To Be A True FOOL to do so ? HERE WE ARE…TIME TO MAKE OUR CHOICES INDEED.

YOUR HEART MUST HOLD ONTO MY WORDS. KEEP MY COMMANDS AND LIVE. GET WISDOM, GET UNDERSTANDING; DON’T FORGET OR TURN AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH. DON’T ABANDON WISDOM, AND SHE WILL WATCH OVER YOU; LOVE HER AND SHE WILL GUARD YOU. Proverbs 4: 4-6

THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS LIKE THE LIGHT OF DAWN, SHINNING BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER UNTIL MIDDAY. BUT THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS LIKE THE DARKEST GLOOM; THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT MAKES THEM STUMBLE. Proverbs 4: 18-19

Our pastor in Arizona at Illuminate Community Church has had a huge impact upon my life. Jason has some amazing points in his sermons on Proverbs, but perhaps most importantly he pointed out some very critical things that WE MUST BE AWARE OF AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST WHO SEEK WISDOM. I want to share them, and I hope they resonate with you and allow you to find their importance in your life, as I have. I call them GOD”S KEYS TO LIFE AND LIVING IT WISELY :). 1. SEEK GOD”S WORD 2. CHOOSE WISELY AND RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU ARE CONSUMING 3. GUARD YOUR SPEECH 4. PRACTICE DISCERNMENT IN RELATIONSHIPS 5. GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS 6. PURSUE GOD WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. 7. GUARD YOUR HEART. These things may seem simple on the surface, but they are indeed deep and take immense effort in our daily living. They directly impact Our Identity; Our Pursuits; Our Priorities and Impact on Others; And Our Legacy in terms of HOW WE GLORIFY GOD ! His Final thought was indeed Powerful. WISDOM IS CONTRARY TO THE WORLD INDEED. OUR GOAL IS TO BE A SANCTIFIED VERSION OF OURSELF. WE NEED TO BE WHO GOD CREATED US TO BE BY WALKING IN HIS LIGHT AND WISDOM. MAY YOU SEEK JESUS….HE IS THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE :) BE A WISDOM SEEKER/JAA

LET THE FAVOR OF THE LORD OUR GOD BE UPON US; ESTABLISH FOR US THE WORK OF OUR HANDS. Psalm 90:17