A Powerful Proverb

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction”

Proverbs 1:7

In this passage we shouldn’t get the word “fear” confused in meaning that we are terrified of God. Think of this more as a parental fear. Think about your father, whom you are to obey what he says and if you don’t there is destined to be punishment. I remember a time I disobeyed my dad. We were playing soccer when I was young and he kicked the soccer ball past me, so I turned a round and made a derogatory gesture at him (I’ll admit it, kindergarten Jonathan shot his dad a bird.) Needless to say I got a spanking because I showed a lack of respect towards my father, I couldn't sit down for what seemed like two whole days.

God is the same way, we are to show God the absolute upmost respect in all that we do. After all, He is the savior of the world and the eliminator of our sins. We should fear letting God down, the toughest part about that statement is that we are all going to let Him down on a day to day basis because of our sins. When we fear the Lord this is the beginning of knowledge. As a Christian there is only one available source as to where to gain knowledge of God, and that is our in Bibles. God’s word is a living word according to Hebrews 4:12. According to the verse God’s word “pierces to the deepest asunder of our souls” which means it gives us knowledge, wisdom, conviction, and correction which are all essential to our walk with Christ.

The later part of this verse is maybe the toughest part to swallow. We all want to live our own lives and figure things out on our own, however we need to give our battles to God. When we walk away from God’s wisdom and instruction (which comes from the Bible) we severely damage our walk with Christ as this makes it easier for Satan to drag us down into this world and away from Jesus Christ. By t

he way, according to 1 Peter 5:8 that’s what Satan’s goal is “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” While Satan seeks to destroy our walk, God desires to enhance and guide our walk. According to our verse in Proverbs the only people who are unwise are those who are afraid of God’s correction. Don't conform to the things the world is telling us to do when God has called us to be transformed and be different (Romans 12:2)

Oh and by the way, after I shot my dad a bird and he gave me the worst whipping of my life, I’ve never shot a bird at anybody again. I learned my lesson in the most painful way, but that correction has helped me from making some foolish decisions. God’s word is our guideline, lifeline, and lamp that leads us through the darkness of this world. Don't be afraid of God’s correction because ultimately He is guiding you to a life better lived with Him.

Questions we need to ask ourselves:

Am I walking as close as I should be with God?

What can I do to improve my walk with God today?

Prayer: “Lord please correct us through your living word. Help me to walk a closer walk to you and to let people see you living through me.”