Day 6 - Week 50 - Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Let's take a quick look at what is currently on the New York Times Best Seller list for advice:

1. THE END OF ILLNESS, by David B. Agus with Kristin Loberg - a book to help us stay healthy always
2. TAKING PEOPLE WITH YOU, by David Novak - subtitled "Making Big Things Happen" and detailing out to get people to succeed with you by getting them aligned, enthusiastic and relentlessly focused
3. DELICIOUSLY G-FREE, by Elisabeth Hasselbeck - a book about scrumptiously satisfying gluten-free food!
4. PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH, by Charles Richards - which Donald Trump says is a, "pertinent and comprehensive view of the skills and mindset necessary for success. Prosperity can be achieved by anyone."
5. STRATEGY FOR YOU, by Richard Horwath - "In this book, world-renowned business strategist Rich Horwath provides a five-step plan for building a bridge to the life you want. Using the foundational principles of business strategy, Horwath lays out the five steps you can take to create a more fulfilling and successful life."

Now I am not saying these books are bad, or that they do not contain information that may spur us on to better health, larger bank accounts, and greater position in life.  We are to make the most of the lives we've been given...but there's something missing here...do you feel it?

What's missing is the base foundational truth that our verse is trying to get us to see...that without the fear of the Lord, none of these other books of "wisdom" will get us to where we really need to be.  You can have all the health, wealth and prestige that this world has to offer, and without putting God first in your life, you will have ultimate emptiness and eternal sorrow. 

For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  Luke 9:25

Before we strike out into researching all of the "how to" books written by man, don't you think it would be a good idea to have a really good understanding of God's great "how to" Book, His Word of truth, the Bible?  When we have His Word secured within us, then we can have a plumb line to compare everything else we may read to see if it contains true wisdom, or possibly deception planted by the Deceiver.  Don't be fooled into thinking that everything that is written is true and leading us into God's way...it isn't.  There are so many false teachings available to us today that can really pull us away from God's truths.  We need to be wise in His teaching first.

"It is one of life's strange turns that scholars ransack libraries looking for wisdom, while, perhaps the janitor has found it long ago!"  Vance Havner

Day 5 - Week 50 - Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Wouldn't it be nice if we had learned this verse when we were about...oh...6, and truly understood the impact it could have on our lives.  If we had missed those years of willfulness and stubbornness and self-pride?  What would your life look like now if you had always went God's way instead of striking out on your own?  I know I would have missed some bumps in the road (sometimes boulders), but more importantly than my earthly life having been easier, my transformation into Christ-likeness would be farther down the road.  My spiritual walk with God would be deeper.

The past is past and it is there for our reflection, not our condemnation.  If we have accepted God's gift of salvation through Jesus' blood shed for us on the cross, then our sins our forgiven and we bear them no more.  But if we are in that cleansed and forgiven state, then we are expected to now understand that we are to follow God's lead, to give up our self-direction, and to listen to His wisdom and instruction, rather than acting like worldly fools.  We are to seek His guidance in all decisions and then apply His wisdom to our lives.

When we start living our lives in submission to God, we will start seeing a difference in our trust of Him.  I read something the other day that just really struck home with me, "Worry is practical atheism."  Wow!  If we're spending our lives worrying, it's because we are not believing in a god who can handle our problems.  GOD can handle our problems!  If you believe in Him, if you understand that He is a God to be feared...that He is all powerful and absolutely able...then your need to worry has been eliminated.

I may no longer be 6 (add 50 to it and I'm there!), but I can start today knowing that my God is able and that my God has a way for my life that is the best way.  No longer will I stubbornly head out in my direction, only to regret it later.  I will ask God to lead me, to direct me, to guide me, and when need be to rope me in! 

Day 3 - Week 50 - Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Have you ever known someone who just will not listen to good advice?  Who has to do it their way no matter what?  I think we've all been that person at one time or another, but I'm pretty sure that's the picture of the fool that this verse paints.  What is it in us that makes us so stubbornly determined to do things our way?  It's the inner man that we struggle with our entire earthly life...the one that says "we rule."  Well God says we don't!  God says that when we understand that He is over all, including us, then we can start having some true knowledge of how life is really going to work for us.

Robert J. Morgan says, "God's wisdom has little to do with grades on a report card but everything with getting high marks in life.  It isn't just data accumulation or brainpower.  It is putting our knowledge to work in everyday life.  Thumb through the thirty-one chapters of Proverbs, and you'll find them packed with advice about working hard, eating wisely, watching how much we drink, guarding how much we speak, avoiding unhealthy friendships and immoral sexuality, treating people kindly, handling money well, and making good decisions in matters great and small."

Now that sounds like pretty practical wisdom, doesn't it?  I don't know about you, but I need some of that in my life. 

Just as James tells us in James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."  Why are we hesitant to ask God for His wisdom?  Could it be that we're afraid His wisdom won't match the direction we're already headed?  When I come to that point, I always have to stop and ask...

"OK, Janice, who are you going to trust?  Your track record or God's?  Do you want to trust your limited vision, or God's eternal vision, that can see this issue, not only from today's angle, but from the very beginning to the very end?"

When I put it that way, guess who always wins?  And when I ask for God's wisdom, guess who's never sorry?

Wishing you a day filled with godly wisdom!  Pray for it!

Day 2 - Week 50 - Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Yesterday I stated, "Without realizing that God is absolutely supreme, all powerful, all knowing, we can't even begin to understand any of His words."  Unintentionally, this statement provided the perfect lead in to what I wanted to focus on today..."the fear of the Lord."  Before we can have a good grasp on this verse, we need to understand what the fear of the Lord really means. 

Does it mean that we shake in our boots at the thought of God, afraid that He looks down with disgust and ready to shake His all-powerful fist at us, at the same time declaring His punishment for our latest transgression?   I think that is the view that some people have of God, and they do fear Him, or better put, they are scared to death of Him.  How do you ever form a positive relationship with someone that you have that kind of feelings toward?

When you look at the other places in the Old Testament where this word for fear (Hebrew "hary", pronounced yir-ah') is used, it is in the same context as when Abraham was in Egypt, and worrying about the beauty of Sarah, lied and said she was his sister instead of his wife.

"And Abraham said, 'Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place....' " 

What does that indicate to you?  Couldn't you just as easily slip in the word "respect"?   What Abraham was saying was, "These people do not care about God or about obeying God."
So let's start off by saying that the fear of God is the absolute awe-filled reverence and respect we have for God...He is like no other.  There is nothing that compares to Him.  As I stated yesterday, when we fear God we recognize His absolute supremacy, His absolute power, His absolute knowledge and wisdom.  Until we do that, we cannot begin to understand any of the knowledge that He is ready to share with us.

"The fear of God is....astonished reverence.  I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most satisfying emotion the human soul can know."  A. W. Tozer

Beautiful!

Day 1 - WEEK 50!! It's official - at the midpoint of our journey!!

Can you believe it?  This week we will have 50 verses stored (OK, if you're like me you may say semi-stored!), in our memories.  As I've said before, don't feel badly if you can't recite all 50 in a row...go back and review sections and try to get them firmly re-established.  We've covered a lot of ground, and there's no need to give up just because every verse isn't secured.  I've already figured out that at the end of the trip, I will need to go back and probably spend 1-2 weeks on each section, solely concentrating on those verses, to get them truly anchored in this ol' brain of mine!  Kind of like looking at you pictures after a great trip, just so you'll remember everything a little clearer for a little longer!

Since we are at the midpoint, let's look at ALL 50 verses so far...

The Four Corners of the Bible: (4)
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us; we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from God full of grace and truth."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the word that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

The Romans Road to Salvation: (5)
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 "But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 12:1 "Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

The Gift of Scripture: (6)
2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correction, for training in righteousness."
Joshua 1:8, "This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth, you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do."
Psalm 119:11, "I have treasured Your words in my heart that I may not sin against You."
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Listen, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. These words I am giving you today are to be in your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:7 Repeat them to your children, talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Hebrews 14:12 The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints and marrow. It is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

The Gift of Prayer (3)

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him, whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

The Gift of Assurance (10)

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and that life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12-13 The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn't have the Son of God, does not have life. I say these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life.

John 14:1 Your heart must not be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansion, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3 And if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you unto Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or afraid.

Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed . (KJV)

Isaiah 53:6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquities of us all.

Praise and Thanksgiving (4)

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Revelation 4:11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Promises of God (10)

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 3:-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.

Obedience (10)
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer.
Romans 12:18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (NKJV)

We have two more verses in our group of Obedience.  Jumping from Hebrews to Proverbs...in some ways it seems this should have been our very first verse, well...you'll see what I mean!

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Foundational, isn't it?  Without realizing that God is absolutely supreme, all powerful, all knowing, we can't even begin to understand any of His words.  And there's a lot more to discuss here as well. 

Going into the second half of our journey, I intentionally scheduled starting a new verse on Sunday.  I think starting each week with our verse is a better timetable...something to launch the week on.  Nothing better, is there?

Please keep going with me this second half...we are taking the best steps that can be taken in this journey of life.