Proverbs
1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise
wisdom and discipline.
It's funny how our minds were designed. Simple statements can become mantras we remember forever - they are "proverbs" of life. Some fun "proverbs" that my family taught me:
- If mamma ain't happy, then nobody is happy!
- Nothing happens until you start.
- Cleanliness is next to Godliness (I was never too sure about this one... :)
- God helps those who help themselves (well.... sometimes anyways).
- Don't confuse activity with accomplishment.
- Inward pity never creates outward gain (a good one from a friend of mine).
Proverbs are powerful reminders that there are principles in life we will benefit from if we just apply them in our lives. And so the assembler of the book of Proverbs starts off talking about wisdom, because it is the root reason why we would record these sayings. The writer quotes a proverb that is at the core of all faith, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning". Before we will ever consider what God has to say, we have to sense a healthy fear of what He can do.
Fear is not always a bad thing. Some fears are actually healthy. It's not healthy to fear possibilities, but very healthy to fear realities. One reality is the damage a hot stove can do to skin. Another reality is the impact that can happen from falling off a ledge. There are many realities that are healthy to be cautious of. And the greatest reality is in knowing what can happen when created beings disobey their creator (hint ... it's NOT GOOD!).
Fearing Mamma can be healthy when based on a reality of what she will do when she's upset. I learned that the hard way as a young child in the grocery store, when she proved she had no problem spanking me in public when I was acting up. (Don't fret, it was definitely justified!) Fearing our boss can be healthy when we prefer to waste our work time doing personal tasks, or prefer to sleep instead of working the hours we were assigned. And fearing God is definitely healthy when we consider the reality of what happens with sinners. Better to fear Him and deal with the reality.
Healthy fear makes us pay attention to the realities. And fearing the Lord in a healthy way makes us listen more to His Word, obey His Commands, follow His Principles, and listen to His Whispers. The fear is a positive motivator to investigate and KNOW the reality better. Fools, on the other hand, ignore the reality. They are so focused on their own agendas that they skip over the truth of the realities ahead. That leads to discovering the pain of the reality. It's inevitable. Ignoring discipline is eventually more painful than embracing it.
A maturing person learns to look at reality and discern the difference. Fearing the reality leads to life... Fooling around leads to death. All of us wrestle with these choices every day, and hopefully get wiser at choosing to fear the realities properly.
How are you doing on that these days? Fearing God leads to seeking His wisdom - does your life reflect that in your disciplines? Fearing God makes us choose to obey His commands - how's your obedience level? Does God see you acting like a healthy "Fearer" or a simple "Fool".
Make the decision for this month to try having a little Healthy Fear. Adjust your disciplines and schedules to start showing fear for the right realities. See what happens when we start to seek some wisdom on how to handle the realities of this life.
It's funny how our minds were designed. Simple statements can become mantras we remember forever - they are "proverbs" of life. Some fun "proverbs" that my family taught me:
- If mamma ain't happy, then nobody is happy!
- Nothing happens until you start.
- Cleanliness is next to Godliness (I was never too sure about this one... :)
- God helps those who help themselves (well.... sometimes anyways).
- Don't confuse activity with accomplishment.
- Inward pity never creates outward gain (a good one from a friend of mine).
Proverbs are powerful reminders that there are principles in life we will benefit from if we just apply them in our lives. And so the assembler of the book of Proverbs starts off talking about wisdom, because it is the root reason why we would record these sayings. The writer quotes a proverb that is at the core of all faith, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning". Before we will ever consider what God has to say, we have to sense a healthy fear of what He can do.
Fear is not always a bad thing. Some fears are actually healthy. It's not healthy to fear possibilities, but very healthy to fear realities. One reality is the damage a hot stove can do to skin. Another reality is the impact that can happen from falling off a ledge. There are many realities that are healthy to be cautious of. And the greatest reality is in knowing what can happen when created beings disobey their creator (hint ... it's NOT GOOD!).
Fearing Mamma can be healthy when based on a reality of what she will do when she's upset. I learned that the hard way as a young child in the grocery store, when she proved she had no problem spanking me in public when I was acting up. (Don't fret, it was definitely justified!) Fearing our boss can be healthy when we prefer to waste our work time doing personal tasks, or prefer to sleep instead of working the hours we were assigned. And fearing God is definitely healthy when we consider the reality of what happens with sinners. Better to fear Him and deal with the reality.
Healthy fear makes us pay attention to the realities. And fearing the Lord in a healthy way makes us listen more to His Word, obey His Commands, follow His Principles, and listen to His Whispers. The fear is a positive motivator to investigate and KNOW the reality better. Fools, on the other hand, ignore the reality. They are so focused on their own agendas that they skip over the truth of the realities ahead. That leads to discovering the pain of the reality. It's inevitable. Ignoring discipline is eventually more painful than embracing it.
A maturing person learns to look at reality and discern the difference. Fearing the reality leads to life... Fooling around leads to death. All of us wrestle with these choices every day, and hopefully get wiser at choosing to fear the realities properly.
How are you doing on that these days? Fearing God leads to seeking His wisdom - does your life reflect that in your disciplines? Fearing God makes us choose to obey His commands - how's your obedience level? Does God see you acting like a healthy "Fearer" or a simple "Fool".
Make the decision for this month to try having a little Healthy Fear. Adjust your disciplines and schedules to start showing fear for the right realities. See what happens when we start to seek some wisdom on how to handle the realities of this life.
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