“THE PRINCIPAL PART OF WISDOM”

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For most people wisdom is an attainment through the educational process. If we can just acquire enough education of the right kind we will be a wise man or woman and people will look upon us as such. However, that is not how God assesses true wisdom. This may be human wisdom - but not true wisdom in the Biblical sense. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. In The Old Testament, wisdom is learning to live life skillfully. That is pretty much what it means in the New Testament, also. Wisdom is acquired of God (cf. James 1:5).

The fear of the Lord is not the kind of fear we usually think of (cf. 2 Tim 1:7). God’s people do not cringe before Him in abject dread. First of all we recognize who God is and all His attributes. Then we recognize and accept who we are in all our weakness. In coming to know this, we then come to see how small we are in His sight. We know that He holds our life in the palm of His hand, and that He can direct us in the way that He pleases. Our times are in His hands (cf. Ps 31:15).

This wonderful reality should cause us to stop and assess where we are in life. We are where we are because God in His wisdom has ordained it. One of the majestic things the fear of God will do for us is cause us to increase in wisdom. The fear of God teaches us to hate sin and evil and to avoid it at all costs.

So let me ask you in this pen pulpit, do you recognize who God is? Do you recognize and accept who you are in His eyes? Do you acknowledge His hand in your present circumstance and do you hate evil? If the answers to these questions is “yes”, then you have gained the principal part of wisdom. Let’s work on this together. God bless!

Love to you all.