Wisdom Series – “Wisdom in Contrast”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the  knowledge of the holy is understanding.” To explain the ” fear of the Lord,” it would be anything but fear. The word would be better translated as reverence, awe, or wonder. Especially in light of the Cross. This is an added dimension to my life that completely separates me from everyday living. I filter all values, all desires and actions, all relationships and speech through this filter. This changes everything. As I grow in my awe of God there is not a dimension of my life that is not affected and or changed, and rightly so. To be in awe of God is to be rightly related to heaven and earth.  It’s when we allow ourselves to become enamored with the world that we get ourselves in trouble.There is no higher conscienceness than to walk in the reverence of the Lord. 

Furthermore when we are living in the awe of God verses such as the ones in I Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” And, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” ( I Cor. 7:23) are life changing. How do these two verses with one single message affect you?  If you struggle with insecurity or fear,  you need to mediate on these verses. If you feel valueless, lost or lonely you need to mediate on this verse. To the degree that these verses  are experientially known by you, is to the degree you will be freed from these human emotions and free from the fear or opinions of man. To truly know that I belong to Him, that I am His concern removes so much weight and worry from my shoulders. It doesn’t mean that I (you) will not have problems, it means that their is purpose in all that comes our way. There is not a trial or difficulty that if brought to Him will not have a righteous work in our life.

The Christian life is not for those who seek the comforts of this life. The Christian life is not for those who always want to be in control. The Christian life is also not for those who seek only their good. The Christian life is for those who despite all self achievement are still sensitive enough to sense a lack. Much like the rich young ruler. He had everything and he knew the law and obeyed it yet he was honest enough with himself to sense a lack or an emptiness within ( Matt.19: 16-25)!. “The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”   We all have this  lack within, it works “behind the scenes.” It is the voice inside that says,” if only I had this I’d be happy, or if I married him or her I’d be happy.” It’s that internal motor inside that drives us forward to achieve, “If I could achieve this or become that I could finally be happy.” The proverbial carrot that stays just out of reach and even when we achieve our goal our satisfaction is short lived, especially compared to how long it took us to achieve it. Though the story of the rich young ruler is over 2,000 years old, man’s internal  wiring has not changed. We were made by God to experience relationship and life with God. 

For those of us who are tired of  treading on the same old tread mill called “life governed by the flesh” we are great candidates for a life of faith. For those of us who have felt the bondage of materialism (or any other bondage), we too are great candidates for a life of faith. For in God’s  heart you are truly valuable and precious and He brings freedom to a life that was self consuming. It is a new dimension that God brings, a life now in fellowship with Him because you have trusted in Christ. We are all broken vessels because of sin, only in Christ do we have access to the Eternal Love of the Father, which brings healing. The road is so clear, yet we confuse it with all these different beliefs that have some truth but deny the way thereof. They are still man’s efforts to reach an unattainable God. It’s the same old sugar just a different flavor that has trapped man for the centuries. A cover up for a heart that really doesn’t want to deal with the truth, “I am a sinner and I need to be forgiven and saved.” Why this is so hard to admit about ourselves when it is so apparent on so many levels? Man cannot ” un- sin himself. He can ignore it, seek to reason it away, but it is a stain deep in our character, in our thoughts and at the heart of our soul. And because of it man cannot attain God like status. He will never be holy, but God has reached out to man through Christ Jesus and  through Christ Jesus man can experience a life with God, but this is the only way and it is a wonderful way, the way it was meant to be since creation,  “For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth…” “For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken(Proverbs 3:26). That works for me.

The wisest man that ever lived, King Solomon had disobeyed God completely and utterly as he pursued all vices, lust, and learning in his pursuit to understand life as opposed to just being obedient to God. The things he allowed became the beginnings of Israel’s downfall. However in his ending years he summed up all his madness, all his ventures and all his learning in one simple statement in Ecclesiates 12:-13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Or the International Standard Version,” Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is what it means to be human.”