YOU CAN BE REALLY WISE
PROVERBS 9:10-11
PROVERBS 9:10-11 NKJ
10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
OBSERVATION:
Don't disconnect on me. Don't assume that this passage does not pertain to you because school was never your thing. Or even worse, you consider yourself to be dull and slow.
I am not talking about being smart. I certainly have nothing against being smart, but we all know smart people who have made a huge mess of their lives.
What we are talking about in this passage is being wise. The ability to live life with discernment and understanding. To be able to make decisions that do not end in disaster.
In an uncertain world, smart alone will not cut it. We need wisdom, and this passage tells us where wisdom starts and what it does.
The fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins. This is not being afraid that God is going to punish you. Rather, fear of the Lord is a deep reverence and respect for Him. Wisdom begins as we believe God is real, that He created the heavens and the earth, and that He is our maker.
One of Satan's greatest lies is that a belief in God is for intellectually deficient people. Nope, not true. Belief and respect for God is for spiritually wise people.
And knowledge of the Holy One, God, is understanding. The more we know of God and His ways, the more we are able to see and discern what is going on around us.
And the beautiful thing about godly wisdom is that it adds to us. Productive days and longer life.
APPLICATION:
The fear of God and the knowledge of Him will cause us to live differently.
I have now reached the age where I can say this is not my first rodeo. I have been around the block a few times. I have walked life's road and every other cliche that indicates I am past the flower of youth.
But I can see where godly wisdom and an understanding of God's ways have saved me untold heartache and trouble. And it is heartache and trouble that subtract from our lives and make our days hard. I have never lived trouble-free, but I have not walked through trouble alone.
I do not claim to be a genius. But I am growing in godly wisdom. That wisdom will pay off in this life and the one to come.