Daily Bible Challenge: Day 589 Psalms Chapter 111

I Love You Guys!

This chapter is long but has a story in it that I hope you read.  I'd like to focus on verse 10.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.”

If I may please paraphrase this verse I would say,

FEAR OF GOD = WISDOM, and

OBEDIENCE = UNDERSTANDING.

To put into practice these two truths, Fear of God and Obedience to God, results into a strong connection with the HOLY SPIRIT. God's wisdom and understanding comes to those whose hearts are for God and open to God. It comes to those who are attentive to his Spirit.

James 4:7-8 says, “Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

You see, submission to God and the pursuit of God opens the door to him coming to you and giving of Himself.

Chris worked in Corry and was a horrible person. He was disrespectful to his co-workers and his authorities. Eventually he was fired. He had a terrible attitude. Not a pleasant person to be around. Overtime he ended up getting saved. He gave his life to Jesus. His life changed. It changed drastically. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He grew in wisdom and understanding. He feared the Lord and was obedient to his Word. Several months later he went back to his job place to get rehired. At his interview they saw such a drastic change in his attitude and heart that they hired him. He became a great worker. He witnessed to the people at work. He wrote a newsletter weekly about the work of God and people were wanting to read it at his workplace. Then people outside his workplace wanted it, including myself. It was amazing the wisdom and understanding that was being displayed through him. He began speaking and preaching at churches and events. One day, Chris was deeply hurt by a church. He was deeply wounded. As a result, he regressed. He quit focusing on God. He did not fear God nor did he live for him in obedience. A church asked him to preach, not knowing he had stepped away from the Lord. But he accepted the invitation and Chris told me, the Spirit of God was not with him. He said the sermon was horrible. It was a wake up call from God. Since then, Chris is now walking with the Lord.

I've seen it and experienced that myself: to fear God and be obedient to his Word is to open the door to His Holy Spirit who draws near to us and teaches us and gives us wisdom and understanding that we can share with others.

I'm reminded of Acts chapter 4 when Peter and John were brought before the religious leaders. Peter and John spoke with such wisdom and authority and even healed a man in Jesus's name that the religious leaders were amazed at Peter and John because they were “unschooled.”

Wisdom and knowledge is not just something that comes to straight A students. Wisdom and knowledge is something that God can impart on anyone at any time. But the key to gaining that wisdom and understanding is the fear of the Lord and obedience to his Word. It's open to all: weak, strong, foolish, smart, unpopular, popular.