July 22, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"Hang onto God's every Word!"
Proverbs 1:7
New International Version
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
No wonder there are so many fools around. If to be wise we must be afraid of God and sit in the corner all day for being naughty, not many are going to choose that option! Nor is the connection between fear and discipline lost on most folks. How many times have parents disciplined a child and then said, "I put the fear of the Lord in him"? Yet there is no reason why fear or discipline need have negative connotations. Consider how we use the word discipline in any number of positive ways. Athletes, for instance, willingly discipline their bodies, hoping to win medals. And scholars discipline their minds to learn how to think more sharply. By definition, discipline is never easy or terribly exciting, but only a fool would rob himself of its proven benefits.
Fear can actually be our friend. It keeps us from crossing busy streets to our peril or jumping from a plane without a parachute. Fear also has various connotations. The fright we experience when watching a horror film is different from fearing an approaching tornado or fearing the demise of our nation. So to fear the Lord doesn't mean we must quake in our boots with dread. By contrast, the fear of God that begets knowledge is a fear which manifests such profound respect for God's authority that one dare not question his word on any matter. Because God's word is true without exception, only a fool would prefer to be deceived. So if you really want to be wise, discipline yourself to hang onto God's every word!
The question for all potential fools is: Do I boldly claim to fear the Lord, yet listen only superficially to his Word and avoid spiritual discipline if at all possible?
