God is not your 'homeboy'

Today's Word is from Proverbs 9:10 AMP

"The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshipping and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence]".

AMEN.

If any of you are like me who needs daily wisdom in life, James 1:5 encourages us to ask for wisdom and says, "if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Today's verse for the day reminds us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. I like the Bible CEV translation which says, "Respect and obey the LORD! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God" (Proverbs 9:10). I must confess when asking God for wisdom, it never occurred to me that respecting and fearing God would be the starting point and foundation of wisdom. Usually the word fear has a negative connotation but in this case the fear of God maybe synonymous with awe. The Cambridge dictionary defines awe as "a feeling of great respect usually mixed with fear or surprise." Awe in Hebrew means "yirah directly translated into fear of the Lord and can also mean respect, reverence and worship" (Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries). One of the truths that always leaves me in awe and fear of God is how He knew each and every one of us before we were formed in our mother's wombs (Jeremiah 1:5). Surely, we ought to respect and fear the Father who knew us before our parents ever knew us.

There is a story of a man in the Bible named Job. All his ways pleased God as he loved Him and God loved Him too. However, one day the enemy asked for God's permission to take all of Job's possessions, his children through death (Job 1:13-19). Later, his health was also attacked with painful boils all over his body (Job 2:7) which devastated Job and made him feel forgotten by God. In fact Job longed to be able to question God about the painful circumstances he was experiencing at the time (Job 23:1-5) because he felt it was unfair.

God came in the form of a whirlwind and responded to Job, "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? surely, you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7). Of course, Job did not have the answers but these questions instead invoked Job's awe and reverent fear of God as he realized God's sovereignty and greatness which led to his repentance.

In Job 42:4-5 Job responds to the LORD and says, "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." After Job had displayed this wisdom before God, the LORD blessed and restored the latter days of Job with twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).

Often times, we may throw God into a conversation we are having with colleagues, family and friends which is awesome. However, with what intention are we referencing God, the Father's name. Is it to give His name glory (which is also a part of wisdom), or casually referencing His name as your 'homeboy' only to use profane language a few sentences later? Friend, God is sovereign, He is alive and living, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Ancient of days, Jehovah Jireh, El Roi, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who also created every living thing including you, the universe, sun and moon. There is literally nothing worthy of worship and respect like the Almighty God. When you meditate and think of God's greatness, immediately everything becomes insignificant and vanishes to nothing because He is above everything and every situation in life.

In Revelation 22:13, God is referred to as the "...the beginning and the end..." and the recognition of this truth sums up the reverent fear of God. He is most assuredly not your home boy. In the same breath, this is not to take away from anyone's personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. However, I'm sure you would agree that most of us would not address our parents as 'homeboy' (especially to their face). If we have that much respect for dads, then how much more for God who divinely orchestrated the relationship between your father and you.

My prayer for you today is for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you multiple ways you can obtain God's wisdom and to always marvel in your heart about the Father's greatness and as you do this may every situation before you decrease and continue to bow down to your reverent fear of Him now and all the days of your life In Jesus Name.

I'll end with this Word in Proverbs 9:11 AMP

"For by me (wisdom from God) your days will be multiplied,

And years of life shall be increased."

AMEN.

If you would like to know this God who will never leave nor forsake you, who loves you with an everlasting love before you ever loved Him and has given you eternal life through the faith of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ - whose faithful promises are yes and amen, I invite you to make this confession, "I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour today and forever."

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17). To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

As a new believer, I urge you to let your Pastor know that you took the confession of faith or if you don't have one, become a part of a church. I also encourage you to get water baptised as soon as possible and get yourself a physical copy of the Bible or download the Bible app on your mobile in case you don't already own one! If you have taken the confession of faith and would also like a physical copy of the Bible, please send us an email at info@bibleversionoflife.com with your address. We would love to hear your story. GOD BLESS.