Upper Loft Meditation - Proverbs 1

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

New beginnings are shouted and whispered everywhere at the start of a new year. A new start is prompted by past shortcomings. But where is a good place to start in setting a more positive direction for 2007?

This is a great verse for such an assessment. There are two parts. The first part declares that the “fear of the Lord” is the starting picture. There was a little knob that you would turn and turn until the picture came into focus. Jumping up and down or ten-finger slams to the side of the TV never worked. It was all in the knob.

What is the “fear of the Lord?” It is bowing both mind and heart to almighty God. It is both the intellectual acknowledgment of the creator God and a passionate response to God’s love and mercy to you.

The second part characterizes the fool who by mind and action tries to repudiate the truth that God is the starting point. The fool has no time or interest in right thinking or being accountable. The fool wants to live life his or her own way. The fool says, “God, if he exists, has his world and I have my world!”

Which path will you take in 2007?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6