Psalm 111

Scripture

Psalm 111:10 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Observation and Understanding-What does it say and mean?

The world’s definition of wisdom is not God’s definition of wisdom. 

One of my favorite verses growing up was Proverbs 9:10-“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Because God is love, the word “fear” doesn’t imply being scared of Him. “There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18a. God is not manipulative and He doesn’t use scare tactics to keep relationship with us. He loves us deeply, but He is not an insecure Father either. Fear of God means reverence, honor and respect. Basically, I respect that You are God and You are in control and I am not. I respect that You are sovereign (of supreme power and authority) and I am not. I respect that You are Omniscient (all knowing) and I am not. I submit to what You want for my life, even though it may not be what I want or I understand it. 

According to God’s Word, the beginning of wisdom always starts with Him, not us. 

Life Application

Is our daily lives showing TRUE wisdom in the Lord?

We must change our mindset of what it means to be “wise” in this world. God’s definition of being wise has nothing to do with what job title we hold, how much experience we have in an area, what degree(s) we possess, how many followers on social media we have, how much money we have in the bank, how big our house is, what car we drive, etc. Just a disclaimer that having an education, influence and success is NOT bad at all, but when we define wisdom and ourselves through it and think we are better than others because of it, then we are being foolish with our thinking. 

When God came down as man in the form of Jesus, He didn’t come with any of that. He came in the form of a servant, fully submitted to His Father’s will for His life.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19

What are some ways that we can show TRUE wisdom in the Lord? (Hint: prayer, bible reading, journaling, having a grateful heart, serving others, giving generously, forgiving and not slandering, loving enemies, being faithful in our marriage and taking care of our home/kids, etc.)

-Michelle Gaddi