Proverbs 1:7 (CEB)

Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.


Reflection

Foolishly, I have argued with my GPS, believing I know better on how to drive to a place I’ve never been. I’m so convinced I know where I’m going, but I usually end up lost or far from my destination. It’s a teachable moment. Have you ever experienced a moment of absolute clarity? Maybe it happened when you were completely convinced that what you believed about a person or a situation turned out to be completely wrong, and it was only through someone else’s insight that you became aware of your error. It may have seemed that up to that point you had been completely blinded to the reality of the situation. You may have felt foolish, but you learned from that experience and it became a teachable moment.

The Proverbs provide us with teachable moments and speak to situations that we encounter in daily life. This Proverb tells us the source of all wisdom is from God, the foundation of all truth. When we have fear of the Lord, it means we’re in right relationship with God and that we are teachable. We open our hearts and minds to receive God’s wisdom about how to live rightly, towards God and each other. When we are foolish, we often rely on our own understanding, rather than relying on God’s wisdom, and we get lost and end up far from the destination that God wants for us.

When we seek God’s wisdom, we acknowledge that God is Creator of all and we are God’s children. We know God’s character is holy, righteous, sovereign, merciful and loving. We love and trust God because God keeps God’s promises. We worship God with holy awe and praise for the loving gift of salvation through Jesus. God loves us, and has given us Jesus as our wise example to follow. We learn to bow our will to God’s will and to be conformed to Christ, inviting others to experience God’s grace and love. We share the good news and make disciples for the transformation of the world. This is our experience of God’s wisdom.

Yet there’s a paradox here, because as we conform our lives to be more like Jesus and grow in grace and follow God’s wisdom, we look foolish to the world. We look weak when the world sees us turning the other cheek, loving our enemy and caring for those who are marginalized. The Apostle Paul perfectly explains this paradox saying, “Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”(1 Cor. 1:25) In God’s eyes, it is the world that is foolish and un-teachable.

By Jeneene Reduker


For Pondering & Prayer

Finding clarity comes with prayer and discernment as we listen in silence for God to lead us. Do you approach God with reverent and loving awe? Are your heart and mind teachable and open to God’s wisdom? Do you find yourself relying on your own understanding rather than God’s wisdom? The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives helping us to conform our will to God’s will, today look for your teachable moment.

Prayer: God of love and wisdom, we love you, we praise you and we want to conform our will to your will. Send your Spirit, Lord, to open our hearts and our minds, to see with clarity those daily teachable moments as we follow the example of our Savior. Amen.