One-minute read.
To gain wisdom, one must first respect God. As a child, when my parents gave me instructions, I didn’t always understand why, and I would question them. “Why do I have to do that?”
“Because I said so!”
Their typical response just made me mad and didn’t help me understand anything. But as I grew and started rebelling, I learned lessons the hard way. I came to realize they had my best interests at heart and didn’t want me to suffer pain.
In the same way, I came to respect God’s word the more I applied it to my life. After trying to live life my way and finding myself in a pit, I realized my approach didn’t work. And so, I picked one of God’s laws and began living by it: no sex before marriage.
And boy did God teach me, and quickly, the benefit of not giving myself away to someone who didn’t care for me and had my best interest at heart. I learned that applying the Lord’s commands to my life protected me from myself and the poor decisions I made.
And that’s how I began to respect the Lord, by applying His word to my life and reaping the benefits of obedience to Him. God blesses us when we do what He wants, seeking His will above our own. You must obey to realize the truth of those words.
We don’t need to know the “why” behind God’s commands to reap the benefits of them. Respecting the Lord with reverential fear leads us down the path of wisdom, right living, and peace that surpasses all understanding.
Journal Questions:
What kind of respect do you have for God?
What makes you question God’s commands?
What one command can you apply to your life today?
Prayer:
Lord,
Thank You for caring about us and giving us guidelines to help us navigate through life in this world. Please help us develop a reverential fear for You and discover the path to wisdom that we find in Your word. Bless our efforts, guide our steps, and help us live life to the fullest.
IJNIP.
Amen
