Verse of the Day - Proverbs 9:10

Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One. ~ Proverbs 9:10 (NIrV)

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It's interesting how people can attempt to understand the universe apart from God. Those that claim there is no God work so hard at contriving ways in which the universe and man himself arrived into existence. Big bang? Primordial soup? It seems ludicrous to me. But then again, I have knowledge of the Holy One.

Our hearts and minds are amazing pieces of virtual machinery, and psychologists have been trying for centuries to understand these great marvels. But how vain an attempt to conclude that man's heart and mind can achieve spiritual altitude on their own, that somehow we are the center of the universe, and perfection and divinity is within our inner grasp. When I hear people talk like that, I just shake my head in confusion. This thinking is not based on real understanding, but rather a godless pursuit of knowledge and spiritual attainment.

Here's the bottom line: The Almighty God is the source of all there is . . . all you can see, and all you can't. You can choose to believe it, or not. But that doesn't cease it to be the truth. So, if you desire understanding of how the universe and man were created, where should you go -- man, or God? If you desire to understand the psychological and spiritual side of yourself, where should you go -- man, or God?

The first part of this verse pretty much spells out the polarization in world views that we see all around us. "The fear (respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Those that give God the honor and glory that is rightly due Him are given wisdom and understanding from the Source of these things. Those that choose not to believe, not to respect, not to seek after God are taking a walk on the wild side, the dark side. And it's as if the lights have gone out on them...

They are so evil that they say no to the truth. The truth about God is plain to them. God has made it plain. Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do. They knew God. But they didn't honor him as God. They didn't thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark. They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.
~ Romans 1:18-22 (NIrV)

It's interesting that Wikipedia.com references this under "enlightenment": "In the Western philosophical tradition, enlightenment is seen as a phase in cultural history marked by a faith in reason, generally accompanied by rejection of faith in revealed or institutional religion." hmm...

If you are trying to understand life and yourself from the standpoint of human reason, I must warn you that you're barking up the wrong tree. God Himself is the keeper of all wisdom and understanding -- without acknowledging Him, you'll lack knowledge. But the great thing is that He loves to pour out the blessings of wisdom and understanding when people respect Him for Who He is, and seek Him out! He's not stingy or selective, as if you have to be a seminary student to get enlightenment from God. All He asks is that you recognize and respect Who He is for Who He really is...

I think you'll be amazed at how you see and understand the world when you look through Almighty God glasses -- life will come into focus, because God always sees 20/20.

Love,
Joelene