The Overriding Necessity for Christians to achieve Wisdom and Understanding through the Fear of the Lord!

30 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 28:28.        And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding.

Good ole Wednesday is up friends! Hope you’re ready to catch your second wind. (smile) And thankfully, it doesn’t seem like today is going to be as hot as the last few days. There’s even a small cloud cover to retract some of the heat. I know it’s been somewhat rough with all the heat and the attendant problems it brings, but if you’re walking with and living for Jesus, we know you’ll handle the situation with great aplomb (smile) because He gives us the strength and the wherewithal to do so. Bless His holy name!

So what are we going to talk about today eh? Who knows? Let me open the Good Library and see what it advises. And lo, and behold, I opened it, and it opened unto the Book of Job, unto an interesting passage of scripture that many of us don’t know. It speaks of the Price of Wisdom. And according to the scholars, ‘Job Chapter 28 is one of the most beautiful poems on wisdom found in the scriptures. After describing how laboriously man works to extract the ores and precious metals from the earth (vs. 1-11), Job raises the ultimate question of the sufferer: where shall wisdom be found? (vs. 12)’

And that’s where we’ll begin. So please read with me: ‘But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price (value) thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth (deep) saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for (pure) gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels (vessels) of fine (pure) gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls (quartz or crystal): for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.’ (Job 28:12-19)

Ah friends, it seems that none of earth’s valuables can purchase those marvellous attributes of wisdom and understanding. No sir! They cannot be purchased with earthly wealth. So where then are they found? That’s Job’s next question. ‘Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close (concealed) from the fowls of the air (heaven). Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof (the report of it) with our ears.’ (Job 28:20-22) So if no one knows where wisdom and understanding come from, but even death and destruction have heard of it, then what’s man to do?

 Job then tells us the source of wisdom and understanding. ‘God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven: To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree (set a limit) for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder (thunderbolt): Then did he see it (wisdom), and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding.’ (Job. 28:23-28)

Yes friends, those are the issues of wisdom and understanding, and they only come through the Lord God Almighty! And the sooner we recognize and appreciate that, the sooner we will become more effective in our witness for Christ.  And as the scholars tell us, ‘wisdom and understanding are only conveyed through the controlling factor of the fear of the Lord. This concept of the fear of the Lord unites all the wisdom books  (cf. Prov. 1:7; Eccl. 12:13)’ And we do know those scriptures: Proverbs 1:7, tells us: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning (the principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’

And what’s the fear of the Lord you ask? The scholars explain: ‘The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner. The beginning does not mean that the fear of the Lord is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’ So now you know about the beginning and the fear of the Lord. (smile)

Then the verses from Ecclesiastes tells us: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) And yuh know what my brethren, if Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever says it’s so, then it’s so! No ifs and buts about it. He had the time, the resources and the knowledge to check it all out.

Therefore, we’d better be careful of our earthly doings, for God will bring everything we do to judgement eventually… and we won’t be able to make any simpering excuses then. No, we will have to stand our bounce. So please lets’ wise up now, and begin living the way we ought to. Or, as the scholars point out: ‘God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all of life should be the fear of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation. The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’

And Judgement Day will surely come my people! There’s no doubt about that, so please, let’s get prepared! And for those of us who are trying our best to do so, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Furthermore, it’s been promised that all who endure to the end with Jesus, will enjoy a future so glorious that the human mind cannot imagine or comprehend. So let’s be wise; fear the Lord and endure to the very end, so that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…wisdom dictates…that if we’re to fear…the most obvious Being to fear…is our Creator and Controller…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2019 Isaiah 26:3.

22 Jun 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Isaiah 26:3.   ​Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.
 

Oh, it was a pretty good official beginning of summer yesterday! It wasn’t hot, hot, hot, (smile) but it was sunny and a decent temperature, somewhere in the low twenties. But according to the weatherman, it’s going to be warm and rainy the next week or so, even with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure! But that’s nothing new! It’s been the norm for the last li’l while. (smile) 

So we can handle it with great aplomb, just like we handle everything else the enemy throws at us, with Jesus’ help of course, as we confidently declare. Chuh man! It looks like I can’t spell the word ‘declare’ and it’s various parts even if my life depended upon it! But I spelt it right there though! Glory be! So let’s declare then (right ho!). ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) 

Now that’s the only reason why we are able to handle life and all its complexities with great aplomb; because of the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives, operating as the Holy Spirit. Glory to God for his wonderful doings in the lives of the children of men! But enough suh-so suh-so, (smile) some people are waiting this glorious looking Saturday morning to hear what our friend Anselm had to say in his quotes this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Hear this first one: ‘When you assume negative intent, you’re angry. If you take away that anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Your emotional quotient goes up because you are no longer almost random in your response.’ Now that’s mostly true. I think though that the first line should read: ‘When you’re angry, you assume negative intent,’ because when you’re negative it doesn’t always mean that you’re angry. You can certainly be negative without being angry. But making a decision when you’re angry is the worst thing you can do. The only decision to make then is to decide to make none at all! 

Then there’s this one that fits into the same category as the last. ‘People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom.’ For sure! Our society certainly focuses too much on what’s wrong, rather than on what’s right, on what we’ve lost, rather than on what we still have! That only leads us to being perpetrators of an overall doom and gloom attitude, which just drives us further down into the mire of life. 

We need to be as positive as we can in this life, and Christians should be the most positive people on the planet because we have the best life, both here on earth and in the future going for us with Jesus Christ at the helm! But unfortunately, in too many instances, Christians turn out to be some of the most negative and feeling sorry for themselves people on the planet. 

But here is a practical circumstance that many of us fall into because of our wallowing in negative thinking. ‘Stop allowing yourself to focus on depressing life circumstances – including focusing on being depressed about your weight. All this negative focus will only lead you to feeling bummed and wanting to pig out. Instead, consciously focus on happy life circumstances you enjoy doing, and create more of them.’ 

Now this sense of weight insecurity is rampant in our society today, and granted many of us need to lose a lot of weight because there are definitely too many overweight and obese people in our society. But the right way to go about it is not to get overly worried and negative since that attitude will only make matters worse. The most important thing there is to first accept the fact that you are overweight and seriously decide to do something about it, without putting yourself down. 

Because, here’s what happens when we give into the negative circumstances in life: ‘Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Remember the battlefield for our souls is our minds, and once the enemy is able to inject one false or negative thought there, then it’s downhill all the way after that! 

And that’s why Isaiah so rightly and wisely proclaimed in his hymn of praise: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ Yeh friends, when we keep our focus on God, He keeps our minds in good, positive and godly functioning. 

That’s also why Jesus recommended to the throng during the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) The Lord knows what we need and want before we even do, and He’s sincerely and faithfully promised that if we keep Him first in our lives, make Him the Number ONE priority, then He will look after us in spades! 

Likewise, Bruh Paul told the Philippians thus: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7) And that my friends is wisdom of the utmost proportions! 

And we’ll close with these marvellous words of truth from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) Please my people, let’s use that sound mind that God has given us nuh! Much LOVE!

…for ALL anxiety…the antidote is…simply prayer with thanksgiving…