WHERE WISDOM BEGINS

Wisdom does not begin with self-confidence. It begins with reverence. Scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, because a heart that sees God rightly begins to live rightly.

The fear of the Lord is not running from God as though He is cruel. It is holy awe. It is recognising that He is not small, casual, or to be treated as an addition to our plans. He is Lord.

When reverence fades, compromise becomes easier. We start asking, "How close can I get to sin?" instead of, "How can I honour God?" We may still use spiritual words, but the heart becomes careless.

Grace does not make God less holy. The cross shows both the depth of His love and the seriousness of sin. Jesus did not die so we could live casually; He died to redeem us and make us His own.

Ask God to restore holy reverence in you. Let worship become more than music. Let it shape your choices, your repentance, your words, and the way you treat His Word.

Isaiah 6:1-5 shows Isaiah seeing the Lord "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up," hearing "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts," and then crying, "Woe is me!" as he becomes aware of his own uncleanness. True reverence does not make us proud of our spirituality; it humbles us before the holiness of God. It brings us low, and then grace lifts us rightly.

The fear of the Lord also guards us from casual sin. When God becomes small in our eyes, disobedience becomes easier to excuse. But when we see Him as holy, faithful, righteous, and near, we begin to ask different questions. Not, "Can I get away with this?" but, "Does this honour the Lord who gave Himself for me?"

This is where wisdom begins. Not with knowing many things about God, but with bowing before Him. A reverent heart becomes teachable, and a teachable heart can be led.

Psalm 89:7 says God is "greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones," and "awesome above all who are around him." That does not cancel the tenderness of the Father; it keeps us from making Him small. The God who welcomes us is still holy.

Reverence also protects worship from becoming only emotion. We may feel deeply in worship, and that can be beautiful, but the proof of reverence is seen when the song ends and obedience begins. Holy awe should follow us into private choices.

Reverence will also change how we handle Scripture. We will not twist it to defend ourselves or ignore it when it presses on something we love. We will come under it, because the God who speaks through His Word is worthy to be obeyed.

Wisdom begins when God is honoured as God.