Proverbs 1

I have decided to go through the book of Proverbs. I am going to give my elaboration on a few verses, but I recommend you read all of the first chapter today, since it's the first of the month. In preparing for today's message I read several different translations. I have decide to go with The Message translation since it's written in "today's" language.

"These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David's son, Israel's king— Written down so we'll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it's going; A manual for living, for learning what's right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There's something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn— Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." Proverbs 1:1-7

I think it's important for us to start at the beginning. These first few verses explain the reason for this book of the bible. I have often heard people state they wish life came with an instruction book or a manual. The reality is, according to what we just read, life does come with a manual. Most of everything we need to know about how to live can be found within the book of Proverbs. This is our reference guide for life. Whether you are young and inexperienced or older with years of life under your belt, the Bible is still needed to learn and grow. There is infinite wisdom found within just this one book alone. As the verse above states, "there is FRESH wisdom to probe and penetrate." The word becomes alive when we take the time to examine and allow God to speak to us. When we dive deeper, they are no longer simply words on a page. They begin to breathe and pulsate with the heartbeat of God. They dance around us and even when our time of reflection is over, they continue to sing over us. When we take the time to breath in the fragrance of God's inspired word, we find the beautiful scent lingers on us as we go throughout our day. This is the perfume that fills us when life becomes stinky!

It is key that we do not overlook the command given in verse 7. I want to take this verse by itself for contemplation:

"Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning"

Everything we do is pointless if we do not start with God. We can do a myriad of great humanitarian efforts or give away millions of dollars, but none of it matters if we have not first started with God. Not just in learning about Him, but in bowing down to Him. I know atheists who have prolific knowledge of scripture. They have studied more about God than I probably ever will in my life. However, their head knowledge about God amounts to nothing. They have their knowledge because they are seeking wisdom in their flesh, but until there is a bowing and submission of their lives to God, nothing will make sense. It is only through God that we can begin to gain true wisdom. God wisdom is the wisdom that confounds the world. It's the ability to love someone the world says we should hate. God wisdom is forgiving the "unforgivable" because we recognize how much God has forgiven us. God learning is when we recognize the patterns in our lives that are unhealthy and we learn to choose differently. God learning is when we hear His voice and act in a way that seems irrational, but after the action is taken, we see it all made perfect sense.

If there is only one thing you takeaway from this today, I pray it's that you would recognize the need for bowing and submission in your life. Are there areas you are holding onto that God is asking you to release? He is waiting for you to bow at His feet and lay that area at the altar. Only after this can we receive the wisdom and learning we so desperately need.