Scripture Passage

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Big Idea

The starting point to be able to live skillfully is having a relationship with the Lord that is marked by reverence.

Devotional Reading

The motto for the entire Book of Proverbs is Proverbs 1:7, which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

By having a relationship with the Lord that is marked by reverence and even awe, we’re in a position to listen to and learn from the One Who made and designed the universe. That allows Him to teach us the life-skills necessary for effective living.

On the other hand, fools assume they come prepackaged with all the insight and skill they’ll ever need to handle life effectively. They sneer at the mere thought of needing to be trained to live well.

“What’s wrong with me?”, I’d ask myself. As long as I can remember, I would get mad at myself whenever I didn’t intuitively know how to do something or didn’t learn how to do it quickly. Getting into Proverbs, or, rather letting it get into me, has taught me that we don’t come prepackaged with the ability to live well and handle the potholes and other challenges that life throws our way. In fact, Proverbs has taught me that I came prepackaged with the false assumption that I intuitively know best how to live my life. Time and experience point to the need to be trained by someone wiser and more experienced than I am. Proverbs 1:7 explains that this someone is the Lord Himself.

I’ve learned that He is the only One Who can build in me the skill and the character essential to live in harmony with the way He designed the universe. Ultimately, only He knows us inside and out and knows what we need to fulfill the purposes for which He brought us into the world. What I’ve discovered is that by bowing my heart before Him in acknowledgment of His sovereignty and right to teach me gets me off on the right foot.

Proverbs 1:7 gives me hope that, though I am still in process and haven’t arrived in any way, shape, or form, the sovereign God of the universe is at work in me — instructing, training, and crafting His character in me to be able to gain the skill of living. With a world filled with so many confusing options, Proverbs 1:7 reduces life to a binary choice of wisdom or folly. That choice is up to us — today, each day, and every day.

Questions for Reflection

1. Why does it seem that life is an uphill struggle?
2. What is involved in a relationship with the Lord that is marked by reverence and awe?
3. Why is personal character the primary skill necessary to live life well?

Introduction to Proverbs

Welcome to Imprints, which was created to foster a deeper sense of connection among those in our church family. One way to do that is to share how God is using His Word to slowly transform His people from the inside out. Imprints is a devotional written each week by a different member of our church family. We’ll start with the Book of Proverbs, and since we’ll be teaching chapters 1-9 in our Sunday morning services this spring, Imprints will cover chapters 10-31. We hope you’ll take the time each week to read through the devotional and consider the questions for the week.

To gear up for the next week’s devotional, you may want to read the entire chapter from the Book of Proverbs which will be covered that week. Whether you read the devotional alone, as a couple, or as a family, we hope you’ll feel a spiritual connection with the person who shares a part of their journey each week in Imprints.

The Book of Proverbs is written in an ancient style filled with statements about the reality of life on earth. Its insights are offered that we might choose to let God lead us in the way of wisdom, while avoiding the short-sighted way of foolishness. Proverbs are not heaven’s promises to claim, but insights designed to teach us the skill of living wisely.