Monday, January 1, 2024
Pause. Pray. Read. Be still. Write. Pray. Go about your day or turn in for the night.
Read: Proverbs 1:1-7 Wisdom
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7, NRSV)
Let’s kick off the new year focused on Wisdom. Proverbs begins with a clear purpose statement: to impart wisdom – that gift from God that gives us the ability to judge correctly and apply God’s truth to specific situations. Wisdom starts with our knowledge and fear of the Lord.
This fear is not fear of divine punishment but what John Wesley defined as “reverence and obedience to God.” Such reverence pours the foundation on which wisdom builds a godly life. Its structural piers are rooted in our love for God and our desire to be a faithful, maturing disciples of Jesus Christ.
Authentic fear of the Lord drives us to seek knowledge of Him and His ways; to understand what He calls us to say or do in any given situation; and then to do it! Wisdom seeks God first, not the opinions and thoughts of others.
Be still and Reflect: On this first day of the new year, how is God calling you to think differently? How is He calling you to approach your day – and the year – differently with wisdom as you go about your activities?
Pray: Lord God, As this year unfolds, impart upon me Your wisdom. Grant me a fear of You that leads me to fear nothing or no one else. Help me to remember to seek You first, to grow in the knowledge of who You are, and to deepen my understanding of Your ways and how they relate to any situation or person I face. Lord, I stand in awe of You; I worship You; and I trust in You only. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.