October 30, 2024
Daniel Foster
Next Gen Pastor
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
“What is that?” I asked myself as I walked though the cool creek waters near my house. I was 16, and like many teenagers in the pre-cell phone era, I was bored. Wanted to get out of the house. Just a week before, I had caught my first snake in that creek. “Lets go get another one” I thought to myself. As I peared through the shadows in the water made by the overhanging trees and roots, I saw something bright white. And round. “Its a golf ball!” I exclaimed to myself. I had never played golf before. But I knew there was a course only 2 or 3 miles from my house. As I stared at the perfectly white ball in my hands, another one caught my eye a few steps away. And then another! My snake catching mission quickly turned into a golf ball easter egg hunt. And let me tell you, it is a good thing easter egg hunts are not for 16 year old boys. If I saw it, I got it. No matter how small the crevice, no matter how far up the bank, or deep in the water. Tired was a feeling I negligently pushed past to focus on the mission.
When Proverbs 2 talks about looking for wisdom like we would search for hidden treasure, I think about my unwavering focus and determination looking for those golf balls! The reward for the relentless pursuit of wisdom? Understanding the fear of the Lord, and finding the knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord are often linked in scripture. A few chapters later in Proverbs 9, the author says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the understanding the gravity of the God we serve, and know the control He has over the universe, world, and our lives. This understanding is foundational to be live lives that are obediently their Lord and Savior. I think Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says it beautifully: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” What a good reminder for our lives!
As with any treasure, finding the prize makes all the labor finding it worth it! Remember those golf balls? Walking back from the creek that day, with a net full of golf balls (and not snakes, much to the delight of my mother) a man saw me and stopped his truck. Apparently, he was a golfer. Potentially, not a good one either, as expressed by his desire to buy every ball I found. He handed me a $100 bill! I can remember the feeling to this day. When we strive to search for the riches of godliness, excavate spiritual truths from scripture, and unravel the mysteries God has placed for us to search out and know, we get to be a part of a wonderful story written before time began. What are you searching for today?
Next Gen Pastor
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
“What is that?” I asked myself as I walked though the cool creek waters near my house. I was 16, and like many teenagers in the pre-cell phone era, I was bored. Wanted to get out of the house. Just a week before, I had caught my first snake in that creek. “Lets go get another one” I thought to myself. As I peared through the shadows in the water made by the overhanging trees and roots, I saw something bright white. And round. “Its a golf ball!” I exclaimed to myself. I had never played golf before. But I knew there was a course only 2 or 3 miles from my house. As I stared at the perfectly white ball in my hands, another one caught my eye a few steps away. And then another! My snake catching mission quickly turned into a golf ball easter egg hunt. And let me tell you, it is a good thing easter egg hunts are not for 16 year old boys. If I saw it, I got it. No matter how small the crevice, no matter how far up the bank, or deep in the water. Tired was a feeling I negligently pushed past to focus on the mission.
When Proverbs 2 talks about looking for wisdom like we would search for hidden treasure, I think about my unwavering focus and determination looking for those golf balls! The reward for the relentless pursuit of wisdom? Understanding the fear of the Lord, and finding the knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord are often linked in scripture. A few chapters later in Proverbs 9, the author says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the understanding the gravity of the God we serve, and know the control He has over the universe, world, and our lives. This understanding is foundational to be live lives that are obediently their Lord and Savior. I think Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says it beautifully: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” What a good reminder for our lives!
As with any treasure, finding the prize makes all the labor finding it worth it! Remember those golf balls? Walking back from the creek that day, with a net full of golf balls (and not snakes, much to the delight of my mother) a man saw me and stopped his truck. Apparently, he was a golfer. Potentially, not a good one either, as expressed by his desire to buy every ball I found. He handed me a $100 bill! I can remember the feeling to this day. When we strive to search for the riches of godliness, excavate spiritual truths from scripture, and unravel the mysteries God has placed for us to search out and know, we get to be a part of a wonderful story written before time began. What are you searching for today?
Posted in Daily Devos