“for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:3, 5, 7 NIV
One mankind’s greatest desires or goals is to gain knowledge. We believe in this world that more you know the greater your potential is. We strongly encourage our children to achieve a good education and we ourselves often embark on a lifetime of learning. It is felt we should never stop learning. I would strongly agree with that statement but take exception to what we are learning and how we should apply it. We believe that learning is a mind, an intellectual process. Yet I see in the word that God intends us to grow in him from the spirit and the heart.
The verse says “ the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” There is a huge difference between knowing something and having a true revelation of what that knowledge means and how it can it be used. God is spirit and we should worship him in spirit and truth. God is concerned about the things of the heart not our intellect because the issues of life come the heart. We as believers should endeavor to continue to learn but not from mind but the heart. We are being transformed into the likeness of Christ but that process cannot succeed without our heart and spirit being the focal point.
We must begin to be creatures driven by our love for God, our reverence for God. Then, we can begin to learn what God has for us in spirit and his truth. True reformation will require change. How we gain the right wisdom is a part of the process. It begins with our love for God then expands as our faith and revelation grow in Christ. Our focus should be on love and compassion not just gaining knowledge.
In Christ
RJ