13/08/2013 - THE KEY TO SUCCESS

• 
• 
• 
• 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1.7

In his mercy, the Lord used Salomon to explain the need to respect the Word of God – this respect is translated into obeying God’s commandments, bowing before the Lord in everything he says, and accepting his declaration as the supreme truth. In verses 2 to 6 of the first chapter of Proverbs, Salomon speaks about priorities to achieve success, and only those who fear the Lord can have them.

No one will have true wisdom and knowledge while he despises what the Creator declares. In addition, true wisdom and knowledge cannot be obtained from any other source. Without God, the best people can manage to get is good information; however, through this verse, we can see how the Lord wants his children to have full knowledge of wisdom, as well as to master instruction. He gave this gift to Salomon, making him the wisest man (1Kings 3.6-12), and now he is extending the same favor to us.

Despite being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, it is also necessary to have words of caution, which are granted to us through knowledge. He who is cautious will never fall into the enemy’s traps. Satan is always seeking a way to make us fall, making us indecent proposals and trying to have us back. He knows that, if we receive all knowledge that God has prepared for us, we will become a great threat to his evil schemes.

While preaching the gospel, the Lord pours out knowledge in an abundant manner. In fact, a worship service led by the Holy Spirit is like a real avalanche of wisdom and instruction. Nevertheless, he who does not fear the Lord feels nothing but emotion. Without power, however, tears, good intentions and prayers are useless. We need to learn how to understand what is being revealed to us, when the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to us.

The Lord reveals us many things. He speaks about instruction of righteousness – our acting on his revelation – and judgment – what Jesus did for us. In addition, he reveals to us the instruction of equality, i.e. equal treatment to all. These are the details that will make us productive and, at the same time, free from condemnation. Remember that we need this in this life (and will need it in eternity), because this food will never perish (John 6.27).

The fear of the Lord makes cautious those who are humble and knowledge and good judgment to those who are young. And all that for those who are wise (and saved) to be able to listen and grow in wisdom, and for those who are instructed to receive wise advice, thus being able to understand proverbs and its interpretations, as well as the words of those who are wise and their predictions. 

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares