The Place to Start (Daily Refresh, 9-05-26)

There are many places we can go to learn about something new, or to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Books are full of access to insightful information. The internet is overloaded with both helpful and unhelpful content about any subject imaginable.

While those are great places to start, Scripture tells us that the foundation of all knowledge is a healthy fear of the Lord. This means that while we can learn things from anyone, the beginning of true wisdom always begins with God.

The fear of the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be afraid of God. It means that we should live our lives in awe of Him. We do this by recognizing who He is—the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is all-powerful and all-knowledgeable. God’s Word says He holds the power of life and death in His hands. These attributes should cause us to live in awe of God.

Scripture also tells us that God is loving, gracious, and merciful. Even though we—His own creation—previously rebelled against Him, God graciously gave us access back to Himself through His Son, Jesus. The God who created the universe loves each and every one of us. He loves you.

Living in awe of who God is and what He has done is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge. We would be foolish to turn away from such a powerful and gracious God.

While we can learn a lot about many different things through books, people, and the internet, the most essential and important piece of knowledge about God comes from His Word.

Today, spend some time with God in His Word and in prayer—thanking Him for who He is and what He has done for you. Begin a habit of reading Scripture regularly so that you can know, respect, and trust Him in a deeper way.

My Thoughts

As I read this devotional, I had a visual in my mind of the little chick that ran around telling anyone who would listen, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Sometimes we are all guilty of being that little chicken, thinking we know just what is happening and really not knowing anything because we didn’t pass our so-called knowledge or revelation through God’s filter. Using God’s Word as the first and final say in all matters helps us to think more clearly and to get things right before we share them with others. Spending time with God and in His Word is not a suggestion; it is a vital and important part of daily living for Christians. It is our source of the living water that runs from us to others. And it is where we get the wisdom that God wants to share with us each day. The benefits of wisdom are too many to enumerate; the lack of wisdom is apparent in today’s world. So showing God’s wisdom to a world bent on foolishness becomes our testimony and our duty to our loving God.