Scripture: Proverbs 1 v 7: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 4 v 7 - 9: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee."
Godly wisdom far outshines the wisdom of the world. All the best minds in the world collected together could not fathom the depths of God's wisdom. He created this universe and this planet and everything on it. He made us in His likeness and gave us life.
Worldly wisdom would have us believe that evolution is our origin from one cell swirled into a random mix of chemicals, minerals and debris we have grown into humans capable of technological feats like space travel and Halidon colliders.
The theory of evolution remains unproven because if it were true, Jesus Christ could not be the Son of God who rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven. We could not know Him in our hearts today, hear His voice, nor have the gifts of the Holy Spirit working within us.
More than 80 percent of Muslims who have converted to Christianity saw Jesus in a dream and heard His voice. There is nothing random or disconnected about these events. His wisdom is an ornament of grace to us all. Some even testify of seeing Jesus in visions while they were in the mosque to worship Allah. They were drawn to immediately leave that place to follow Him. Evolution has no answer nor rebuttal for such testimonies.
Satan does not want anyone to know anything about Jesus. The Illuminati, Satan's followers, pledged that given great financial rewards they would wipe out His name and memory by the year 2000! They had 300 years to get this right. Not all their money nor wisdom has achieved it.
They try though. There was an interfaith meeting a few years ago held in a Methodist Church. The congregation who hosted it were asked not to mention the name of Jesus Christ as this would offend the other participants!
Philippians 2 v 5 - 9: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:"
Satan hates that name! Because in that name we can pray and receive answers from Heaven. In THAT name we have authority over Satan and his demons, who control all those who are not born again followers of Jesus. It is the only name by which we can be saved from eternity in Hell.
Faith in His name is an ornament of grace that gives us wisdom to outwit our common enemy and expose his evil ways. This leads to Christians being persecuted as we are the Devil's only threat. The apostles of old were beaten, tortured, imprisoned before being released with the warning not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus.
The fear (respect for) the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. We should respect His instructions and comply with them, for those who shun them are called fools. If sinners entice you do not agree with them. If they put you under peer pressure to do evil stay away from them. It is more beneficial to please Jesus than to fall into trouble pleasing people.
The apostles did not heed the warnings but continued with great boldness to proclaim the salvation of God through Jesus. Nor can we deny His great name, nor the grace, mercy, love, joy and peace that are the ornaments we wear in our hearts.
If you know that what you are doing is hurting those who love and pray for you, seek help. Ask Jesus to show you how to resist these temptations. Separate yourself from those who call themselves friends but who oppose the righteous ways of Jesus. They mock our gracious Lord and use His mighty name as a curse word. They reject His salvation and want to impose their loose living upon you.
The Lord is not mocked. He knows who are His. If you are born again and still running with the crowd of sinners beware lest they drag you back into the world and you lose the blessings you have gained. It happens so subtly that you don't notice the effect of ungodly people on the way you think and behave.
It is a privilege and honour to be part of the Lord's family. Don't be like Esau who threw away his birthright for a plate of stew. Rather let the obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ be an ornament of grace upon your head.
Psalm 1 v 1 - 2: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
If we want the blessings of God do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Their wisdom, philosophies, theories, teachings are designed to minimise our faith and cause us to compromise our beliefs. We need the true wisdom to adorn us to navigate through the minefield of troubles on this Earth, engineered by ungodly unbelievers who want to destroy Christianity.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we have to learn obedience as it does not come naturally to us. Please help us to be willing to learn so that You will be pleased with us. We need the wisdom of God to be an ornament of grace upon us so we may impart it to those who are crying out for salvation. In Jesus' name. Amen.