The first step in learning is bowing ...

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Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. -Proverbs 1:7 MSG

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The heart of King Solomon is seen so clearly in the Proverbs. The first chapters of this book deals almost exclusively with what it means to be wise. In a sense wisdom has very little to do with the intellect - even the simplest of people can be wise because wisdom is more about the heart than the head ... it is more about intuition than logic. Yet wisdom can be so hard to find because wisdom does not always make sense. Sometimes wisdom is found in the strangest places.

Interesting that Solomon begins his writings on the subject with the idea that all wisdom begins with a fear of, or bowing down to, the Lord. It reminds me of how he will later advise us to trust God with our hearts and not rely on our intellect. In a sense wisdom begins when we begin to trust Him with all of our heart. This, I think, is what it means to fear the Lord. We do not bow down with a sense of fearing his wrath but more as a way to acknowledge his fatherly love for us.

Teach us to be wise today Lord. Help us to trust you with all of our heart.

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