July 8, 2018 - Inscriptions From The Heart
July 8, 2018
Pastor Immanuel Garcera
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
As a youth pastor, I’ve been facing a new kind of challenge as of late – speaking frankly to the young people about alcohol and why they should be careful with it. A lot of the youth are getting older and thus are being more exposed to the use and consumption of alcohol, a reality in which we must all face. One such discussion led to us speaking of one “positive” effect of alcohol, (so they say) that is, it lowers inhibitions. So to say that it allows people to be filter-less and act ways they don’t normally act. Too often times however, I, and I’m sure many of you have seen this effect not to be a positive one, but a negative effect that leads to sometimes very heavy consequences.
Recently in youth, thankfully, we’ve been studying the book of Ecclesiastes for the summer months. One of the passages we studied is Ecclesiastes 2:12-14 which speaks about wisdom, “Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly… I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness…”. The writer has considered both ways of thinking and has concluded that wisdom is better; comparing wisdom as light and those who are wise having eyes in their heads. One of the ways we defined foolishness was: knowing what ought to be done and not doing it. And in a lot of ways, a big part of wisdom is simply that – knowing the right thing we ought to do and looking the other way and not doing it.
Church, I have personally found in my experience, that there is great value in filters and wisdom in that they both do a similar thing: they help us not do the things we shouldn’t and help us do the things we should. The problem with alcohol and foolishness is not simply that they lead us to do bad things that have horrible consequences, but the problem is that under the influence of these things – our mind is not in Christ. 1 Peter 5:8-10 tells us:
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Let us rest in the assurance that when we are alert, sober minded and resistant to the schemes of the devil, Christ is faithful to restore us and make us strong.
To God be the glory.