True Knowledge By Paul Chappell share on Facebook share on Twitter forward to a friend Tuesday, Jul 9, 2013 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 In Roman times, a general who had won a great victory was given a triumph—a great parade through the streets of Rome to celebrate his accomplishments and give him honor and glory. In his book Apologetics, Tertullian (one of the leading pastors of the early church) said that each time a general made this trip, he was accompanied by a slave who had a single assignment. Periodically along the route as the crowds cheered the conquering hero, the slave would whisper in the general’s ear, “Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento! Memento mori!”: “Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man! Remember that you will die!” The humanistic philosophy that surrounds us has its focus on man rather than on God. Our society glories in our achievements and accomplishments. We revel in breaking records and establishing new goals to reach for. We find the conceit that we can solve all of our problems with better education and social structures apart from God. Yet while that approach is alluring to our fallen natures, it is based on a lie. There is no truth or knowledge apart from God. He is the sources of all good things, and there is nothing meaningful or lasting that we can achieve apart from Him. Describing the Roman society of his day, Paul wrote, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28). Truly that could be said of our age as well. When people leave God out of their thoughts, true wisdom vanishes. They may have advanced degrees and great education, but they lack true knowledge. Only when we turn to God and believe in and fear Him can we say we have understanding. Today’s Proverbs Precept: God is to be the center of our hearts and our thoughts—only then do we possess true knowledge.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 17:40:18 +0000