Jon Taylor – Lead Pastor

I’m really enjoying watching the Olympics. Every 4 years we have the opportunity to watch some sports we normally don’t get to and to cheer on Team USA and our favorite athletes. With some of the sports, though, I have to be reminded how they are judged and what some of the rules are for that particular competition. Every athlete has to follow the rules and principles that govern that sport.

The same is true for us every day. We all operate within certain rules and principles in every area of life. From the big things like the law of gravity to the smaller things like driving around town, we all have to live by certain rules and principles. I’m really glad architects know and follow the rules and principles of building design. I’m amazed every time I fly that something so large can go up in the air, and I’m happy to know that the designers of that aircraft know and follow the rules and principles of flight and aerodynamics. 

Principles and rules inform the decision making process. And knowing and submitting to the rules and principles creates the context for good judgment – wisdom. Solomon encourages us, in Proverbs 9:10, to submit to the Author of life and the Creator of the universe – the One who make the principles and rules for this world we live in. In that verse, Solomon writes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Every single day we leverage and use the way God created the world, and yet we sometimes resist submitting ourselves to the God who created the world. But when we submit to His authority and follow His rules and principles, we gain wisdom and understanding. King David put it this way in Psalm 111:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.”

In this series we’ve been looking at the question, “In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what’s the wise thing to do?” It’s not enough just to ask the question, though. You need to do the wise thing. Asking that question will clarify what you should do – not what you will do. Doing the wise thing requires you to submit yourself to God and surrendering your will to His will. The beginning of wisdom is not asking the question. The beginning of wisdom is surrendering to the source of wisdom. Ask the question. Know the wise thing do. Then surrender to the One who gives wisdom and do the wise thing.