‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...’ Proverbs 1:7
I am an avid student... of subjects that I desire to learn. I would be very happy to study part-time for the rest of my life. I am naturally curious and a fast learner.
I have been through my phases. I have done research and study on some very random topics: Queen Elizabeth the First, Marilyn Monroe, the Titanic, Jack the Ripper, Alexander the Great... As you can see, I love history!
When I studied Dental Nursing... I loved learning about dental anatomy. I soaked up the text books with great enthusiasm.
When I was in Fashion Design, I spent hours looking into colour psychology, fashion history, fabric composition...
When I was in Bible College, my favourite topic was Doctrine. I had to write a paper on the Trinity and I was fascinated and completely ruined by the beauty of God.
More recently, I have been doing some studies on two different topics: Submission and Authority and Worship.
As I was reading Proverbs 1 today, I was reflecting on the verse above. It made me stop and ask myself this question:
When I become attracted to a topic and begin to study it, even something from the Bible, am I seeking for knowledge first, or am I seeking for God?
I think that where a lot of religions and even Christians go off track, is when they chase after knowledge without first having the fear of God. I can be like that. I tend to look at doctrine as black or white. I believe in what I believe in. If I thought I was wrong, I would change what I believe. This can be dangerous. Not so long ago, God spoke to me about this. I felt him say to me:
Hold onto truth as if your life depended on it, but hold doctrine loosely.
As I grow as a Christian and my faith and understanding gets deeper, naturally my doctrines shift and develop. Truth is always truth and there are some things that are never up for negotiation. But the doctrines that Christians and religions have fought over for generations, well... some battles are not worth the fight. For example, the way different churches understand worship. The methods or ‘formulas’ of worship, I do not believe are worth fighting about. The more important truth is, where is my heart when I worship?
A person can have extensive knowledge of God and completely miss God’s heart. Which brings me back to Proverbs 1:7
‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...’
I never want to become so engrossed in knowledge that I become indifferent towards God. He is the source of truth. He is infinitely intelligent.
I think there is wisdom in spend time waiting on God, sitting in his presence, adoring him.
