The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬-‭21‬
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Life, and how it ends up, can many times be boiled down to a few simple values and priorities. These questions matter as much at the beginning of life as at the end:
1) Do I fear God and how diligently do I seek knowledge from his Holy One (Jesus)?
2) Do I stand up for goodness, as a light in dark places?
3) Is the aroma of Christ coming off of me in a sweet way? Or does bitterness leave a bitter taste in people’s mouths after an encounter?

Wisdom is a much sought-after trait. Many wish they could have almost prescient insight to pick the winners and the losers on the stock market. Or maybe they would like to know how relationships today will end up in the future.

But what matters for eternity with God is Godly wisdom and understanding. His ways trump our ways every time!

So how do we gain Godly wisdom? We pursue it with righteous abandon!

Lord, thank you for your encouragement here to fear you and revere you first. Your ways are far beyond my ways and your thoughts are not my thoughts. Help me to rely on you and seek you out wherever you may be found.