Seeing Right 2

The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord  Is riches, honor, and life. PROVERBS 22:4 AMP

Life must be a study in understanding who you are and what you have been empowered to do by the One who created you and fitted you with the skills/talents/gifts he thought best to equip you with. When I have discovered who I am and what is expected of me, I have a response to make: do I appropriate the glory, prestige and honour of the endowment to myself, or do I see myself the way God expects? What I eventually make of my life will depend a lot on what I do with what I have received.

Humility may mean different things to different people, but here, it is defined as having a realistic view of one's importance and is balanced by a reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord. Both are  important. You cannot see yourself the right way, unless you see yourself through God's eyes. You cannot fully understand who you are, unless you hear, know and understand God's purpose for you. You cannot understand your place in God's scheme of things, if you do not first know that long before you were born, God was already at work, and long after you would have exited the scene, God would remain at work. That humbling knowledge helps me know my place, and to have a reverent fear of God.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. No man has ever gone far without it, and no man is used of God without it. When service for God is balanced with fear of God, then the reward is stated in today's extract. Riches, honour and life are given to such a person. Don't be deceived by the world's definitions; God's view is always better, deeper and more lasting than whatever the world offers. The world cannot guarantee you tomorrow; God guarantees me eternal life.

Whatever I do, I must not miss the point: God's will is for me to have a full life, and to make impact in my generation. The way there has been stated; I have a choice to make. His time of favour is here.