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I couldn’t wait until I was sixteen years old…because, on that day, I could officially become a licensed driver! The process had started six months earlier—driver’s education— first in the classroom, then in the car. Next, I secured my learner’s permit. That certificate allowed me to drive with a licensed driver and scare them half to death! Then came the morning when I took the test in my parents’ 1969 Chevrolet Impala, and by the afternoon, I was driving by myself on the streets of Perry, Oklahoma. Pure freedom! Not a lot of wisdom. Not a lot of discipline. Not a lot of fear . . . and that was a problem.

To drive safely, you must have a healthy sense of fear. Not white-knuckle-gripping-the-steering-wheel fear, but solemn respect for the responsibility that has been entrusted to you. Lives are at stake. Fools on the road ignoring the rules of the road are dangerous. And likewise, when you ignore God’s road rules, you will do foolish and dangerous things. That’s why Proverbs 1:7 says:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

True knowledge and understanding begin with proper awe and reverence for God. He is not the “man upstairs” or “the big guy in the sky.” He is the Creator of all things! It is in him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He oversees each breath we take (Psalm 104:29). And he loves us so much that he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins so we could have a personal relationship with him (John 3:16).

Doesn’t it make sense that God, the awesome Creator, and loving Father, knows the paths we should take? Doesn’t it make sense that the One who put us on life’s road would know the road rules? True knowledge is not measured by the grades we make at school or our performance at work. True knowledge is simply this: Living in awe of God and following his road rules. Anything else is foolishness.

Father, worldly knowledge focused on ourselves and others often lead us down a dangerous path. May we always honor you in a way that results in the blessing of true knowledge.

In Christ’s name.

Amen.

 

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This Week on The Journey:

 

Owning My Influence