A VERSE FOR THE FRIDGE
Proverbs 22:4 NKJ
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.
Over the years, we have put verses on the refrigerator. Often, these were well-known verses such as “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Or “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But our verse today would be a great verse for the fridge and an even better verse for our hearts.
Riches, honor, and life. These three are the pursuit of so much of mankind. To pursue riches has been the quest of most humans since the beginning of time. Equating riches with power or riches with happiness, people have made riches the number one pursuit of their lives.
Honor to be highly esteemed. Another endless quest of humanity. Wars have been fought over people not being treated with honor. To be dishonored or disrespected is considered in many circles a major offense. But to be honored for some is even more valuable than money.
Life in this verse means living thing, life giving, alive. This could mean getting more out of life or being sustained in life. It could also mean being fully alive. We speak of someone’s quality of life as being good or poor. But in any case, this is not a negative word because it is grouped with riches and honor.
So, to be fully alive, to be in possession of riches, and to be held in honor are things that God wants for His children. The Kingdom of God is not opposed to these three. Instead, this scripture shows us how to obtain them. But obtaining them is not by force or intelligence. The Kingdom way is humility and the fear of the Lord.
Humility is not poor self-esteem. Humility esteems God and His ways superior to man and man’s ways. Humility not only esteems God as greater but adjusts to act accordingly. Humility says Lord You are right in all Your ways, and I adjust to You. This is a simplistic definition of humility but carries the thought of adapting to God and His ways.
Fear of the Lord involves a reverence and respect for God. Fear of the Lord will acknowledge God as the Creator of the material world around us and as the Creator of all mankind. The fear of the Lord believes that if anyone deserves respect, it is our Heavenly Father. The fear of the Lord provides a foundation for life that is solid and sure. And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom.
Humility and the fear of the Lord are big subjects that I cannot do justice to in a short devotional. But pursuing the fear of the Lord and humility produces riches, honor and life. That is a big statement and worthy of application in our lives, not just put on our refrigerators.