Weekly Thought – May 6, 2025
Fred saw life through the filter of principles and illustrations. He observed that the principles never change – just the illustrations. His great friend Jack Modesett, Jr. commented: “Looking for principles is fun and rewarding. And with a little practice, it becomes a way of seeing God at work in His creation. Thanks, Fred, for launching me on that road.”
Divine Principles
While Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” it does not give us a clear and succinct definition of wisdom. Personally, I define it as the knowledge and us of divine principles. As Einstein says, “I want to think God’s thoughts after Him.” To me, that is wisdom. Too many people move from data to information to knowledge, but never get to wisdom.
The wisdom of divine principles is often conceptual, not just in explicit chapter and verse. For example, the love of God that so few people really understand was perfectly stated by Ray Stedman in these words: “My life changed when I realized God was for me.”
The gaining of knowledge is the first step toward wisdom. For example, my good friend Jack Modesett, Jr. said “My time at Princeton became enjoyable and profitable when I discovered that learning was fun.” He has carried this over into his Bible studies and teaching. Exploring divine mysteries is exciting.
Another helpful divine principle is “God will not do for you what you can do for yourself, but He will not let you do for yourself what only He can do.” Often we must take the first step, like the priests who had to step into the Red Sea before the waters parted.
A principle that has been sustaining to me during these years of disability is one that Oswald Chambers has helped me see: “God will not give you strength to overcome, but will give you strength as you overcome.”
What a treasury of wisdom we have in the saints who have gone before us, and when we accept Scripture as God’s word and the authority for life.
In it we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
This week carefully consider: 1) What divine principles are part of my daily thinking? 2) How can I sharpen my ability to see and use these principles? 3) Who models this practice for me?
Words of Wisdom: “The wisdom of divine principles is often conceptual, not just in explicit chapter and verse.”
Wisdom from the Word: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7a NET Bible)