“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Come on…given the choice between life and death, who in the world chooses death? What kind of a ludicrous question is this?

Who in the world would choose death?

Who?

About 90% of us would choose death.

In a study of those who were faced with exactly that choice – stop drinking or you will die, stop smoking or you will die, change your diet or you will die, get more exercise or you will die – the vast majority choose to die.

Why?!?! That’s crazy?!?!

Because choosing life requires change.

We have to change in order to live. But change is too difficult, too painful, too uncomfortable. So we don’t. We remain the same. And we die.

That’s crazy!!!

God has shown us what it takes to live, and to live abundantly. Follow Jesus. Do what Jesus tells us. Follow him.

Choose life. Choose change and live.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

I never quite understood how fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Why not love of the LORD? or Honoring the LORD? Why fear?

How is fearing the LORD a good thing?

The key to understanding this truth lies in the second clause – “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Fear of the LORD doesn’t mean being terrified of the LORD. Fear of the LORD refers to one’s awesome respect to the LORD. Fear of the LORD has more to do with how we honor and defer to the LORD.

Because we are finite creatures, there is much we do not know and much we do not understand. But God is infinitely wise. God is omniscient. God knows all truth. Because of that, we humbly come before God as finite creatures to listen and obey God.

The Greek philosopher Epitectus wrote, “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

Fools come before God with pride. Fools already think they know what is best for them. And, because fools think they already know what is best for them, they are unable to learn the truth.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom because we humbly approach God as finite creatures to hear from God the truth regarding life.

That is wisdom. Knowing that we do not know, and knowing and obeying the One who does know.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22).

Hmmm.

Blessed – when people hate you
Blessed – when they exclude you
Blessed – when they insult you
Blessed – when they reject your name as evil

Who in the world would say such a crazy thing?!?!

Jesus.

Hmmm.

Who was Jesus talking to?

Disciples.

Hmmm.

This rarely gets much air time. What’s Jesus getting at? These things don’t seem like blessed things at all.

When a disciple chooses to live a God-honoring life in an ungodly world, those who choose to live an ungodly life will oppose you.

That’s how it was for Jesus. That’s how it is for those who follow Jesus.

Thank God that life of a follower isn’t all about being hated, rejected, and excluded. But if there is no reaction from an ungodly world to our presence, there’s probably something wrong with the way we’re following Jesus.

Blessed are those whom the ungodly world hates, excludes, insults, and rejects because it probably means you’re following Jesus whom the ungodly world crucified.