In our study of Proverbs on Sunday nights, we have come across an interesting truth as it relates to one of the most familiar scriptures in the Bible. Proverbs 1:7, who some say is the key verse in all of Proverbs, reads, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (NKJV)Bruce Waltke defines the “fear of the Lord” as, “that affectionate reverance, by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to the Fathers’ law.” He goes on to share that the beginning of knowledge contains the idea of a personal relationship with God rather than only a head knowledge of God. In other words, the reverence and humily we feel for the Lord is what is the foundation for our on-going relationship with Him.

When you think about something being the “beginning” what do you think of? Some would say its like the first thing that you do, and then you accomplish sequential steps in the process, each time moving on and leaving the old behind. This would be like running the bases on a baseball field. Once you hit first base, you leave it behind and move on to second, then third, then you come home and a run scores! The word “beginning” in Proverbs 1:7 is not describing a horizontal journey in which you begin by fearing the Lord. Instead, the word “beginning” in Proverbs is describing a vertical picture. It’s like a stack pole in which “fearing the Lord” is at the bottom of the vertical stack pole and everything else is stacked upon that foundational truth. Proverbs is saying that you begin your relationship with the Lord by being in awe of Him and you never leave that behind. It actually is the foundation upon which your entire relationship with God exists. Our relationship with Jesus Christ begins with us walking in the fear of the Lord. We humbly veiw his incredible glory and want our lives to line up with His Word and His Ways. If you and I will hold on to our initial overwhelming view of Almighty God, we will be able to build our christian lives upon that solid foundation. Any other foundation will ultimately crumble, most likely sooner than later. We should be so grateful for the close intimate relationship that we have with Jesus, but we should never let ourselves swell with pride that we forget His incredible glory and power. Our ability to know Him intimately is not of our doing, but is the result of His marvelous grace. Isn’t He Awesome?

The Gainesville Sun ran a New York Times article today that highlighted the accomplishment and success of the new movie Fireproof. The story is of a young firefighter who works hard saving the lives of those in danger, while losing his own marriage. Caleb Holt (played by Kirk Cameron) is challenged by his own father to take the “Love Dare” and invest in his marriage. He attempts to invest unconditional love in his marriage in hopes of salvaging his relationship with his wife who is seeking divorce.

Kelly and I and three of our children went to see it this past Friday night.  Almost every seat was taken in the theatre.  We found ourselves laughing and crying throughout the film.  All of us came away realizing the treasure of marriage.

Some thoughts come to mind as I think about this film.

First, congratulations to Alex and Stephen Kendrick, brothers, 38 and 35, who followed their dream to write, and produce films that communicate the Christian message in a quality way.  This is their third film.  Flywheel and Facing the Giants are their other two movies.  I highly recommend Facing the Giants.  The Sun Article noted that the budget for Fireproof was only $500,000 and on the first weekend of its showing it grossed $6.5 million in ticket sales.  The Kendrick brothers challenge us all to take the gifts and talents and dreams that we have and give them to Jesus, asking Him to use us to make an impact for the gospel.  What is it that you could give to the Lord that He could use for His glory?

Second, I applaud Kirk Cameron, former star of television’s Growing Pains, who donated his talent to make the film a success.  Cameron said, “I’m not on a professional crusade to inject Jesus Christ into every project that I do, but when a good project comes up that is about marriage and is based on what I think is really going to help marriages, and is worthwhile, I’ll jump in with both feet.”  I am thankful for an actor with the guts to get involved with a project that unashamedly comes at you with a Christian message.

Third, I applaud Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia and its pastor Dr. Michael Catt.  This church has backed the movie efforts of the Kendrick brothers and even enlisted its members to donate their acting skills for the movies.  May there be more churches that engage the culture as Sherwood has done.  Sherwood Pictures is a challenge to all who need an example of becoming “salt and light” in this generation.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film for our church members and Christians everywhere.  It will challenge you to love your mate unconditionally.  Why don’t you consider taking someone with you who would benefit from its message?

See you at the Movies!!

Last Friday the cover of People Magazine showed Clay Aiken holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken. The headline read, “Yes, I’m Gay.” Clay has finally come out of the closet after so many questions about his sexual orientation. Aiken fathered the child using in-vitro fertilization with Jaymes Foster, a friend and producer. In the article, the 29 year old former “runner up” on the 2003 American Idol contest said, “It was the first decision I made as a father,” referring to his going public with the shocking news. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.”

What makes Aiken’s disclosure so troubling to the community of faith is that he claims to be a born-again Christian. He acknowledges in the People article that his Claymates, as they are known, may not be happy that he has chosen to father a baby and bring it into the world without the benefit of a traditional family.

The Scripture makes it clear that the love and grace of Christ extends to all people. There is no doubt that the power of the gospel can extend to all who are Homosexual. There are times when believers need to be reminded that where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. (Rom. 5:20)

But with that being said, it becomes necessary to teach our sons and daughters, and the church at large, that God Almighty has given us His boundaries for our sexuality. Don’t forget, God Himself is the one who created us as sexual beings. He knows what is best because He is the creator. This philosophy that says, “You live the way you want to live and I’ll live the way I want to live,” won’t work. Everyone comes at life with some foundational worldview. The believer chooses to obey the Scripture because he or she embraces the truth that the God of the Bible is the one true God. When that issue is settled, the scripture becomes your blueprint for life.

This issue is of importance for me as a Pastor as we approach the election. On the ballot for all Floridians is Amendment 2 which attempts to define marriage as “the union of a man and a woman as husband and wife in the Florida Constitution.” I wholeheartedly encourage every voter to support Amendment 2 and vote yes for it on Election Day. As is stated in materials from the website, www.Yes2Marriage.org “a yes vote on Amendment 2 lets the people of Florida decide how marriage is defined in our state. It will prevent homosexual groups and activists judges from redefining marriage as they have in Massachusetts and California.”

I believe that Amendment 2 will be good for our state. It defines marriage from a Biblical perspective and in my opinion this helps us all, believers and unbelievers alike.

I would welcome your comments. For more information on Amendment 2 see www.Yes2Marriage.org.