Psalm 34:11-14

Come, my children, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

Oh, how important it is to have the fear of the LORD. Some people think this is ridiculous. Some say that He is supposed to be your best friend and fear should not be a part of the relationship. However, it rings true that fear of the LORD is truly the beginning of all wisdom. It is wisdom that I seek, it is His wisdom that I desire rather than the world's and so I know that this is true. Considering this, it is quite appropriate that it is followed up by then next verse. If we desire to see many good days (and, really, who doesn't?) we will keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies. How quickly our tongue can give away whether we are in fact wise or foolish. Reading this made me realize that I have to stop initiating unnecessary and harmful conversations. When I say unnecessary, I mean in a spiritual sense. Some things are quite necessary in order to stand firm in what we believe! I know I must stay focused on His will and only doing good for the Kingdom. I cannot seek the world's peace but rather to actively pursue His peace.

I pray that I can write these verses upon my heart as I continue to meditate upon them and I think every Christian could benefit from doing so.