Post by Beverley Cross on Aug 30, 2010 22:22:36 GMT -5
Repost from Dean on espo Monday, April 9, 2007
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
—Psalm 111:10
Even the most committed believer has those moments when fear or worry can kick in. Anxiety can overtake us. Maybe we are concerned about our future, or maybe we are discouraged about some things we have done or failures we’ve experienced.
But far too often, we are afraid of the wrong things in life, and we are not afraid of the right things or the right One. Many people don’t fear God. Yet the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
To fear God doesn’t mean that we must cower in terror before Him. Rather, the fear of God has been properly defined as a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. So if I have sinned, my fear should not be based on the anticipation of what God will do to me, but on what I have done to displease Him. That is what it is to fear the Lord. It is to love the Lord so much that you don’t want to sin against Him.
We need to fear God. The remarkable thing is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else. On the other hand, if you do not fear God, then you fear everything else.
David said, “The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). Only the person who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can then say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Maybe you feel that your life has been a failure, or maybe you are discouraged about something or afraid of something. If you’re gripped by fear and worry today, then let the Lord be the strength of your life.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
—Psalm 111:10
Even the most committed believer has those moments when fear or worry can kick in. Anxiety can overtake us. Maybe we are concerned about our future, or maybe we are discouraged about some things we have done or failures we’ve experienced.
But far too often, we are afraid of the wrong things in life, and we are not afraid of the right things or the right One. Many people don’t fear God. Yet the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
To fear God doesn’t mean that we must cower in terror before Him. Rather, the fear of God has been properly defined as a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. So if I have sinned, my fear should not be based on the anticipation of what God will do to me, but on what I have done to displease Him. That is what it is to fear the Lord. It is to love the Lord so much that you don’t want to sin against Him.
We need to fear God. The remarkable thing is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else. On the other hand, if you do not fear God, then you fear everything else.
David said, “The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). Only the person who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can then say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Maybe you feel that your life has been a failure, or maybe you are discouraged about something or afraid of something. If you’re gripped by fear and worry today, then let the Lord be the strength of your life.
