Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9:10
The book of Proverbs is 31 chapters of insightful words that the Christian man or woman can (and should) use as a guide post for daily living. Often times when we thing about having a ‘fear’ or something we have images of people running for the hills screaming at the thought of something. But when we are talking about having a ‘Fear of the Lord’ that isn’t what we are meaning at all.
Defining God-Fearing
To have a healthy fear of the Lord in reality means to have a reverential trust in God. This means that you not only trust Him with your entire being but that you also seek and strive to to assimilate all your values and standards to those of the Lord. This comes with a realization that the standards of the world will constantly change and we will never be able to keep up. However, the standards of the Lord never change. They are a constant that we can strive to meet each and every day. Having a ‘fear of the Lord’ also means that we are true to the relationship that we have with God. This means we make a conscious decision to not live in a ‘its better to ask forgiveness’ frame of mine. We can’t take advantage of the relationship or abuse it.
Far to often I have come across people who live under the principle that because they have accepted the free gift of salvation from Christ they are now living with free reign to do anything and everything they would like to do with no regard for the consequences. This is the exact opposite of living a life by the principle of being God-Fearing.
Attributes of a God-Fearing Lifestyle
If living a life of doing whatever you would like to do without regard for the consequences is the opposite of God-fearing, then what characterized this type of life?
First of all you need to have a hunger and a thirst for the Lord. Think of it this way: Has there ever been a time in your life when you were so hungry or thirsty you were just sure you would not be able to carry on? That is the type of desire we should have for our relationship with the Lord. The craving to know God so much that we are sure if we don’t have the opportunity to commune with God we will not be able to accomplish anything else the rest of our day.
The next thing that is necessary for living a God fearing life is to with an attitude of submission to the will of God. This type of submission moves far beyond the simple compliance and placing ourselves joyfully under the control of our Heavenly Father. This means that we submit ourselves to the authority of God even when things aren’t going in a direction that we might think they shouldn’t be going in.
Another attribute of living a “God-Fearing” lifestyle is making all of the spiritual principles real in our lives each day. This also means that we have to work to put into practice the things that we are learning through out time in the Word each day. To make sure we are remaining in the Word each day we need to ensure that we don’t find ourselves in a slump or a ‘boring’ routine when it comes to our daily quiet time. Through the action of mixing up the different methods and modes of studying the word of God then we can remain active and interested in our daily growth in the Lord.
A Final Thought
There are so many other attributes that describe the principle of being ‘God-Fearing’ but ultimately it all boils down to ensuring that you are striving to maintain a strong, flourishing, and healthy relationship with the Lord on a daily basis. Proverbs 31:30 says,
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
This woman, whom we have been studying for the past several weeks, took the principles, commands, and desires of the Lord and she applied them to her life. Not only did she benefit from the actions but her husband, children, and the community did as well. This woman, though she was busy, was not distracted from the important things, ultimately her relationship with the Lord.
How do you ensure you maintain a vibrant relationship with the Lord? Do you keep your daily quiet time fresh and exciting? Are you willing to admit that you might need a kick-start to revitalizing your daily walk? If so, how will you get back to where you need to be. Join me next time when we wrap up this series with the principle of being rewarded.
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Wife, Mom, Daughter of the King spending each day striving to be a Wise Woman in Progress
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If living a life of doing whatever you would like to do without regard for the consequences is the opposite of God-fearing, then what characterized this type of life?
A Wise Woman in Progress 
Hello Elizabeth,In answer to your question…How do you ensure you maintain a vibrant relationship with the Lord? Do you keep your daily quiet time fresh and exciting? Since I'm able to study the Word for a living (I'm a senior pastor), I spend quite a bit of time (up to 35 hours per week) in only a couple passages. Seems like the longer I look at them the more is revealed. It keeps things fresh as new things are regularly being learned.
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