Walk Of Life – Day 14, July 2021- Thoughts From The Book Of Proverbs – Be Diligent
BE DILIGENT TO FEAR THE LORD
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. – Proverbs 14 : 26,27
The fear of the Lord is an awareness that you are in the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God and that He will hold you accountable for your motives, thoughts, words, and actions. To fear God is to desire to live in harmony with His righteous standards and to honor Him in all that you do.
We do not naturally seek to honor God, because our sinful natures lead us to pursue selfish pleasures instead of delighting in God and discovering the joy of knowing and loving Him. We must choose to walk in the fear of the Lord. The psalmist David prayed, “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11).
Throughout the Bible, many promises are given to those who fear the Lord, such as Proverbs 22:4: “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.” As of our today’s portion we have strong confidence and a fountain of life. It is wise to be governed by a healthy fear of God!
The following disciplines will help you comprehend more of His greatness and more of your dependence on Him, thereby learning the fear of the Lord.
Consider God’s Creation
When we look around at God’s creation—the majesty of towering mountains, the expanse of oceans with their high tides and low tides, the intricacy of delicate flowers, the brilliance of the sun, and the glory of our galaxy—we can catch a glimpse of how awesome our God is!
When God gave His Law to the nation of Israel, He first revealed His mighty power through nature so that the people would learn to fear Him. “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not” (Exodus 20:18–20).
Respect God’s Word
Having a high regard for the Bible, the Word of God, is an essential part of growing in the fear of the Lord. When we take time to read Scripture and commit to applying its universal, non-optional truths, we learn more about the nature of God, His ways, and our role as His creatures.
The Redeemed children of God are “kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6). We are to understand the worth of Scripture and to study it and apply it to our lives. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16–17).
Learn From Scriptural Examples
God’s glory and holiness call for our worship and submission. When people in Scripture encountered God, they instinctively demonstrated a deep reverence for Him. We can learn from these examples in our quest to fear God as we should.
1. Supernatural demonstrations of God’s power often left people trembling with fear – Daniel 5:5-6
2. When Godly men of the Old and New Testaments heard God’s voice and saw His glory, they were filled with the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 6:5; Revelation 1:12,17
3. When we encounter a power that is far greater that we are, we often respond with fear. This response was demonstrated by people who witnessed the supernatural power of Jesus Christ. – Mark 4:41; Luke 8:37
Give a Tithe of Your Increase
Along with supporting the work of the local church, one of the purposes of giving a tithe is to learn to fear the Lord: “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, and tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always” (Deuteronomy 14:22–23).
If by any way you would have taken a step of going far from giving reverence to our Lord or from fearing Him, come back. Leave out all things that you are doing now without fearing His wrath and understanding His love. he is calling you.
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).
