The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil, pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.  Proverbs 8:13 ESV

The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.   Proverbs 10:27 ESV

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28  ESV

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  1 John 4:18  ESV

Our first four verses of scripture today clearly tell us that fearing the Lord is a good thing.  Then in 1 John 4:18 we are told that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out fear.  It goes on to tell us that fear has to do with punishment and that whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  Love and fear are two things that we often consider to be opposites right?  Either you fear something or you love it.  I hate snakes because I fear them.  I do not love them.  I love little puppies because I have no fear of them. My husband is a big guy who is really strong, but I love him, I don’t fear him. The two seem to be opposites right?

We know that we are told that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind (Mark 12:30).  So, if we perfect that love should we also Fear God?  Proverbs 14:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from snares of death.  Many scripture passages tell us not to fear, for God is with us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, 2 Timothy 1:7).  So which is it should we love God or fear God?  Well, it’s both.

You see, when I was a child my dad was good to me.  He spoiled me and gave me good things, but when I messed up I got a spanking.  Now my dad was so laid back with me and it took so much to make him angry, but when I crossed that line the spanking was harsh because he was angry.  Now when I got this spanking I realized that I had worked hard for it.  I was angry with my dad, but I knew that I deserved to be punished.  Just as we are told in 1 John 4:18 there is no fear in love, but fear has to do with punishment.  You see I loved my dad with all my heart. I knew that he loved me with all his heart.  But, I feared his punishment.  If you grew up in that era where parents did not spare the rod for fear of spoiling the child (Proverbs 13:24) then you know what I mean.  It takes time and effort to discipline a child.  You also may have to deal with the fact that the child doesn’t like you so much once they have been disciplined, but the bible tells us it is necessary.  I understood that my dad disciplined out of love and I am now grateful that he did.

God disciplines us as well.  We are to love God with all we have, but we must understand that He is a God of justice and righteousness.  He will not tolerate continued disobedience.  We talked yesterday about how God is a patient God, but that there will come a point when He will give you over to your sinful desires (Romans 1:24).  So we are to have a respect for Him and a reverence for Him that shows that we understand His mighty power.  We are to show Him the respect He deserves.  We should never take His name in vain or use it lightly.  We should praise Him and give Him all the glory He deserves.  He should have first place in our lives.  Because let’s face it, when you love someone you put them first.  You don’t stick them on a shelf and pull them out when it’s convenient right?  They have top priority in your life.

One of the worst tragedies we can experience in life is rejected love.  When we love someone wholeheartedly and respect them and they don’t feel the same way or treat us the same way.  Can you imagine how God feels when we do this to Him?  He loved us enough to send His son to die for us (John 3:16)  while we were still miserable rotten sinners (Romans 5:8).  Doesn’t that warrant Him being put first in your life?

Our love for God should be wholehearted love.  Our fear for Him should be the kind of fear that glorifies Him and respects Him and is in awe of Him.  It should be a reverential fear.  Psalm 2:11 tells us to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

So I encourage you today to fear God with reverence and awe in a way that honors and glorifies Him and shows that you are aware of his power and might.  Love Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and He will bring honor and glory to you as well.  He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).  He will protect you (Psalm 91).  He will lead you by his righteous hand (Isaiah 41:10).  If we fear God, we need not fear anything or anyone else.  He’s got this!  So won’t you trust in Him today?  Won’t you love Him with all your heart?  Stop living in fear of the things of this world that we know will pass away.  Turn to God and trust in Him to protect you and keep you safe.  Trust in Him to work all things out for your good.  Allow your perfect love found in Him to cast out all fear.

Have a great day!