Tues.4.28.15...The FEAR of the Lord

Don't Leave Home Without It!

Our fantastic voyage is just beginning. We are going to explore the book of Proverbs and our destination is wisdom. But to get there, as we saw yesterday, we must begin with the fear of the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" 1:7. This is similarly stressed in 9:10- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." But what exactly is the fear of the Lord? We dare not leave on this expedition without it. Some have sought to simply define the fear of the Lord as reverence for God. It does include that, but a search through the word of the Lord reveals more to it than that. Here's a rhyme I composed years ago to teach my children about the fear of the Lord that encompasses the broader revelation of it-

The fear of the Lord is vital, but it's so misunderstood,

So let's take letter of it to learn it as we should.

F is for Follow by faith God's holy word.

E is for Eschew evil, O flee its trap like a bird.       (Eschew:avoid, shun)

A is for Act in accountability, for God always sees.

R is for Reverence God's rule, O worship on your knees. 

David also sought to teach his children, and all of us, the fear of the Lord in Psalm 34:11-16. Let's read that now.

In  the OT, to say, "I fear the Lord" would be the equivalent of us saying today, "I"m a Christ follower." But the fear of the Lord is not simply an OT term that disappeared with the coming of Christ. Look up any of the following NT verses to see how the fear of the Lord is still used- Luke 12:5; 2 Cor.5:11; Phil.2:12; 1 Peter 1:17; 2:17; Rev.14:7; 15:4. Or here's a longer list of verses from  the OT and NT on the fear of the Lord- http://www.openbible.info/topics/fear_of_the_lord

1.-Pick any one of these NT or OT verses and share what you like about it.

2.-Write that verse also on your MP3 card. Then as always, look for opportunities to share it with others.

Announcements

See you this Sunday in the break room for our important M3 meeting. I want to start at 11:30 sharp, so please be early, so you're not late.  

Keep enriching men you would like to enlist into M3 and feel free to invite them to our Sunday meeting.