Text: Deuteronomy 10:12 - "...what doth the Lord require of thee, but to (1) fear (respect) thy God, (2) to walk in all His ways, and (3) to love Him, and (4) to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."
Fearing God means to respect Him. This fear is not being scared or afraid, but respecting God for who He is. Only God has all authority and power. He is awesome in all His ways. We should respect Him for His greatness, holiness, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and on and on. There is no limit to the attributes of God. He is infinite and perfect.
Here are some other verses:
- Joshua 24:14 - "...fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods ... and serve ye the Lord."
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 - "...Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man."
- I Peter 2:17 - "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."
What Are the Benefits of Fearing God?
- Psalms 25:12 - We shall be teachable.
- Psalms 31:19 - God has laid up goodness for us.
- Luke 1:50 - God's mercy will be on us.
- Acts 10:35 - We will be accepted by God.
- Proverbs 28:14 - Happy we will be.
"Happy is the man that feareth always; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." - Psalms 111:10 - We will have more wisdom.
- Proverbs 8:13 - We will hate evil.
- Proverbs 10:27 - Our days will be prolonged.
- Proverbs 14:26 - Strong confidence in God.
Closing Remarks:
On earth, there are lots of people we may respect or want to impress. Examples: teachers, preachers, policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses, attorneys, the president of the U.S., our parents, grandparents.
Why don’t we respect and fear the Lord above anyone or anything in heaven or earth?
We can. Matthew 6:33 says it so well.
When we put God first and genuinely respect and honor Him like He deserves, there is no limit to the power, blessings and peace He will bestow upon our lives each day.
The benefits of fearing God will far outweigh any temporal blessings you could find on this earth.
Fearing the Lord will impact every decision you make. It will draw you closer to Him.
Review again, Deuteronomy 10:12:
- Fear God. (respect Him)
- Walk in His ways. (obey Him)
- Love Him. (above all else)
- Serve Him. (with all of your being)
God’s eyes are "running to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him ..." (II Chronicles 16:9)
Will that person be you? Will you be the one God shows Himself strong? You can be.
Begin loving and serving God with all of your heart. Daily confess and keep your heart clean before Him as you "do unto others as you would have others do unto you".
Luke 6:31 / Matthew 7:12
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