OFF KILTER: Fear of the Lord

Far from being just a dusty old book, the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. It is the user manual for understanding who God is, and who we are, and the most frequently used medium for God to speak to us. Don't expect to immediately understand every nuance of what you read in it, but make a habit of reading it often, and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the scriptures to you.

I have a Grave Robber shirt that pokes fun at the upcoming election with it's admonition to "Make America Fear Again!"- referring of course, to the following verse:

Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 1:7 (The Message) "Start with God- the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning."

The Bible says that the very first lesson you can learn in your pursuit of knowledge is your place in the universe. The Greeks and Romans lived in fear of gods that they felt were capricious. Their lives might be forfeit if they pissed off this deity or that one. It's very different with the one true God, who cares about each of us very deeply, and knows every detail of our lives. But this can lead to a false sense of becoming overly familiar with "the Man upstairs." God is on an entirely different level than man and it's important to maintain the proper reverence that is due Him. As His followers, we submit to His will; recognizing that His ways are higher or truer than ours.