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What It Means to Respect the Lord
Description
Understanding the "fear of the Lord" begins with recognizing God's character. Proverbs 8:13 reminds us that reverence for God is not about living in constant terror but about honoring Him so deeply that we reject what He calls evil. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, obedience becomes less about fear of punishment and more about love, trust, and respect for the One who is perfectly holy and perfectly good.
This devotion encourages believers to move beyond a distorted view of God as someone waiting for them to fail. Instead, Scripture reveals a Father who calls His children to walk in wisdom, love, and holiness. Genuine reverence for God transforms our hearts, shaping the way we speak, make decisions, and respond to temptation because we desire to reflect His character.
Highlights:
- Reverence for God grows out of knowing His holy and loving character
- Respecting the Lord leads us to reject pride, evil, and sinful behavior
- Obedience is rooted in love for Christ, not merely fear of consequences
- God's desire is to draw His people closer, not push them away through intimidation
- A healthy view of God inspires joyful faithfulness and spiritual growth
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When you hear the phrase "fear the Lord," what comes to mind? How has your understanding of God's character shaped the way you approach Him in worship, obedience, and everyday life?
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Full Transcript Below:
What it Means to Respect the Lord
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” (Proverbs 8:13).
Many of us grew up hearing about the fear of the Lord. As someone who did not grow up in the church, I didn't hear about this until much later. However, I can imagine the anxiety it raised in the hearts of children.
The idea of fearing the Lord suggests that we are supposed to be afraid of Him. When we look at the Bible, we don't see Jesus as a scary, fear-mongering God. Instead, we see Him being born into the world as an innocent baby on one silent night (Luke 2:11).
Fearing the Lord has bred many problems within preaching as well as theology in general. This is because far too many people take fear to literally mean being afraid—and this is a comple