Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
These are things the fear of God is and what it does for us when it dwells in our heart:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10).
There is no one who has ever become wise by fearing the Devil. Our thoughts are guided well only if they are anchored in the fear of God. Although in order to attain to wisdom we must begin with the fear of God, that same fear of God is itself wisdom (Job 28:28). In other words, not only is fear of God the beginning of wisdom but it is also the end of it. We do not begin with the fear of God and then leave it behind when we become wise; instead, when we become wise, we fear God completely, as Jesus did (Heb. 5:7). The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches us when we have it (Prov. 15:33).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7).
No knowledge, scientific or otherwise, can rightly be evaluated or used without the fear of God. Man can learn facts, as God allows him to learn them, but how to understand those facts and how to apply them for the best benefit of people on earth is not possible without the fear of God. True knowledge of this creation is impossible for those who do not fear the Creator of it. Textbooks do not make us people of understanding. Solomon said it: “The knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Prov. 9:10), and without that understanding no factual knowledge can be properly directed toward a good end.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil (Prov. 8:13).
The fear of God is the love of God by another name. We love Him for exactly the same reasons that we fear Him. Genuine fear of God is love both for God and for all that belongs to Him, and it is hatred of all that God hates. In Revelation 2:6, Jesus commended a pastor for hating the same thing that he hated. This servant of Christ hated certain wicked deeds because the fear of God was in his heart. When Job said that “the fear of the Lord is wisdom”, he added, “and to depart from evil, that is understanding” (Job 28:28). Every wise man fears God, and every man who fears God stops sinning because the fear of God makes him hate sin.
The fear of the Lord is clean, forever (Ps. 19:9).
Fear of death can make a person stop sinning for a few hours, or a day or two. When the fear of God enters, it makes a permanent impression that saves from sin continually.
The fear of the Lord prolongs our lives (Prov. 10:27).
No sane person could fail to see that it makes for a healthier and happier life to live the way the fear of God leads us to live. With the many and virulent diseases that now threaten the health of those who live an immoral lifestyle, God is making it clearer than ever that His way of holiness is the only safe way to live.