The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge

Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 1:7 states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge or wisdom.  Fear is often looked at as negative but I was thinking of all of the positive reactions of fear in our lives.  I thought of how I save money in fear of running out,
I try not to speed in fear of getting a ticket,
I try to eat healthy for my weight and health,
I pay my bills so that I have electricity, car and home,
I did my homework so I would make the grades and not be benched
I respected my parents out of fear!
Many things we do out of fear are good and beneficial.  Fear truly keeps us in line.  It helps us to be wise and work hard.  Fear is good when you are fearing in the right way.  I will define fear of the Lord as standing in awe of Him to a point that you will obey immediately and completely because you know that He is good and faithful.  I trust Him with my life.  In fact I am more fearful to live life without my Father in Heaven.  We all need more of this awesome fear of the Lord.  His ways are clear and perfect.
Deuteronomy 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws;

 

Define Jesus

Considering the Jesus I am sharing I find it necessary to define Jesus.  Paul refers to this:
2 Corinthians 11:3-5 (New Century Version)


3 But I am afraid that your minds will be led away from your true and pure following of Christ just as Eve was tricked by the snake with his evil ways.4 You are very patient with anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus from the one we preached. You are very willing to accept a spirit or gospel that is different from the Spirit and Good News you received from us.

Truth

Psalm 15


A psalm of David.

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?

Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless

and who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from his heart



3 and has no slander on his tongue,

who does his neighbor no wrong

and casts no slur on his fellowman,



4 who despises a vile man

but honors those who fear the LORD,

who keeps his oath

even when it hurts,



5 who lends his money without usury

and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things

will never be shaken.

Psalms 27

Psalms 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,


this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!"

Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

I'll Be My Brother's Keeper

Obadiah prophesied:

The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble.

Love will hold us together- this song is great. I'll be my brothers keeper!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvnVjLX_hRE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Parable of the weeds

Many times we ask the Lord why we are in an unpeaceful situation.  We question why as Christians things get bumpy. 
We even share our faith as a peace message - "come to God and He will give you peace."  I began to ask the Lord how I was to explain this to a struggling Christian or an unbeliever.
I saw a film the other day that explained it this way:

If you had an opportunity to share with the victims of 9/11 on 9/10 about the message of salvation, would you really offer the message to them that God had a plan for their life and that He wanted to offer them peace?

Stop and think.
The plan for them was an unfair, short life and they did not experience the peace here on earth, but rather will experience it when they meet with God and receive that payment for their sin that Jesus offered them, and that they accepted.

Sometimes carrying the backpack of being a Christian can be tiresome.  It is like when my Lillian has to decide if she wants to carry her Camelbac.  Her Camelbac, which holds water, is really heavy when she puts it on all filled up.  She always considers taking it off before she starts her adventure but then she remembers the necessity of the cool Ozarka water that she just put in it.  She knows that she can run farther and  climb higher when she is refreshed by that cool water.

Following Christ, obeying, giving, loving, forgiving, enduring can all be tiresome but Christ promises to be our living water. He understands that we are living among weeds that choke the light and water out of us.  He knows that we are surrounded by hardships trying to pull us down.  He is asking us to endure.  He has made a promise to us.  We must run and not grow weary.  He makes a way when there seems to be no way and these hardships purify us just as it did David and Job.  He is looking for a holy people that have been found righteous.  This parable explains His plan:

Matthew 13:24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds [3] among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants [4] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”


Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.


Matthew10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.