“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” –Proverbs 14:26
As Christians, we should be fearful of the Lord, but what does that mean? Billy Graham and Ruth Bell Graham explain it as having such strong love and trust in the Lord that must please Him.
Fear
We taught our children to be careful with matches and to be respectful of open fire; fear of house fires and forest fires prompts sensible precautions. We also taught the children never to run into the street without first carefully looking both ways; a proper fear of cars is also legitimate—as are accepting rides from strangers, using prescribed drugs, not wearing helmets when riding motorcycles, breaking the law, and dishonoring one’s parents or one’s country.
There is one grand, noble fear we are taught from genesis to Revelation. It is “fear of the Lord.” This is more than “being scared” (though there is a bit of that in it too). It is “a reverential trust,” not only a fear of offending, but a loving to the point one would not want to offend.
from Legacy of a Pack Rat by Ruth Bell Graham
Fear of Offending
If we truly love Christ, we will want to please and honor Him by the way we live. Even the thought of hurting Him or bringing disgrace to His name will be abhorrent to us.
