Fearing God

“The end of the matter; all has been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13

What is the meaning of life? This is a question that has been pondered by the greatest minds in human history. It is a question that has led to the creation of religions, gurus, and self-help books. King Solomon answers this timeless question in the Book of Ecclesiastes. The meaning of life can be summarized in two words: fear and keep…fear God and keep His commandments.

Our lives serve a greater purpose than just what we can do, where we can go, what we can buy, or what jobs we may do. The purpose of every person revolves around God who created us and loves us. He created each of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Part of having a relationship with God is fearing Him.

Fear is sometimes healthy. In life, we all must learn to fear the right things. Children need to learn to fear touching a hot stove. They need to learn to fear things that are dangerous and harmful. Children should also have a healthy fear of their parents…a respect and reverence for them. This is beneficial because they are not equals in the relationship.

The same is true in a relationship with God. We should have a healthy fear of Him, reverencing and honoring Him as the One who is Lord of our lives. As we grow to know Him more we begin to understand that He longs to make us greater than we could ever be on our own. He is a good Father who longs to give us the best gifts – blessings that are not merely material but also eternal.

Once we begin to experience this all-satisfying God, our greatest desire in life should be to fear anything that might displease Him. We should fear doing anything that might bring dishonor to His name.

Dear Father, thank You for the gift of a relationship with You. Please help me to fear You and honor You in all I do and say. I want others to know how great of a Father You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.