Thought for the Day

The "fear of the Lord" is needed to attain knowledge, but what does this phrase mean? To fear the Lord means to be alarmed by what could happen if we were to lack reverence for God and disregard His Word. The young person who respects his father heeds his words. He knows wrongdoing displeases his father and brings punishment. Likewise, if we really respect God and believe His Word, we will not disobey Him. We will resist sin because we know there is a penalty for it. The acknowledgement of this one truth truly is the gateway to attaining the knowledge of God.

People without a fear of God are rebellious and despise His instruction. They go about breaking His laws as if nothing will ever happen to them. The Bible refers to them as "fools." Because God is merciful, people do not usually face the consequences of their sins immediately. In time, however, all of us reap what we sow, as Galatians 6:7 tells us: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

The only way to stop the sowing and reaping process is to repent of our sins. The cleansing power of Christ can sterilize evil seeds we have sown. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we do not have to pay the penalty for our sins because He paid it for us. We can escape sin's consequences. How wonderful this is! It is as if someone comes along and plows up the fields of our lives in which we had planted seeds of sin. In time, these would have sprouted and produced terrible consequences. Through Christ's love for us, our lives become like clean, plowed fields. We can now plant seeds of righteousness that produce abundant blessings that we can enjoy and share with others.