Proverbs 28:14 Joy in the new year

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
    but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

Wow. How many verses are there, that talk about the fear of the Lord? A bunch! I'll just bet that if you look at a concordance or a commentary, you'll see these listed: 

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures for ever.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psalm 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Here's one from Job . . .

 Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

. . . and another from Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 6:2 That thou might fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

And just in case we think it's only an Old Testament concept, here is one from Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Many people have hardened their hearts in this day and time. The fear of the Lord is not a popular idea. Some people are more comfortable talking about the power of prayer, than about the power of the Person to whom we pray. They are more comfortable talking about a loved one going to "a better place" than about the holy God that they will meet after death. For the unsaved person, the fear of the Lord is a foreign idea --- but we can tell them about the gospel and let the Holy Spirit draw them to our Father. For Christians, fearing the Lord means to be diligent to keep His commandments --- and we've seen the promises in His word for those who do keep them.
If we want to experience true joy in 2013, here is the key:
Psalm 119:1–8
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.
You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. 

It won't happen overnight --- but it will happen:

2 Corinthians 7:1
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

Proverbs 2:20-22

Today we will conclude our study of Proverbs 2 with a very short study.

Read Proverbs 2: 20-22.

What are the benefits listed in this passage of having the Wisdom of God?

Verse 22 goes back to our original discussion of having Fear of the Lord. Why? what are your thoughts on this today?

Week 1: Proverbs 1:1-7

Read Proverbs 1: 1-7.

Right here in the beginning Solomon gives quite a few reasons for his writing of Proverbs. List these reasons in your journal. Do any of these reasons relate to you? Put a star by them or circle them.

Let's take a look at the reasons verse by verse. Read each verse again and look at the corresponding note matching each one below:

Verse 2)  I could certainly stand to have more wisdom in my life, how about you? Remember from yesterday, we are talking about the kind of wisdom that comes from God, not man.

Verse 3) To receive instruction...do you take instruction as you should? Or do you rebel against it...thinking that you don't need it? Do you get angry and throw a fit, or do you take it humbly. Do you get your feelings hurt? (I do. I am a sensitive person and I have to work hard on not getting my feelings hurt.) When you teach your children something, it is because you want them to learn and not make mistakes. God wants the same for us. He just wants to help!

Verse 4) I am one of these people that have the tendency to be naive. Now I believe there are things in this world that it is good to be naive about. But I need the wisdom of God to keep me out of sticky situations. Also in verse 4; Proverbs is a very good book for young people to study. Teenage years are very hard...even in Solomon's time. Teens seem to find plenty of ways to get into sticky situations!

5) Notice the passage said a wise man will "hear". That means "be quiet and listen". Are you a good listener--especially to your elders?

6) I giggled when I was typing this. I keep seeing some scenes from Kung Fu Panda in my head. At first Panda just did NOT 'get it'. Over time he found wisdom and was able to understand the riddles of his teacher. Is the Bible a riddle to you? Open up your heart so that you might understand it better.

Verse 7 is my choice for my VERSE of the DAY.  Do you understand what it means to have a Fear of the Lord? This verse is confusing for many people. Isn't God supposed to be a loving God? Then what is this Fear that the Bible talks about? Should we be afraid of God? Let's discuss this today in the comments section...What are your thoughts on this verse?