Plan Two: The Fear of the Lord Is…預覽

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS HUMILITY

The fear and reverence of Abba are wonderful gifts we receive through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as we encounter God’s awesome power and are overwhelmed by the tenderness of His love and grace. These holy ingredients bond together to forge a proper fear of God within us. But how do we know if we have a healthy fear of God? Are there obvious traits or habits in our lives that help us or others diagnose our spiritual walk with Him?

Proverbs 22:4 says, “Humility is the fear of the LORD.” In other words, true humility and the fear of the Lord are so similar that, much like identical twins, they are difficult to distinguish. The writer doesn’t say humility is a trait, a fruit, or evidence of the fear of God; he says humility is the fear of God. If you find one, you will find the other, for they are inseparable.

Few aspire to humility, yet that is what Jesus and all great servants of God possessed. For example, Moses is described as more humble than any other man. When describing Jesus, the prophet Zechariah wrote, “Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey.” In Jesus’ only self-description, He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Humility is something we must actively seek and choose to embrace. Many times in Scripture, we are admonished to humble ourselves. In a dream, the Lord spoke to King Solomon and said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The apostle James writes, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” The apostle Paul, when describing Jesus, said, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Humility is the evidence that one fears God, and it is a conscious and deliberate act…a choice we make.