Healthy Fear

The definition of a "proverb" is a "short, wise, easy-to-learn saying that calls a person to action." Remember the last part in particular because that is the key. It is not just a saying we add to the end of an email or hang on our refrigerator because it makes us feel good. An ancient Chinese proverb is a saying they have passed down through generations that inspire and teach and mold their students in the mental concepts and restraints of their traditions.
We, as Christians have the book of Proverbs at our disposal. Pretty special that we were all given the ancient Biblical Proverbs to choose to live by and let mold us. One everyone seems to know whether saved or not, "You reap what you sow." I love Dr. Charles Stanley's version of that saying. He says "We reap what we sow, more than we sow, later than we sow it." How true that is. For some of us, it may make us anxious about what we've sown in the past andhow we haven't seen the results of that yet!
Another one I love is Proverbs 1:7a. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." Once we acknowledge that God is King, Creator, Father and Saviour, well, we are getting smarter already! Fear of God is not trepidation but rather a level of respect for His power and authority over our lives. Just like you have fear of a parent (or hopefully at least their authority to change your priviledges). God made it so simple for us to be His children. By believing in Jesus Christ as our Saviour...someone who was willing to pay the ultimate price of laying down His life for each of us...admitting to Him that we are sinners (that we aren't perfect in any way), we can then accept His ultimate gift of eternal life. He paid the price for our sins because He loves us that much. All He asks in return is that you acknowledge His sacrifice and ask Him to forgive you for the mistakes you've made. He wants to walk beside you, give you strength, live in your heart in Spirit and help you make better choices. This fear of God and His awesome power crosses over to our obedience and submission to Him. Kind of funny, though, that Solomon is saying.."You're getting smarter already!"
God's wisdom will give us power to discern, be compassionate, make good decisions, encourage other and be able to communicate with Him more efficiently. He wants to help us, guide us, empower us, encourage us. The regeneration of each new day, original in and of it's own is a gift that so many of us take for granted.
What a plethra of gifts are given to us and all we have to do is believe!