"Fear of the Lord The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. --PSALM 111:10 The motto of the wisdom teachers is that the fear of the LORD (showing holy respect and reverence for God and shunning evil) is the starting point and essence of wisdom. When you have a fear of the LORD, you express that respect by submission to His will. * "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."--Job 28:28 NASB * "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."--Proverbs 9:10 NASB * "The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility."--Proverbs 15:33 NASB * "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." --Ecclesiastes 12:13 NASB Wisdom is not acquired by a mechanical formula, but through a right relationship with God. It seems that following God's principles and commandments should be the obvious conclusion of our thankfulness for all He has done for us. In today's church world, many people have lost the concept of fearing God. The soft side of Christianity has preached only the "love of God." We haven't balanced the scale by teaching the other side, His justice and judgment--fear, anger, wrath, obedience, and punishment. Just because some pastors don't teach it from their pulpits doesn't make it less a reality. As with involvement with drugs, alcohol, lust, and envy, we must respect the consequences of our actions, or we will be destroyed by them. Our safeguard to resist these life destroyers is to have a proper respect for God. Then we will be obedient to His precepts and stay away from the fire of temptation. God lights the way for our paths, but we must be willing to follow His lighted path." --