Helped By Fear

Fear means different things to different people. To professional golfer Padraig Harrington, it is a motivator to help him perform his very best. In 2008, when he won both the British Open and the PGA Championship, Harrington said, “Yes, fear is a big part of me. I’d like to say that I have all the trust and patience and I’m relaxed. No, that’s not my makeup. [Fear] pushes me on. Keeps me getting to the gym. I have to work with it and use it.”
Maybe it’s the fear of failure, or the fear of losing his edge, but Harrington finds fear to be a useful thing in his professional life.
The follower of Christ can also be helped by fear. We are challenged in the Scriptures to a reverential fear of God, which is the best type of fear that there is. It causes us to be concerned about disobeying Him or living in opposition to His ways. It’s being in awe of our great God, bowing to His perfect will, and seeking His wisdom for living. To that end, the proverb declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).
By fearing God rightly, we can live wisely in an uncertain world. — Bill Crowder
God dwells in light and holiness,In splendor and in might;And godly fear of His great powerCan help us do what’s right. —D. De Haan
Fear God, and you’ll have nothing else to fear.

「敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端，认识至圣者便是聪明！」 （箴言9章10节）
全年读经:
耶利米书30-31章 腓利门书
畏惧对不同的人产生的影响不尽相同。对职业高尔夫球员派洛·哈灵顿（Padraig Harrington）而言，畏惧是促使他得以完美的动力。2008年当他赢得英国公开赛及PGA冠军赛后，哈灵顿这么说：「没错，恐惧对我的影响很大。 我很希望我能说，我有足够的信心和耐力，我很轻松，但事实并非如此，『恐惧』促使我前进；它让我能规律地上健身房。我必须面对恐惧，并将它转化为积极的力 量。」
也许是害怕失败或失去优势，哈灵顿却因此发现，恐惧对他的职业生涯有着极大的帮助。
基督的跟随者也能因着畏惧而得到益处。在圣经中要求我们要敬畏上帝，这是最有益的恐惧。这会使我们对不顺从上帝，或去做违反上帝旨意的事而感到担心，使我 们对伟大的上帝深怀敬畏，对祂的完美旨意全然信服，并在生活中寻求祂的智慧。这也就是箴言所说：「敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端，认识至圣者便是聪明！」（箴言 9章10节）
谨守着敬畏上帝的心，我们便得以在这个充满不确定性的世代中有智慧地活着。WEC
上帝居光明圣所，充满了荣耀力量；敬畏全能的上帝，助我行事于正途。D. De Haan
敬畏上帝，便心无所惧。