fear

He whose walk is upright fears the LORD, but he whose ways are devious despises him

proverbs 14:2

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

exodus 20:20

i meant to do a word-search, systematic theology of 'fear'. i meant to do that nearly two years ago but i didn't get around to it. this proverb brought it to my attention today and i realised it was a test of fear to look at your life. how do i feel about God = what's my walk like?

i love exodus 20:20 because it puts 'afraid' and 'fear' next to each other and uses them completely differently. God doesn't want us to be sacred, but He does want us to fear Him. like we're standing in front of an active volcano and it's not time to play games.
we don't wake up trembling, but we eat and drink knowing who He is, what He is like, what He's capable of. Jesus says that, right?

do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

matthew 10:28

i don't know that i have that austere seriousness very often.
which probably also explains why my walk is often less than upright.
things to pray for