Articles
Trust, Fear and Honor
Trust, Fear and Honor
Brett Petrillo
The book of Proverbs is full of wonderful information and guidance from the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon. Like everyone, there are times when our relationship with the Lord grows stale. In chapter 3, Solomon gives us three great pieces of advice on how to strengthen our relationship with the Almighty.
First, "TRUST the Lord" (vs. 5). We've heard this a million times, but how are we supposed to do this? The key is in trusting Him not just on a surface Things will happen in this life we don't like or understand, but God is all-powerful and all known. Let's trust that He knows what's best.
Second, "FEAR the Lord" (vs. 7). If we truly understand that our Lord can cast us into hell for eternity, this should cause fear to rise up inside us. Fear means much more than "respect" as some have tried to claim as a definition of this word. A natural response to fearing the Lord is to "turn away from evil." Why? Because God is going to call every act into judgment (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14), and that should be a scary thought for a sinful people like us. If we are willing to fear the Lord, then this fear will produce repentance, which will be "healing to our body" and "a refreshment to our bones" (vs. 8). If we truly fear the Lord then we will keep His commandments. When we do this, we do not have to worry about the guilt and punishment for our sins. How healing and refreshing it is to know God has forgiven us when we fear and follow Him. level, but "with all of our heart." In other words, whether life is good or it is bad, we still trust in the Lord. Whether we understand everything going on or not, we still trust in the Lord. But Solomon takes it even deeper. We don't just trust in God with all of our heart, but we also "do not lean on our own understanding," but instead "acknowledge Him in all our ways" (vs. 5-6). See, the point is, God knows best.
Third, "HONOR the Lord" (vs. 9). While there are many ways we can honor the Lord, Solomon specifically says to "honor the Lord from your wealth" and from the "first of your produce" (vs. 9). It's one thing to claim to follow God, it's another to sacrifice our material possessions for Him. If we are willing to do so, Solomon goes on to say that "your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine" (vs. 10). The emphasis here isn't on physical wealth, but spiritual wealth. Many have followed the Lord and been in poverty on earth. If we are willing to honor the Lord from our wealth here, we will be rich eternally in heaven (Matthew 6:20).
If we could incorporate more trust, fear, and honor in our relationship with the Lord, it will grow. Imagine just how much better our relationship will be with Him if we simply learn to give the Lord more trust, fear, and honor.
