Fearing God means that we honor, revere, worship, obey, serve, and respect Him.  Fearing God also means that we do not want to displease Him.  We fear the consequences of sin and doing that which God says is evil, wrong, hurtful, or dishonoring to Him and to others.  John MacArthur writes that in order to teach children the fear of the Lord, we must teach them God’s attributes (holy, faithful, good, all-knowing, all present, all-powerful, loving, sovereign, unchanging, merciful, compassionate, just, righteous, etc).  

Only when they know who God truly is, can they revere Him (What the Bible Says about Parenting, 78).

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

See also Proverbs 1:7, 14:26-27, 15:3, 15:16, 16:6, 19:23; Matthew 10:28.

-Cookie

*Parenting: 7 Essentials for Children – Pastor Steve Ingino

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