Giving – Fear of the Lord

Do you fear God?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10) To wisely handle our finances, we must seek God. One of the ways He intends for us to do this is to acknowledge His Lordship through giving. Believers are told to fear God, not to be scared of Him, but to hold Him in such reverential awe that it impacts the way we live. Consider what Moses said in Deuteronomy 10. “…what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

Fearing God is for our good! Otherwise, we discount His Lordship and put our will ahead of His. We lose our eternal perspective and allow temporary things of this world to gain importance. Money and possessions become idols, and striving after stuff diverts us from the joy and reward of giving. The fear of God recognizes God’s lavish grace and compels us to give as an act of love and worship. It should cause us to fall on our knees in gratitude and accept the call to wisely manage what He provides.

Worldly desires can become significant distractions from our God-given purpose. Rather than fulfilling every want the world creates within us, let’s build financial margin so we can fulfill the purposes for which He created us! This will lead to overwhelming peace and joy.

Living outside God’s principles of financial management can lead to credit card debt. Let Christian Credit Counselors help. They can create a debt management plan specifically for you. For more information, visit online at crown.org/ccc.