Fear The Lord: Praises & Favor - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 25, 2022

When last did you look at Proverbs 31? If you are a Christian woman of a certain age, you've likely looked at it at least once in your life. I know Proverbs 31 is held up as an anthem for Christian women and its tenets are those many aspire for. However, today, lets take gender out of things and imagine ourselves the Proverbs 31 person regardless of whether we are a man or woman. Remember on Tuesday, we learned about Fear of the Lord and the benefits it brings. There, we focused primarily on it bringing blessings though other Bible verses were shared to show that Fear of the Lord brings uncountable benefits.

Now, our focus is on the Fear of the Lord bringing praise and in many ways favor. Praise and favor because those who fear the Lord God Almighty live lives that reflect this and thereby develop a good reputation.

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Notice the verse discounts charm and beauty? Two things our societies push as a means to likability and success. Think about how many people have been charmed into doing things that, in retrospect, made no sense. Ponzi schemes and other scams immediately come to mind. The people running these illegal plans are often extremely charming and in many cases, physically attractive. However, the Bible makes it clear that those attributes are not to be trusted. They are not the gold standard.

The standard, instead, is the fear of the Lord. It is this fear of the Lord in Joseph that was recognized by the Pharaoh of Egypt and caused the royal to hand over control of his nation to a former slave. The same was the case for Daniel, who served under several kings. Each recognized his fear of the Lord and thereby acknowledged God for His greatness.

So, how do we - as individuals in the 21st century - live lives that others can see the fear of the Lord in us? Ask yourself what influences your choices on a day-to-day basis when you're out in the world and when in the privacy of your home.

Are your decisions determined by the world or by the Word? Our lips alone cannot exhibit the fear of the Lord. Instead, it is the contents of our heart showing themselves in our actions. When placed on a scale, do these inner thoughts and outward actions exemplify the fear of the Lord? Are Instagram and your favorite social media sites telling you how to deal with challenges at your job? Or is your favorite forum telling you how to interact with people? If so, then the Lord is not guiding you. People are.

How then can you become someone who is praised by those who know them? How can you receive praise from God? It is indeed possible to receive praise from God and man. Such is the result of the Lord's favor on a person. And without it, how can God thereby bless the works of your hands and all who/that concern you? These are tough questions to consider and by the grace of God, each of us, walking with the word of God will become the sort of people we need to be so that we reflect the fear of the Sovereign Lord who created us.

Don't get me wrong, this is not to say there isn't good information out there. However, each nugget of suggestion that influences your life must be measured against the Word of God. Until we are doing that, until we are allowing the wisdom of the Lord to select what applies to us and eliminate what He doesn't approve of, we are yet to fear the Lord.

God bless you and I pray you will join us for Praise & Pray at 12 Noon EST.