My Refuge

There were a couple words that stood out for me today.  The first one was more of a concept: fear of the Lord, which means "profound reverence and awe toward God".  The other was refuge, which means "shelter, safety, sanctuary".

He who fears the Lord  has a secure fortress,

and for his children it will be a refuge.  Proverbs 14:26

Sounds pretty good, huh?!  It's a crazy world out there, and all I ever want for my kids and my family is a safe place to call home.  Now I understand the "what", I see from this verse the "why"...but what I don't find is the "how".  How does one "fear the Lord"?  If I have profound reverence and awe toward God I would have to Love Him first, right?  Well, love is an action...a choice.  I have to do something to show love (feeling it just isn't enough).  I could look to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 for more about this...but those aren't the actions I'm talking about. 

For a real look at how to fear the Lord, I was drawn to reading Deuteronomy 10:12-22.  Do some extra credit today and read those verses (it will take you three minutes)!   To summarize - this is what Moses said about what God wants from us.

1. Fear God (have respect for Him)
2. Walk in His ways (follow him)
3. Love Him
4. Serve Him with all your heart and soul
5. Observe His commands (note, the ten commandments were created to make us aware of sin, nobody can keep them to save ourselves)

So if I want to create a fortress for my children, in which they can take refuge,  I need to Respect, Follow, Love, Serve, and Obey the Lord.  It might seem like a lot of work, but it's not...it's my heart's desire for my husband and children to know the Lord, so I am eager to do my part in God's plan for them, and for me.