God is the architect and creator of everything.

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. ^{Genesis 1:1}

God created everything by speaking it into existence. God’s power and capability are beyond comprehension. Believe, trust, fear, and serve the almighty God.

God is serious.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. ^{Deuteronomy 6:13-15}

A dramatic warning from the Old Testament. Fear God and do not pursue the gods (idols) of the world. If you do, he will wipe you off the face of the earth.

God holds the fate of our souls in his hands.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. ^{Job 12:7-10}

This beautiful verse reminds us to look to God’s creation and be aware that our fate is entirely in his hands.

Trust in God alone.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ^{Proverbs 3:5-6}

God’s wisdom is the path to accomplish his will and is the best possible course for man to follow. Trust in him, live in the word, endure in the faith, and he will show you the way to go. Trust in yourself and you will experience a dramatically deficient and inferior life.

Fear God and keep his commandments.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. ^{Ecclesiastes 12:13-14}

To fear God is to live in acknowledgment of who and what he is – the only living God, the creator of all things, the judge of our souls, whose wrath can utterly destroy us, yet whose great love can save us. Because of this, we live in awe (fear, even paralysis, and the expectation of overwhelming possibility), respect, reverence, and obedience to our Father, who has total authority and power over everything.

Therefore, we strive to live a life that pleases him. In loving, grateful obedience, we follow his commandments as he will judge us on all that we did in this life. Thankfully, Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and we will stand before him deemed righteous, and our sins will be forgiven.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. ^{Proverbs 9:10}

We are wise if we fear God and live a life that pleases him. To glorify him, that is to give him weight and preeminence in our lives, we understand the right and wrong, the holy and evil of the world and ourselves. To be wise is to live a life that accomplishes his will.

A gentle response brings peace.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. ^{Proverbs 15:1-2}

Our instinct is to fight, to display our anger when provoked. But the wise, demonstrating the character of Jesus, return enmity and animosity with calm reason and diplomacy, even kindness. Everyone then enjoys a better outcome.

Pride brings disaster.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. ^{Proverbs 16:18-19}

A common feature of life is that the proud will be humbled. God abhors pridefulness and exalts the humble.

The less said, the better.

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. ^{Proverbs 16:18-19}

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt – Abraham Lincoln.

The comfort of Christianity

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. ^{Psalm 23}

This is undoubtedly the most famous Psalm, and for good reason. It conveys immense comfort and security for those to whom the Lord is their shepherd. The words are a beautiful expression of fatherly love and guidance. We experience unbounded joy and gratitude, blessed with goodness and mercy as we dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Truly awesome stuff.

Obedient love for God brings abundant blessings.

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. ^{Psalm 37:4}

To delight yourself in the Lord is to live in a manner that pleases him. Seek the will of God, and the desires of your heart will be in alignment with him. Live for God, and the blessings he will shower on you will be beyond measure.

Prophecy of Jesus’s sorrow and sacrifice.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. ^{Isaiah 53}

Here, Isaiah gives an astounding prophecy of Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins hundreds of years before Jesus arrived. A man of sorrows, God laid on him the iniquity of us all as a lamb to slaughter. He bore the sin of many, and by his beatings and crucifixion, we were saved from the wrath of God. Amazing stuff.