Someone shared with me her observation about two bosses. One is loved but not feared by his subordinates. Because they love their boss but dont respect his authority, they dont follow his guidelines. The other boss is both feared and loved by those who serve under him, and their good behavior shows it.
The Lord desires that His people both fear and love Him too. Todays Bible passage, Deuteronomy 10, says that keeping Gods guidelines involves both. In verse 12, we are told to fear the Lord your God and to love Him.
To fear the Lord God is to give Him the highest respect. For the believer, it is not a matter of feeling intimidated by Him or His character. But out of respect for His person and authority, we walk in all His ways and keep His commandments. Out of love, we serve Him with all our heart and with all our soulrather than merely out of duty (v.12).
Love flows out of our deep gratitude for His love for us, rather than out of our likes and dislikes. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Our fear and love for God enable us to walk willingly in obedience to Gods law.
Hi The Mayor,Thank you ((((((Hugs))))))