What is more important than loving people?
Humanitarian efforts are noble and commendable. In fact, you can find many Scripture verses that encourage loving human relationships. Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." He emphasized the need to love others when He told the great story about the humanitarian Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

But we have to remember that Jesus encouraged love for one's neighbor as an evidence of one's love for and devotion to God (John 13:34; 15:9-12). Prior to the story about the Good Samaritan, He said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27). In another situation, Jesus said that love for God was the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37). Love for your neighbor is noble but inadequate, a "grasping after the wind," unless you first love the one true God.

The great love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, proclaims the greatness of love. But this love is possible only among those who know what it means to be loved by God and to love Him.

Loving others, as good as it is, falls short of giving the foundation on which to build our lives. We need a reason to love that goes beyond this life, a love that is rooted in the love of God (1 John 4:7--5:3).

Many people react negatively to the idea that they should fear God. They believe that God is loving, kind, and gentle (which He is). They emphasize that for the Christian, God's wrath against his sin has already been taken by Christ on his behalf, So is Solomon's advice good only for the unbeliever or for people in Old Testament times? No, because Solomon is speaking of the need for all men to fear God and because the call to fear God is emphasized in the New Testament as well.

What does it mean to fear God? People who have irrational phobias--fear of heights, small places, crowds, elevators, telephones, water, darkness, or bugs--often seek out psychological help to overcome their unnatural and debilitating fears. The fear of God, though, is not an irrational emotion. It makes logical sense when you understand the facts about who God is and what He is like.

The biblical concept of the fear of the Lord involves a recognition of the power, greatness, authority, and holiness of God. It is a healthy fear. It means we respect Him, shudder at the thought of His judgment against our sin, hold Him in awe, reverence Him, recognize Him as absolute Lord, and honor Him. The right kind of fear, the fear of the Lord, drives us to the Lord--not away from Him!

Why does God want us to fear Him? As Solomon said, fearing and obeying God is the whole purpose of life. When we fear, reverence, and honor the Lord, we show that we recognize Him for all that He is. We therefore stand in the proper relationship to Him as a creature before the Creator. To fear the Lord shows that we take Him seriously and we desire to please Him with all that we do and say. It demonstrates that we realize we are accountable to Him for how we use every minute of every day.

Why do I feel so empty inside?