What is Fear of The Lord?
I think the Handbook for Men, Husbands, and Dads is the Bible.
I have realized through this vocational discernment process that there is a theology to ManHusbandDad, so if the fact that the Bible is the Handbook offends you or otherwise puts you off, we should get that right out in the open to begin with.
This goes back to that fear of the Lord thing. If the Bible isn’t your thing, you don’t fear the Lord. You should go, now. You don’t qualify to be a Man, Husband, or Dad as far as I’m concerned…yet.
Or you can stick around while I have my heart and mind converted – maybe it will happen to you, too.
Wisdom is simple. And, oddly enough relative to the vocations, it is easy, too.
Wisdom is what God has been trying to give us since the dawn of time. and we have steadfastly refused to take it, let alone receive it.
The first thing God told Adam and Eve was to enjoy everything but do not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or they would surely die.
They ate. They died. And we’ve been dealing with it ever since.
When was the first time Adam feared the Lord?
The LORD God then called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
Genesis 3:9 – 10
This was right after they ate the fruit. Shortly thereafter, God imparted some wisdom upon Adam and Eve.
What would have happened if they feared the Lord before that? Well, they would have had the Wisdom to not do what He told them not to do. Instead, they thought they were buddies with Him and deserved to be like Him. That would be a lack of Wisdom on their part.
I’m not sure we would need Wisdom if we Trusted The Lord God completely… If Adam & Eve had Trusted God completely, they would not have eaten the fruit.
Now, since then, God has given us the Handbook – The Bible – and one of the reasons is to impart upon us Wisdom. In HIS inestimable Wisdom, God uses the fear Adam first encountered to bring us His way – The Way of Life – and part of that way is how to be a Man, Husband, and Dad.
Wisdom is the Gift from God given to the properly discerned Man, Husband, and Dad.
And all that Wisdom comes from Fear of The Lord!
Sources and Resources
If you are like me and dedicated to becoming the Man, Husband, Dad that you have been called to be; if you are discerning what your vocation is supposed to be; if you are looking for support in a world quickly going cold; if you are looking for a like-minded, properly grounded, energetic and hopeful Man to sharpen yourself with while sharpening him, then you’re welcome to join me on this ManHusbandDad adventure.
I have dedicate this site to contemplating the experience, knowledge and revelation about Men, Husbands, and Dads God gives me so that I may become as He wants me to be. If it serves you well in the process of helping me, that’s great!
That experience, knowledge and revelation are key ingredients to the Wsdom I gain. And all of it is for my own children to have when I’m gone.
I hope you find this material useful and applicable, and encourage you to join the conversation if you do. But this is for me, first, and my children second, so criticisms are only useful if they are constructive to my formation as a ManHusbandDad and the development of my children into the Men God wants them to be..
Suggestion: Begin with the Four Great Ideas section. These four philosophies bridge from a secular understanding to a natural understanding of four important areas of society and culture – Social, Political, Economic, and Religious – with Godly principles embedded in their very foundation. It’s a backdrop of daily reality that foundationally supports the ManHusbandDad idea.
Most everything else comes from my blog posts and videos. I can’t guarantee you will get anything out of them, since pretty much they are just me talking out loud to help understand the Wisdom I am given. It’s sort of like teaching so I can learn better.