Fear of the Lord

What does it mean to live in "fear of the Lord"? Does it mean I should be afraid of God? Yes and no. In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus is speaking and He says, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" Only God has authority to cast into hell and that can strike real fear in a person.

But in the very next verses, Luke 12:6-7, Jesus says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." So that brings great comfort. God knows me so intimately He even knows how many hairs are on my head. Wow!

This seems to be such a contradiction - do I fear Him or not? If I don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, I should be a afraid of the Creator of the universe, the One who holds the power of life and death and the One who can cast an unrepentant sinner into hell. As a Christ follower, I have no fear of death or hell but I should stand in awe of God as the Living God; the holy, all powerful, all knowing God who gave His son for my sins. Fear as afraid or fear as awe - both are true. Depends on my relationship with Him.