Reverence

rev·er·ence

1. a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.

Psalms 2:11

Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.

Job 38

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Read all
(this one was a bit long so I linked to the full passage… Amazing chapter)

Luke 12:4-5

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that 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!

Revelation 4

The Throne in Heaven
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 15:33

he fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

Isaiah 8:13

But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

1 Chronicles 16:25

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.

Deuteronomy 8:6

So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

I have recently been convicted (and continue to over and over it seems every time I open the Word now) on how little reverence I have for God. The more I read books like Revelation, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Job, etc, the more I begin to see my own disrespectful arrogance when I approach God.
A revelation of who God is, is critical to walking a life beyond reproach. If we always see God as our personal Santa Claus, and our “Homeboy” Jesus, how can we take his commandments seriously? The more we realize how infinitely huge, powerful, wild, and mysterious our God is, the more we can bring ourselves down from a level equal with God (which is so often our approach with our “Santa Claus”-like prayers). And when we are at the right level, humbled and broken, fully aware of the fact that in the presence of this Holy being we are but dust, then and only then will he lift us up with his strength. The strength to love the unlovable and to forgive the unforgivable. The strength to serve our enemies and to give freely of our material possessions and energy to others. This strength does not come through us forcing ourselves to love harder or forgive more, but solely through our falling to our knees at the feet of a Holy and infinitely powerful God.