We Christians sure are dumb. Definitely a sandwich short of a picnic.

Ignorant? No, we know better. We apparently just aren't smart enough collectively for our times. At least not on our own.

And there's no excuse. Not really. Spiritual intelligence is readily available for the asking. But we've got to get smart God's way, not ours.

Fear of the Lord, the Bible says, is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. That's a major reason why our churches aren't as obedient and fruitful as they ought to be.

It's true: most Christians no longer "fear" the Lord. Jesus is considered an understanding pal, right? The Father is our good buddy, Who winks at our continual failings. And we can either take or leave the Holy Spirit's suggestions, depending on how well they fit into our busy schedule.

We especially are fear-less in prayer, mistaken treating it as heaven's delivery service. These days prayer's purpose is to get things from God -- right? -- not to know Him better and receive His wisdom and guidance.

We now live in a culture with absolutely no reverence of or respect for Almighty God. As a group, the collective church has forgotten who and what the Lord is. As His representatives, we don't practice the presence of the living God very well, do we?

Consider this: Glowing angels appear on a popular TV show to offer the Lord's words of comfort, and repeatedly the scripts have people show little or no surprise. In fact, the angels frequently are told to get lost.

Isaiah, though, cried out "Woe is me!" when he saw God's radiant holiness. The Bible is full of people who fall down as if dead upon encountering a form of God's presence.

So should we today. Right here and now. And we would if the Almighty was all that real to us throughout the week.

Every God-used person of the Bible walked in fear -- reverence and respect -- of God. It's a fact. Walked in fear. Walked in fear. You see the words over and over.

"Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness," Joshua commanded God's people in Joshua 24:14 after telling them to "be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left."

By not staying in God's word, too many individuals and congregations have lost their reverence and respect of God and gone astray of His will.

So to walk in fear, we must conduct our daily lives in reverent awe of God and obedient respect of His word. That should be the motivation for our lives -- to do everything His way and thus want to please the Almighty more than ourselves, our employers, our families.

Should we shudder at the prospect of God's wrath and dread His punishment? Perhaps. More than being afraid of God putting His hand on us, though, we should fear having the Lord take away His hand of blessing and power. Everywhere there are churches that no longer have God's enabling hand. They meet and try their best to do things good in their own power in their own way, but the Lord just is not with them.

Oh that a bolt from the blue would strike nearby to keep us on the straight and narrow when we stray. Trouble is, too many straying Christians and congregations take the lack of that bolt as God's approval instead of His loving patience, which is longsuffering but has a limit.

We need to encourage one to walk in reverence and respect of Almighty God. We need to get into His word and stay there in prayer.

Perhaps it'll take a decisive turning point. Maybe it's time for you and your personal or church family to make a commitment and answer, as Joshua did, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."