"I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me." Jeremiah 32:39,40
Isn't it amazing that one component of God's sovereign purpose in the life of His beloved is to inspire them to fear Him. It is plain here that this fear is for our own good (and here we see His glory and our benefit wrapped up together), and it is one of the tools God uses to keep those who are truly His. Consider these pairings: "I will give them...", "so that they will always fear me...", and "I will inspire them to fear...", "they will never turn away".
God Himself grants us the grace, through fear of him, to persevere in obedience. And that's a good thing, because we would never find it within ourselves.
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