Fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom?

In Philippians 2:12-13 it says, "--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Since the English 'fear' is less about threat or cowardice and something more akin to 'feelings of awe or being in the presence of overwhelming power and energy' then this line points to the connection of the attitude of one's hear of 'awe' on the one hand and salvation on the other hand; in other words, working out of one's salvation requires a heart that is filled with the feeling of awe. The opposite to awe might be all the self-referential attitudes like self-confidence, self-mastery, self-control, self-righteousness, and logical command of one's faculties. In parallel to "working out one's salvation" comes the part about "fear of the LORD" being required for one to become wise; not worldly wise, but God-wise; capable of seeing things outside one's own narrow angle of view. Putting both instructions together, then, based on the common feature of 'fear' (or AWE), perhaps it is true that holding one's heart in a state of awe is the best way to be open to God's Will, and not to be preoccupied with one's own plans and decision-making. That is, perhaps, one is best situated to know God when holding an attitude of awe-filled heart. That way both salvation can be worked toward and wisdom may enter one's mind. But in all cases, it is this trembling that makes room for God in one's mind and heart.

The earthly details of one person being more fervent, sincere, learned or running a bigger operation to serve "the least of these" do not matter in God's accounting. Rather it is the degree of openness of one's heart, the absence of hard hearts that can best draw near to God. Much like the story of the "widow's mite," it is not the size of the offering given, but instead the feelings filling the heart of the giver that matter most in building one's God relationship. Just so on the other side of the relationship: in God's eyes all sins are sins, even if mortals consider some more devastating than others. Sin literally means missing the target or straying off the road. In that sense anything that takes you away from God is harmful.