A
reminder for today
There
once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of
complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. (Job 1:1)
It is a beautiful Thursday and I certainly look forward
to the day and all its challenges. I must say that the Lord gave me so much
wisdom and help that I did much more than I expected yesterday, which is just
awesome. How are things at your side, my friend? How are you coping? Have you
started with your Christmas shopping and what are your plans for this Christmas?
We are looking forward to spend our time with our family and to celebrate the
birth of our saviour. I believe in a life of change it should be Christmas every
day.
Job was blameless and a man of complete integrity – Wow, wow,
wow!!! He feared God and stayed away from evil – another Wow. When you open a
book in the bible and the very first verse just puts you in your place, you
know that God is so much more than what you could ever imagine. Job is a man
that we can aspire to be like. There are three words here that are vital to our
life of change – blameless, integrity and fear. To be blameless is to live a
life of exceptional devotion to God and I know this is not so easy, but it is
possible. It is something we should strive towards and it is definitely
something that will be visible wherever we go.
Integrity – honesty, truth, honour and reliability. These
are key factors in our lives as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ. It is
also vital in your role as an employee in your place of work. It is also so
important in our relationship with God and with our family and friends. Integrity
breaks the barriers that satan tries to create in our lives.
Fear – Fear God: I often hear people explain the fear of
the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. But the Bible uses the word fear at
least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. So
it's clear that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our
own sinful nature. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us
trust that person more. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their
word and treat others with kindness. In fact, Romans 3, a classic chapter on
sin, says that our chief sin is that we "have no fear of God at all"
(Romans 3:18).
So how does fear of God, who is perfect love, take away
fear? William D. Eisenhower puts it this way in his article 'Fearing God"
in Christianity Today:
Unfortunately,
many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's
function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that
God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the
ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's
threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world,
we reduce him to the world's equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that
God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my
delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only
to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me
nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the
Lord is its completion.
And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect
love working together is Jesus Christ. He warned us at every turn to fear God,
not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. He spoke
lovingly but frankly to all and didn't mince words when people needed to face
their sin and repent. But he also demonstrated love beyond human understanding
when he lived out his words, "There is no greater love than to lay down
one's life for one's friends (John 15:13)." With love like that, what is
left to fear but God?
Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus
Cheers
