A
reminder for today
No,
the LORD's delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his
unfailing love. (Psalm 147:11)
There was a time in war when deserters where executed and
I guess it surely still happens. When we look at our war we are fighting in the
side of Jesus and yet we do not fear our commander. Every time I think about
this I recall Luke 12: "Dear friends, don't be afraid of
those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But
I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then
throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear.”
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. The subject becomes even more mysterious
when we read something like 1 John 4:18 that says that "perfect love
expels all fear." So how do we marry this dichotomy? How can we fear God
while he expels all fear?
Scripture
is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative
thing. For example in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers' trust when he
declares he is a God-fearing man. It was because the midwives feared God that
they obeyed him instead of the authorities by sparing the Hebrew babies (Exodus
1:17). Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God (Exodus
9:29-31). Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis that they feared God and
wouldn't take bribes (Exodus 18:21) and told the Hebrews that God met with them
in a terrifying display of his power so that they wouldn't sin (Exodus 20:20).
The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly
well (Leviticus 19:14, 32). And lest you think this is only an Old Testament
idea, note that Jesus states this stronger than anyone when he says,
"Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch
your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew
10:28). And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2
Corinthians 7:1).
So
it's clear from these passages, 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?
(by JoHannah
Reardon)
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus
Cheers
