SCARED TO DEATH?

FEAR is not one of my favorite things.  I do not understand why anyone would want to be scared to death at a movie or any other event.  Unfortunately fear is one of those things that does motivate us.  We all live with in on various levels everyday.  I do not climb a ladder to clean out the gutters on my roof without a certain amount of fear.  All of us have experienced the fear of being rejected, or the fear of not being able to do something.  Some people are full of fear when it comes to seeing their Dentist or having surgery.  The word FEAR gets thrown around a lot and most of the time it means terror, dread, or panic.  So when we read verses about the FEAR of the Lord it can cause us to wonder what it means in our walk with God.  Part of the difficulty comes from not having a good English equivalent for the Hebrew word.  So please read the following verses with this explanation of the Hebrew word FEAR: “The meaning of the word FEAR includes Worshipful Submission, Reverential Awe, and Obedient Respect towards God.”  HCS

Proverbs 9:10 (NLT) Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Psalm 111:10 (HCS) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.

Psalm 112:1 (NLT) Praise the LORD. How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands.

To be scared to death of God’s judgment is appropriate.  To stand before a holy God and be judged for our sin should scare us.  But once I am saved, forgiven at the Cross of Jesus, I am welcomed into God’s family.  I no longer have to FEAR God’s wrath and judgment.  These verses are much more than being scared of God. The word FEAR in these verses is about how I come to God.  It is about coming to God in Worship, Reverence and Respect. That kind of a heart attitude towards God is essential if we want to grow in our walk with the LORD. 

Wiersbe says it this way:  “If we want to understand God's works and God's Word, we must maintain this reverential fear of the Lord, for this attitude is the basis for receiving spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  

Another writer puts it this way: “The sobering awe of God is the beginning of wisdom; that is, the starting point and first principle of wisdom. Fearing God leads to wisdom, good understanding, obedience, and praise.” Holman OTC

IF we truly FEAR the Lord God in this way the end result will be a growing DELIGHT in Obeying God’s WORD.  May we learn to “FEAR” God more and more.

PRAYER: Lord God, help me to come to You always in Worshipful Submission. Help me to Reverence You and to be in AWE of who You are and what You do.  And may I joyfully and Obediently Follow and Serve You today.

LOVE MAPS - HATE GPS

I love maps - I know GPS systems are all the rage.  I know you can get them in your car,  or on your phone.  I have seen them work and they have gotten me where I needed to go.  BUT - I would rather have a map that I can see the whole route on - or at least sections of it at a time.  For me it is the idea of being able to glance at it and see in a heart beat what is coming and how far I have to go.  That is why it is hard for me at times to wait on God’s leading and direction in my life.  Because God does not give us a roadmap of the whole journey.  Many times he gives us enough light for the next step.  There are many good reasons for that but it is still hard.  That is why we ask questions like what is God’s Will for my life?  That is a great question.  On some things it is very clear what God wants from us. He invites us to come to the Cross to be Forgiven of our sins.  He invites us to join Him walking side by side with Him in the yoke of discipleship.  But on other things He says keep on walking with me I will give you direction for the next leg of the journey - kind of like a GPS.  Sometimes God’s leading and direction is absolutely clear.   But if we are truly honest with ourselves we have to admit that God’s Will is NOT always easy.  Think about these clear statements of God’s WILL.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NLT) God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

1 Peter 2:15 (NIV) For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

These are very clear statements of God’s Will for us.  There is enough here to think about for awhile.  There is also enough there to keep us always looking to the Lord for His Help and strength to be able to Obey. I am supposed to PRAY continually with and attitude of Thanksgiving.  That attitude of thanksgiving must be there in ALL circumstances not just during the pleasant and the fun times.  God wants me to be HOLY in my daily life that will mean avoiding sinful lifestyle choices and specifically this verse refers to sexual sin.  That is way more than just immorality physically, it has to do with our thoughts.  Anytime that we fill our minds with any kind of sinful sexual content we are stepping OUT of God’s Will.  Finally, God’s Will has to do with doing GOOD  my behavior should be such that my words and actions would silence the criticism of those who might want to attack me for my walk with Christ.  I may not have a whole Roadmap of where God is taking me as I walk with Him in the yoke of discipleship.  But I do have some specifics about His Will that do NOT EVER change.  May this Poem empower our Prayer as we seek to live out God’s Will in our lives.

THE WILL OF GOD   Author Unknown

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Grace of God cannot keep you,

Where the Arms of God cannot support you,

Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs,

Where the Power of God cannot endow you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,

Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you,

Where the Army of God cannot protect you,

Where the Hands of God cannot mold you,

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Love of God cannot enfold you,

Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,

Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,

Where the Authority of God cannot overrule you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,

Where the Word of God cannot feed you,

Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,

Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you.

CONSIDER THIS...

Have you ever watched someone’s eyes? If you are with someone and suddenly they look past you and their eyes move, you know that they are looking at someone or something that is behind you. How do you know that they are looking somewhere else? By the fact that they are no longer focused on you and what you are doing together. I love the encouragement from the book of Hebrews. We are reminded that the only way that we can live a life that honors Jesus is to make sure that we are focused on HIM.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)...since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. [2] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Where are my eyes fixed? Where is my focus? If we seek to honor Christ in our lives; if we want to persevere and faithfully follow Him, then Jesus must be our focus. Consider Him...consider means to think about, reflect on, or to mull over. What or who are we to consider? We are to reflect on and think about Jesus and the way in which HE lived. We are to seek encouragement, and strength from His example.  Piper’s comments are helpful: “Our emotions are governed in large measure by what we ‘consider’ what we dwell on with our minds. For example, Jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider: ‘Do not be anxious... Consider the ravens... Consider the lilies...’ Luke 12 RSV.” p. 229 A Godward Life Vol. 1

PRAYER: Lord, help me to look to You and Your example. In every situation which I face today, help me to think about How You would react and to seek Your help in acting in the same way.

JUST SAY THE WORD? WHAT WORD?

As we start a new year we look into the future.  I have noticed that many people are looking at this new year with a mixture of concern and fear.  I can’t say as I blame them.  The political scene is troubling at best, the economy is struggling, and it seems that there is a steady flow of bad news.  I have to be honest if I did not believe that God is Sovereign, that He is in control, and that nothing ever catches Him by surprise, I would be full of dread looking at this new year.  But because of the fact that God is trustworthy I can face whatever may come knowing He has the power to act and to bring about His purposes.  Let’s look at these verses together.

Matthew 8:5-8,10  (NIV) When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  [6] "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." [7] Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." [8] The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.    ...[10] When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  

The centurion had incredible confidence in the fact that Jesus COULD heal his servant. There is no hint of doubt.  He believed Jesus had the Power to do this.  As an officer he also understood the principle of authority being given to someone else accomplish a task.  The centurion saw this healing as a matter of Power and authority.  He believed Jesus had the power to heal and the authority to order it to be done at a distance.  Somehow he grasped what most had missed - Jesus had power and authority over ALL of creation including the sickness of his servant.  He was so confident in the Power of Jesus that he believe ALL Jesus has to do is say the word and it would happen.  That is amazing.  I wonder do I have the same confidence and trust in Jesus that this centurion did?  Am I willing to TRUST Jesus to work in my life?  Am I willing to trust Him with my fears and doubts about the future?  Jesus is still the one with the POWER and the AUTHORITY to act.  It is our job to surrender to Him and to Trust Him with our lives each day.

PRAYER:  Lord, Jesus thank You that You have the Power and Authority to act in any situation that I am facing.  Please Lord God help me this year to TRUST You more and more. Please Lord keep me from giving in to doubt and fear - help me to TRUST You in those hard times.  May I see YOU more than I see the problem or difficulty.