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“O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want.” – Psalm 34:9
I’m deathly afraid of snakes, and mildly afraid of heights. I get on airplanes frequently without any concern of an accident. I drive 45 miles roundtrip every day to/from work and never consider the risk of dying in my truck. We walk through life, each of us, with fear of something. My son fears a wolf coming through his bedroom window at night. My wife fears alligators every time we go near a lake here in Texas or when we lived in Florida. What about you? What is it that you fear the most?
Do you remember a time in your life when you feared your parents? I have great parents, who loved me with everything they had while I was growing up. They ensured I was well taken care of, nurtured in love, educated and taught respect for others. But there was this one time when I had borrowed my Dad’s van so some friends and I could go to the movies. His one rule was you had to put gas in it and wash it before coming home. I had a great night with my buddies and was on the way home. I swung through the local self car-wash and proceeded to wash it perfectly clean. As I pulled out of the car wash stall I scrapped the entire right hand side of the van against the concrete opening, completely destroying the painted mural on the passenger side (hey, it was the 80’s and painted murals were popular on vans). At that very moment I knew fear.
My Dad worked so hard and he had enormous pride in this van. As I proceeded home I realized what I deserved and just how painful it was going to be. He had trusted me with his van and I had damaged it. I knew I was going to pay for it. When I got home, I told my Mom first, it’s always easiest to get her on my side for moral support. When she told Dad, we came out and took a look, and I could see the anger rising up inside of him. He said a few words which I won’t repeat, but that was it. Everything I had expected was nothing more than unwarranted fears that my mind had created in anticipation of reality. Yes, my father was angry and yes he did chastise me, but then he showed the loving side that I so much admire in that man. After some time had passed, he came to my room and pulled me close with a major papa-bear hug. He then explained to me how much I meant to him and that the van could always be fixed, but I was more important. I have unbelievable respect and admiration for my father for his ability to love me despite the problems I have caused.
Similarly, but on a much greater scale, I have an unlimited and deep respect for the Lord. I suppose I’ve always had a respectful fear for His authority, sovereignty, omnipotence and power, but in my heart I’ve always known that He loves me beyond measure. I must admit that I have never had a genuine “fear” of God. I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord at a very young age. I knew Jesus was God’s son, and I knew Jesus gave everything He had for me to be with Him in heaven one day. Sure, I didn’t have a clue about the depth of what He gave or the depth of His grace and mercy over me, but I knew He loved me.
Certainly, I, like many of you do not want the alternative to heaven, which made the decision to follow Christ easy. Since then I have trusted in His word, His promises and His salvation with utmost sincerity and confidence. I have grown in my faith and understanding each day of my life and I am still learning. It is a lifelong process, not something that is ever complete. One thing I have learned though is we need to fear the Lord, but fear with respect and understanding.
Many times we become complacent as Christians, and comfortable in our salvation to the point where we believe we are above sin. This is a very dangerous place to put yourself, for not one of us is above sin in this life. Only Jesus Christ, Himself, lived a life free of sin. You and I are unbelievably short of even scratching the surface of what that looks like. That is why we need His saving grace and redemption. We are made perfect in God’s eyes only by the blood of Jesus. The wrath that God possess’ will be dealt out upon mankind in the final days. You should be very fearful of His wrath, for He is not tolerant of unrighteousness and sinful living. Christ is our mediator and has taken God’s wrath upon Himself in our place, but we will still stand before the Lord one day. Fortunately, for those of us who have fully given our lives to Jesus Christ, He will stand with us and present us to the Father as righteous and fully redeemed.
Are you truly saved? Are you a believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Or like many have you become a comfortable Christian still living apart from His purpose. If He is your Lord, you ought to be following His guidance for your life and becoming more Christlike in the process. Do not ever underestimate the significance of fearing God’s wrath. For one day, it will be very evident and at that moment your choices will have already been made.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2013Do you remember a time in your life when you feared your parents? I have great parents, who loved me with everything they had while I was growing up. They ensured I was well taken care of, nurtured in love, educated and taught respect for others. But there was this one time when I had borrowed my Dad’s van so some friends and I could go to the movies. His one rule was you had to put gas in it and wash it before coming home. I had a great night with my buddies and was on the way home. I swung through the local self car-wash and proceeded to wash it perfectly clean. As I pulled out of the car wash stall I scrapped the entire right hand side of the van against the concrete opening, completely destroying the painted mural on the passenger side (hey, it was the 80’s and painted murals were popular on vans). At that very moment I knew fear.
My Dad worked so hard and he had enormous pride in this van. As I proceeded home I realized what I deserved and just how painful it was going to be. He had trusted me with his van and I had damaged it. I knew I was going to pay for it. When I got home, I told my Mom first, it’s always easiest to get her on my side for moral support. When she told Dad, we came out and took a look, and I could see the anger rising up inside of him. He said a few words which I won’t repeat, but that was it. Everything I had expected was nothing more than unwarranted fears that my mind had created in anticipation of reality. Yes, my father was angry and yes he did chastise me, but then he showed the loving side that I so much admire in that man. After some time had passed, he came to my room and pulled me close with a major papa-bear hug. He then explained to me how much I meant to him and that the van could always be fixed, but I was more important. I have unbelievable respect and admiration for my father for his ability to love me despite the problems I have caused.
Similarly, but on a much greater scale, I have an unlimited and deep respect for the Lord. I suppose I’ve always had a respectful fear for His authority, sovereignty, omnipotence and power, but in my heart I’ve always known that He loves me beyond measure. I must admit that I have never had a genuine “fear” of God. I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord at a very young age. I knew Jesus was God’s son, and I knew Jesus gave everything He had for me to be with Him in heaven one day. Sure, I didn’t have a clue about the depth of what He gave or the depth of His grace and mercy over me, but I knew He loved me.
Certainly, I, like many of you do not want the alternative to heaven, which made the decision to follow Christ easy. Since then I have trusted in His word, His promises and His salvation with utmost sincerity and confidence. I have grown in my faith and understanding each day of my life and I am still learning. It is a lifelong process, not something that is ever complete. One thing I have learned though is we need to fear the Lord, but fear with respect and understanding.
Many times we become complacent as Christians, and comfortable in our salvation to the point where we believe we are above sin. This is a very dangerous place to put yourself, for not one of us is above sin in this life. Only Jesus Christ, Himself, lived a life free of sin. You and I are unbelievably short of even scratching the surface of what that looks like. That is why we need His saving grace and redemption. We are made perfect in God’s eyes only by the blood of Jesus. The wrath that God possess’ will be dealt out upon mankind in the final days. You should be very fearful of His wrath, for He is not tolerant of unrighteousness and sinful living. Christ is our mediator and has taken God’s wrath upon Himself in our place, but we will still stand before the Lord one day. Fortunately, for those of us who have fully given our lives to Jesus Christ, He will stand with us and present us to the Father as righteous and fully redeemed.
Are you truly saved? Are you a believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Or like many have you become a comfortable Christian still living apart from His purpose. If He is your Lord, you ought to be following His guidance for your life and becoming more Christlike in the process. Do not ever underestimate the significance of fearing God’s wrath. For one day, it will be very evident and at that moment your choices will have already been made.
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