… fear God …
Are you afraid of God? Should you be? Peter seems to think so.
It seems to me that if God can create and sustain the universe if he created life as we know it, and if he became man and died for our sins, he is a bit beyond our comprehension. We can’t outthink God. We shouldn’t even try.
And let’s talk about power. How much power does God have?
Have you ever seen a baby spider? The little tiny ones that are about the size of the head of a pin? They are small and delicate. I don’t think a person can pick one up with their fingers without squishing it.
The same is true for God. The universe is like the baby spider to him. When he peeks inside the universe to look at his creation it is usually accompanied by fireworks. On earth, it is seen as smoke and fire and heard as thunder. God’s power is infinite.
What happens if we don’t fear God? What if we don’t fear the hot stove? Aren’t we liable to end up with a burned hand? And if we do not fear heights, doesn’t that increase our chance of falling? Not fearing God only makes sense if there were no God. But there is. All nature testifies to his existence.
Wisdom says we should fear God, know Him, and obey Him.
Application: Consider your feelings about God. Do you fear him?
Food for Thought: What is the right way to fear God, and what is the wrong way?
Edit note: Added the word “not” in the second paragraph to help it make sense. – JE
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1: 7; Proverbs 9: 10).
To fear God means to revere Him and hold Him in honor and awe. It does not mean to avoid Him because we are afraid of Him. A healthy fear will drive us deeper into His arms, realizing our desperate need for Him. It will not have us running from Him in fear. To fear Him leads to embracing Him as Lord and seeking to honor Him by seeking His face and submitting to Him in every decision.
Rich,
You paint a beautiful picture that is so true! “A healthy fear will drive us deeper into His arms…” Well said!
What is the right way to fear God, and what is the wrong way?
Our God is Holy, pure without sin. Sin cannot exist in the presence of God’s Holiness. All darkness is destroyed, by His Holy light. To allow sin in His presence, God would be required to decrease His Holiness which can never happen because He will not cease being God to become like us.
In John 16:8-12, Jesus explains how the Holy Spirit convicts or fully reveals this truth to all mankind.
HE REVEALS THE TRUE NATURE OF SIN: A state of cold darkness, blind enslavement to unrestrained evil, decay and corruption, a state of chaos, insanity, pain, isolation and anger.
HE REVEALS THE NATURE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: The Holy warmth of life in pure light, love, mercy, goodness, peace, order. Life in faithful reliance on our creator God and Father for all things.
HE REVEALS JUDGEMENT TO COME: The eternal separation of righteousness and sin. One day, the growth of evil will have consumed this entire world, and as in the days of Noah, every thought and imagination of man will be evil. God will bring an end to this madness and remove His hand from this world, and all those who have chosen evil over holiness shall separated into eternal darkness, apart from God.
Fear of the Lord should be a healthy, trusting understanding, and fearful respect of the endless power of God. His great patience and love for all mankind, and the restraint He has demonstrated as He has allowed each of us to knowingly, freely choose our final destination.
Fear of the Lord should not be a life in fear of a god with an unpredictable, ever-changing nature.
Ron,
You have contrasted sin and righteousness in a way that I have never seen before. It is very effective! Thank you!
Jeff,
We can’t help but love and minister to those who have believed a lie and made choices leading to the true nature of sin. They’re not necessarily pretty on the outside, but God brings them to us when they want out. What an honor to be left here in this service to God.
Well said, Ron. I agree completely.
I never really thought there was a right or wrong way,..
When we lost our daughter the the Sandy River back in 1996,..I didn’t have a fear of wanting to get into to heaven and kick God’s ass,..of course that didn’t happen,..no He walked me through His word instead,..He showed me things I have never seen before,…
Interesting to find out that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom,..because ever since I wanted kick God’s ass,..that’s all I have been doing is growing in the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,..
Maybe I am a bit backwards on the fear stuff,..maybe it has to do with the little bit of military training I have had,..Hoo Ra!
John,
The bravest dogs I have ever seen have been the smallest. They crack me up! We used to have a dog named Pierre. He was a pure bred miniature poodle. You would think a little guy like that might be more interested in posing than opposing, but Pierre had the heart of a lion.
One day a stray German Shepherd wandered on to our property. Pierre must have been busy doing something else because he didn’t notice until the intruder was right up to the house. Then Pierre swung into action! With a barrage of rapid fire barking and an impressive surge of motion Pierre went after the bigger dog. The Shepherd turned tail and ran! Just before crossing the fence line back into neutral territory, the Shepherd stopped dead in its tracks. It must have occurred to him that something was wrong. He turned around and bit Pierre on the head, breaking his jaw. Then he left.
Pierre survived. The doctor wired his jaw back together and soon Pierre was back on duty protecting all things that were his.
When you talk about being mad at God, I picture someone very small going up against someone very big. God put His spirit in us and we are made in His image. I don’t think he minds that you were not afraid of him when you were hurting because you lost your daughter. In fact, he may have been honored that you cared enough to be mad. He loves you deeply, and I am sure he has been taking good care of your daughter.
Thank you for sharing! Hoo Ra! 🙂
👍🏻👍🏻