1 Peter 2:17 (c) — An Appropriate Kind of Fear

Picture: A splash of red hot lava against a black background.

… 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? 

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Mystery – John 13: 3

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…

If this were a mystery story we would want to know what Jesus knew and when he knew it. John tells us what Jesus knew. He knows that all things are under his power. Presumably that means all things. Even Judas. Even the Romans.

John also tells us that Jesus knows where he had come from and where he was going. That alone is worth a blog post. Who among us knows where they are going? Do you know someone who has a plan for their life and is on a mission? Is this person spectacularly successful? Do they really know where they are going or is there an element of chance in their life?

The real mystery is how did Jesus know? Again and again, in John’s gospel John points to the fact that Jesus is more than just a man. He is a Traveler. He has come from someplace and is going someplace. His time in the Middle East was short but powerful. In three years Jesus changed the world forever.

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