Posts Tagged ‘ Fear the Lord ’
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:13, ESV
We must realize we have rebelled against God and deserve His wrath, turning from sin and having His Holy Spirit change our thinking. Then we will find the immeasurable love and compassion of our Father in heaven.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18, ESV
Do we fear God? If we are still sinning intentionally, yes, because we may still be under His wrath. But by grace through faith, we are saved from His wrath because of His love, so we no longer have reason to fear His wrath or anything else in this world.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
John 14:1, ESV
Do you focus more on your problems or on Christ and His promises? Do you believe God is greater than your problems? Do you trust Christ?
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:11, ESV
We must remember that our God is holy and just, that He does not abide sin.
Yes, He has saved us through Christ, but we also work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12) and examine and test yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
Then we can rejoice.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18, ESV
We should come to Christ because of the fear of our sin falling under God’s wrath. Yet, that fear is washed away with our sin by the blood of Jesus!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7, ESV
A fool hates hearing they are wrong. Jesus revealed the truth of God, and none of us were right.
Will you listen to Him?
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:7, ESV
Do not assume you know more than God or that He lacks understanding. Realize your need for His grace and forgiveness, that His way is right, and that your life is in His hands.
Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:11, NASB
God is so much more powerful than we could ever imagine, and holier than we could ever understand.
Realize how your sin has affected your relationship with Him, and you will tremble before Him. Realize how His grace has saved you, and you will ever remain in awe of Him.
As the book of Proverbs is finally “all commentaried out”, go catch some of the final wise words this week at Proverbial Thought!
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.”
Psalm 119:37, ESV“I made a covenant with my eyes . . .”
Job 31:1, NIV
A couple of weeks ago, I announced through Facebook that my wife and I were cancelling our Netflix and Hulu accounts.
This decision had very little to do with what we watch. We try to be rather discerning in what we watch because we do not want to let too many immoral and/or blasphemous things in our minds if we can help it.
Rather, the decision came after a comment made by one of seminary professors.
While working through the book of Acts, we were discussing whether Christianity was a threat to the Roman Empire. My reply was “Technically. I mean, look at when Paul got upset with the girl with the Serpent spirit and cast it out of her in the name of Jesus. The people who were making money off of her fortune-telling were suddenly out of a means of income.”
The conversation then focused on how Christianity messed with the economy of the Empire. This is because makers of idols, workers in pagan temples, and even tour guides around cities with temples would lose business throwing off the entire economy of entire cities if not the entire Empire.
Then the professor made this comment: “Imagine if Christians still gave up all of their idolatrous and ungodly pursuits. How many Christians pay for pornography in our society?”
My initial thought was “I’m glad that is not us!” (Caitlin and me)
Then some conviction set in.
How much have Netflix and Hulu used their profit to produce shows or movies that glorify sex and nudity?
How much have Netflix and Hulu used their profit to produce shows or movies that mock or blaspheme Christians and God?
At first I tried to justify having these accounts:
How many Christian-based things do they show?
It is not like I watch those things!
Netflix especially comes in handy working in a school, for both my wife and me!
I found myself getting angry that I should have to give up something.
More than anything, I needed to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So, instead, I turned to my classmate and said “I am not very happy with the professor right now.” We then laughed about my silliness.
Most people I talked with about it went through the same justifications. A couple of them even said I was being too legalistic.
To combat that, a) I am not saying everyone needs to cancel Netflix and Hulu. This is a personal conviction. I certainly will argue for others to let go, because how much do we really need Netflix, Hulu, and television in general? This is especially true when we consider how useless most television is, how ungodly most television is, and how much God and Christians are blasphemed and mocked. b) We still occasionally watch TV. We enjoy being entertained as much as anyone, and not everything on TV is bad for us. c) We will still go to some movies (Speaking of which, The Lego Movie is rather fantastic in a purely entertaining vain!), for through this we might still be able to show Hollywood what kind of content we prefer while supporting some local businesses (or at least our friends who work at local businesses.
More importantly, though, is that we want to not only obey God in our lives but push others toward Christ by refusing to be a part in causing others to stumble:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
Everyone will be salted with fire.
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
Mark 9:42-50, NIV
We both felt that our continued subscription to these businesses supported content that could cause others to stumble or even be led astray. We would rather not have these forms of entertainment and be closer to Christ than have to have our conscience troubled if what we are doing is moral and godly. Christ and other people are more important than our temporary enjoyment.
How many things in our lives do we devote too much of our time and money to instead of focusing on loving God and people?
In our culture of instant gratification, pleasure, and stuff, how often do we unplug, sacrifice, and get quiet?
a simple man of God 