Introducing our First Guest Blogger - God
I’m not sure Christianity today trembles at His word.
I may have guest bloggers post their thoughts here at times. So, I will start with the most famous and most powerful writer I know: God Himself.
He did give us a lot of different messages and spread them out in intervals, over thousands of years! We know he is a kind and loving writer, full of grace and mercy. We want to call Him our friend. God is love. He is not an arbitrary, stern, and distant deity that we cannot draw close to. However, there is another aspect of relationship with God that is required to get closer to him. Scripture calls this the fear of the Lord.
“He grants the desires of those who fear Him; he hears their cries.” (Psalm 145:19)
“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him and He will show them His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)
“Fear the Lord and you will gain knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2:5)
“Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me!” (Deut. 5:29)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7)
The Fear of the Lord is not a popular subject these days and speakers do not speak of it often, but the Bible does. The major prophet Isaiah makes a statement about it and how God blesses those who hold scripture highly.
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
I’m not sure Christianity today trembles at His word. In fact, I can hear objections already: “I don’t want to worship a God whose words I need to fear.” But we do need to take God’s words seriously enough that we obey them. God has every right to expect Christians to obey His commands. That’s what it means to call Him Lord.
“Not everyone who says to me "Lord, Lord" shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)
“You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8)
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” (James 4:8)
John Bevere, in his recent book The Awe of God, speaks about the kind of obedience that shows the fear of the Lord. The hyper-grace narrative we hear today does not talk about this kind of obedience. But John suggests that if Jesus is our Lord we should:
Obey God immediately.
Obey God even if it does not make sense.
Obey God even when you don’t see a personal benefit.
Obey God even if it’s painful.
Obey God to completion.
If Jesus is our Lord, it means that we do what He says. When we ignore the words of God and excuse ourselves from its demands, we eventually sear our conscience to the point we don’t even care anymore. This is dangerous to our faith.
“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear, for some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (1 Tim. 1:19)
The words of God that I have listed here are only a few of the verses like this that we cannot ignore. I believe there are great benefits found in fearing God, not in a timidness that makes us run away from Him, but in a holy respect for who He is and what His will is for our lives. We should feel the love of God deep in our hearts and we need to know that we can approach Him and develop an intimate relationship with him. But we should check our hearts to be sure we have a full revelation of the nature of God that will include a healthy fear. I will close with just two more.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Prov. 4:23)
“Don’t touch their filthy things and I will welcome you.” (2 Cor. 6:16,17)
“How joyful are those who fear the Lord - all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be.” (Psa. 128:1-2)
