The fear of the Lord.

     We are told in the scriptures, that the fear of the Lord is the begining of wisdom (Prov 1:7). The concept of fear takes on several meanings in the Bible. It is used to mean reverence, awe, a proper understanding of who we are, who God is, and how we stand in relation to Him. This is the begining of wisdom, to understand that God is God, and we are not! He has created us, His character is upright, He is perfect in every way, without sin of any kind. His justice is perfect, His love is perfect, His mercy is perfect. God is Holy, and demands the same of us, to be separated from sin and self, and to live our lives in devotion to Him. He demands our love, loyalty and obedience. He is perfect and requires that we be perfect as well.
     These demands placed on us by God stagger the mind. A life free from the taint of sin seems out of reach, perfect obedience to the will of God seems impossible. As a Holy and Just God, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished, there are consequences to our actions. All of this should work on us to create a healthy fear, or respect of God. He desires that we revere Him alone, that we stand in complete awe of Him. That we take Him and His word seriously. He means what He says, where He demands obedience, He expects obedience. When He says He will punish, He means He will punish. David, in Psalm 36:1, observed that the actions of the wicked show that they have no fear of God. The Hebrew word for fear in this verse deals with the concept of guilt and punishment. Individuals know right from wrong, know that sin deserves to be punished (Romans 1:32), but do not take God or His word seriously. They deceive themselves into thinking that all is well, and progress deeper into sin. Paul concludes that there is no one righteous, no one who seeks after God, no one who takes Him at His word and fears Him (Romans 3:10-18).
     A true fear of the Lord is evidenced by a life of obedience. Job is an example of this. In the eyes of God he was perfect, upright, feared the Lord, and turned from evil (Job 1:8). Job's life was not driven by a slavish dread of God, or fear of punishment, but by a proper understanding of who God is, and how he needed to relate to Him. Satan desired to prove to God that Job acted out of self interest (vs 9,10). God knew the integrity of Job, and allowed him to be tested. The Bible recognizes those who truly love and serve God as fearing Him.
     The fear of the Lord is not an old testament concept. It was Jesus who warned that we must not fear man, but God (Luke 12:4,5). Often we worry about what others may think of us, or what may happen to us if we stand for Christ. We allow this fear to hold us back. Instead we need to understand that if we are ashamed of Christ in this world, He will be ashamed of us. We need to understand that a lack of the fear of  God carries heavy, eternal consequences.
     The writer of Hebrews desired that we would have the grace to serve God with reverence and awe (godly fear), because God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28,29). God desires us to walk before him in obedience, and we would do well to understand this in all its implications. Through the offering of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we have been given everything that we need for life and godliness. There is nothing that we lack, in Christ, to live a life that pleases Him. We have been given much, but where much has been given, much is required. We often look at Old Testament passages with the understanding that God was very severe at that time, but now under grace He is more relaxed. Sure we shouldn't sin, but if we do God understands right? It is true that Christ understands our weakness (Heb 4:13), but the context of this verse deals with receiving help in time of temptation. It is also true that when we do sin we have Christ as an advocate. If we confess our sin, He will forgive our sin (1 John 1:8, 2:1). However, these verses do not give licence to live a sinful life. The writer of Hebrews tells us that if God was severe in the days of Moses, we should expect Him to be much more so  now. To sin wilfully is to trample on the Son of God, count His blood as unholy, and to insult the Holy Spirit (Heb 10:26-31). This passage was written as a warning to the Church, people already saved! They were warned of the danger of sin, but also encouraged to press into Christ, where they would find grace for every need. The demands of God placed on man have not changed. The command to love Him with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, is still binding today. We are still bound to love our neighbor as ourselves. The ten commandments were never relaxed by grace, rather Paul declared that faith established the law (Rom 3:31). The old covenant could show man what God required, but left him powerless to fulfill it. Under grace we are now able to live the lives that God requires, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We read in Hebrews 11 of individuals who possessed great faith, overcame great obstacles, and were used in mighty ways by God. There were individuals in the Old Testament days such as Job, Enoch, or Noah, who walked blamelessly before God. Daniel and his friends remained faithful to God, even though they were captives in a foriegn land. How much more today, should we be living an overcoming, victorious life, as we have all the advantages that Christ has procured for us?
     To walk in purity of heart and life is vital to the life of the christian. We want to avoid legalism, but we also need to understand that grace sets us free from the power sin once held on our lives. A healthy fear of the Lord is a necessary element in the life of one who truly desires to know and experience God in all His fulness. It truly is the begining of wisdom.

God works through us.

     Many Christians desire to see God work in their churches and communities. They want to see friends and families saved, they want to see people set free from destructive habits, they want to see lives transformed by the power of the gospel. Towards this end, many pray and ask God to intervene in the lives of those around them. this is good, and we should pray, but sadly this is as far as most people go.
     I firmly believe that we can pray all we want to for revival, healing, salvations, etc. but if we are not willing to be used by God, if we are not willing to go as a witness to the lost, if we are not willing to be used to stir up backslidden christians around us, we will see no results!
     This might seem like a hard statement, but I believe it to be true nonetheless. We are told that the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. The kind of conviction needed to change a heart can only come from God. We in and of ourselves have no ability to do this. All our best efforts to convince others of  sin and salvation our futile. However God has chosen to use us as his witnesess. The Holy Spirit uses individuals who are yielded to Him. God wanted to save Cornelius, but He sent Peter to witness to him. God wanted to save the Macedonians, so He sent Paul. It is easy to just pray, but if we really want results we must go. The Holy Spirit convicts hearts through the effective witness of those who are filled with Him, ready and willing to go wherever He sends, and do whatever He wants done.
     If we want to see God move in power in answer to our prayers, we must be willing to go!

Entrusted with the truth.

     We read in 1 Timothy 3:15 that the church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Jude verse 3 states that the faith has been delivered once for all to the saints, and must be defended. What God has spoken to us through His word is truth. It may offend some, it may not be politically correct, it may not be popular, but it is TRUTH.
     The trend today is to water things down, to make things less offensive. We want our churches full, we do not want to see people leave because of a hard message. This is accomplished at a cost to the truth. Timothy 4 goes on to say that in later days many will be deceived by false teachers. False teachers with false doctrines will creep into the very church that is to be built on, and defending the truth.
     The church is meant to be a place where true believers are edified, encouraged, built up in the faith, and equipped to go out and advance the kingdom of God. It is not meant to be a place of entertainment, a place of soft, feel good messages and new catchy doctrines. It is the church of the living God!
     Be on guard! Know the word, and do not be afraid to stand up for the truth in this generation!

The word of God is still true.

     Last night I read an interview where one of Harold Camping's adherants stated that they were surprised, disapointed, but the word of God was still true.
     While they were all wrong concerning the date set for the rapture of the church, this individual was right about the trustworthiness of God.
     Jesus stated several times in Matthew 24, that no one knows the day or hour, I will come at a time you think not, if the owner of the house knew when the thief was coming he would be ready, etc.
     There always has been, and always will be those who work around these clear statements given to us by the unchanging God, who cannot lie. We need to be careful that we judge everything by His word. We are warned that false prophets will come and try to deceive. If someone says here He is, or there He is, DO NOT LISTEN!
     I also read that now they think the end will come in October. I hope that people will not give them all the undeserved hype that they got the last time. This group has now been wrong twice.

Undefiled Religion.

     The federal government of the United States runs many programs that provide care for individuals with various needs. They provide food, shelter, medical care,etc. Through The taxpayers, many opportunities exist for needy individuals. These programs are not perfect, and individuals can fall through the cracks, while others can abuse the system, but this is not the point of this post.
     It seems that there is much concern that we as a nation are stretched too thin. Money is also sent overseas for various reasons as well. Some no doubt is for humanitarian efforts, such as was sent to help in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. This has concerned many. A common thought among many, even those within the church is that we should not be sending money to aid other countries when we have so many needs within our own. On the surface, this would seem right and fair. However it is not scriptural!
     The Bible lays the responsibility for the care of the needy upon the church, not the federal government! When I say needy, I mean needy. It is also unscriptural to be an enabler. Many individuals can care for themselves but won't if someone else will. Paul's motto was "If you won't work, you won't eat!" (2 Thess 3:10).
     We as the church are called to look out for the needs of one another within the church. The early church made sure that no one lacked. The first deacons were chosen, not to run a corporate business, but to ensure that everyone who had need was taken care of. Throughout the Bible, old as well as new testament, God's people were to look out for the needy among them. Widows, orphans, beggars, had no one. Unable to care for themselves, they were overlooked by society, and had no hope. This is where the love of God, that fills the hearts of His children was to be made manifest. Look at what John had to say, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (1John 3:17).
     The biblical command to love your neighbor as yourself requires us to not only look out for one another within the church, but also those without. Jesus told a story to show that a neighbor can be anyone who we come upon with a need. True christian love is not restricted by economic, social, or ethnic status. It is extended to any and all as the need arises.While it is true that we all have a sphere of influence around us, where we as individuals, and individual congregations can do the most good, it is also true that we can help others elswhere as well. Paul collected money from gentile congregations to help needy saints in Jerusalem, much like we may donate to a charity who helps others overseas, like relief efforts in Haiti, or Japan, or famine stricken areas in Africa.
     There are countless numbers of truly needy people all around us. The homeless, abused, addicts, etc. The greatest need of all is to be reconciled to God. While we can be grateful that many are helped by government programs, we as christians need to be ready to come to the aid of those around us, meeting the spiritual needs as well as the physical.  We are called to love others with the love of Christ. Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He never calls us to do something that is impossible, but will provide as we seek Him and His kingdom first. This is how the early christians lived, with no help from the Roman government, yet in the power of the Holy Spirit, they lived out the gospel.
  

Do not be deceived.

     People are looking for something. They desire encouragement, wisdom for daily decisions, something to fill the emptiness of soul that many feel. We all desire to live happy, fulfilling lives, each and every day.
     I cannot help but notice the popularity of daily advice coming to individuals on facebook, through horoscope readings, and daily fortune cookies. While many may find these things amusing, many take them seriously. Then there are also the computer generated messages from God. They claim that God is speaking directly to the individual through daily readings. Now it is true that many individuals have found encouragement through daily devotionals, and God does use things like that to reveal Himself to us, and to guide us in His ways. However just because something claims to be from God does not mean it is!
     God has revealed Himself to us through His word. His word contains everything that we need for life and godliness. It is His message to us, and is unchanging. Therefore, anything we hear that claims to be from God cannot contradict what He has spoken to us through His His word. We are not to add to it, or take away from it. To water it down, make it mean what we want it to mean, or to change it to fit the culture, leads to great danger. The Bible contains the words of life, to deviate from it only leads one astray. There is a way that seems right to man, but it leads to destruction (Prov 14:12).  Anything that we read or any teaching we listen to must be backed up by the word of God, or it must be rejected!
     Deception is everywhere. Something may look good, sound good, even contain some biblical elements, but can still be wrong! We are told that satan disguises himself as an angel of light. We must always be on guard. There is a lot of fluff being taught, things that are of no real value spiritually. Our souls need the pure word of God to live and grow. It is by putting into practice what we see in the Bible, that we mature in our walk with Christ. All that we need for life and godliness is found within its pages.
     Check out everything by God's standard. Be very careful, too much is at stake. Eternity is at stake!
     













   

Seated in the heavenlies.

     And raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
        Eph 2:6 RSV



     You cannot rise into the heavenlies if you are chained to this world! Despair, doubt, discouragement, worry, fear, bitterness, envy, self seeking, all serve to anchor us to this world. We are called to rise above the natural, and to live in the supernatural. This requires that we walk by faith and not by sight. We must take our focus off from the things are are seen, and instead focus on what is unseen. To dwell in Christ, to live in His presence, to experience His power, to have His peace, is only experienced by us as we trust entirely in Him!
      It is by grace we are saved through faith!