I was in church recently, and our pastor preached a wonderful sermon which included a great definition of the fear of the Lord. I am convinced many people misunderstand what it means for a believer to fear the Lord. It is the only good kind of fear I know! Although this is not a comprehensive study of the fear of the Lord, I wanted to share my perspective.
The definition our pastor gave for the fear of the Lord is "an earnest desire to have God's approval." When he said this, I felt it! With every beat of my heart, this is how I try to live. As I live with the fear of the Lord in my life, I love the grace of God that protects me in my imperfection! I love living in the passion of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the moments when I fail! Jesus loved me so much, He died a brutal death to be able to offer forgiveness and love in my weakest moments! I am forgiven in all of my failure! God does not expect me to be perfect. What a relief! I am loved no matter what! Each day, it is my desire to bless the Lord with "an earnest desire to have God's approval!"
I try not to live in fear of anyone aside from the Lord! No one in the world is worthy of my fear. No one else takes my best interests to heart. No one, aside from God, loves me at each moment. No person has the power to perform miracles in my life! No man or woman has the wisdom to direct my steps and guide me in living my life. Only Jesus has died for me--this makes Him, and Only Him, worthy of my fear!
Proverbs 9:10 says; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." I love this verse because these concepts go hand-in-hand. The more I know God, the more I understand Him. And the more I understand Him, the more I am convinced of His love for me. Even in my worst moments, I am never separated from the love of God. God is love. So in every moment of my life, I feel loved! This is why I have an earnest desire to have God's approval! He has won me over by His love. I trust that living my life according to God's plan is far greater than living my life according to my plan! His way leads to peace and joy while my way leads to emptiness and confusion. Believe me... I have tried both ways.
So as I live my life, I do the things which are pleasing to God. If I am not sure about something, I check with Him before I act. This has led me to a life filled with wisdom and actions that have brought blessings to me and my loved ones. The fear of the Lord is not the same thing as terror for those who believe! The fear of the Lord brings protection, fulfillment, and freedom! A life lived to the fullest! A life filled with the love of God! In the fear of the Lord, I have found a rich and satisfying life!
John 10:10- Jesus said; "...My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Happy New Year!
I love celebrating! For the past 14 years in Flagstaff, our city leaders have created a tradition of dropping a pine cone from one of the old hotel balconies in the center of town. This event has grown from a real, large-sized pine cone found in the forest to a giant metal pine cone with blinking lights. The Pine Cone Drop has become known around the country and the world. For the last few years, the streets have been closed to handle the thousands of people who gather at 10pm (coinciding with the New York City Ball Drop) and then again at 12am to cheer and sing and dance in celebration of the new year. Somehow the dropping of a pine cone has inspired people to come and celebrate together.
In the last few years, I have devised a plan to be able to see both the 10pm and 12am Pine Cone Drop without freezing to death! We have collected some friends to join us at a local restaurant for dinner at 9:30pm. At 9:50pm we step out the door of this restaurant and we are looking right down the street at the pine cone. And then we turn around to see fireworks soaring off the roof of another local hotel. When our dinner is over, we step outside again at 11:50pm and do it all over again. It has been suggested to me that we could eat a bit earlier and head home after the 10pm drop, but I can't imagine sitting on my couch when I could be cheering with my neighbors in downtown Flagstaff. It is so much fun to feel the excitement and energy of the New Year's Eve cheer!
As I reflected on this celebration and my exuberance in the anticipation, I ran across a scripture in my Bible that spoke to me. I was reading in 1 Chronicles 15 about the time King David brought the ark of the Lord back into Jerusalem. The ark of the Lord was the place the people associated with God's presence in the Old Testament. So the ark represented bringing God's presence back to Jerusalem. As you can imagine, quite a celebration broke out in the city as the ark came in.
It says in 1 Chronicles 15:28 "...with shouts of joy, the blowing of rams’ horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres." In verse 29, it says in the Amplified Bible that King David was "...leaping as in sport..." I especially love this visual because often time the joy of life and the Lord causes me to jump in the air and click my heals together! We are created to celebrate! Yes, bad things happen, but in the mix are many reasons for joyous celebration!
In this New Year, I am going to take the opportunity to demonstrate the joy in my heart! There are so many moments worthy of shouting, singing, and jumping for joy! God has filled our lives with reasons to celebrate! And the greatest reason to celebrate is His presence in our lives! And maybe in the exuberant celebration, someone will learn all the Lord has done for me! So join me this year in the celebration!
1 Chronicles 16:8-13. "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones."
In the last few years, I have devised a plan to be able to see both the 10pm and 12am Pine Cone Drop without freezing to death! We have collected some friends to join us at a local restaurant for dinner at 9:30pm. At 9:50pm we step out the door of this restaurant and we are looking right down the street at the pine cone. And then we turn around to see fireworks soaring off the roof of another local hotel. When our dinner is over, we step outside again at 11:50pm and do it all over again. It has been suggested to me that we could eat a bit earlier and head home after the 10pm drop, but I can't imagine sitting on my couch when I could be cheering with my neighbors in downtown Flagstaff. It is so much fun to feel the excitement and energy of the New Year's Eve cheer!
As I reflected on this celebration and my exuberance in the anticipation, I ran across a scripture in my Bible that spoke to me. I was reading in 1 Chronicles 15 about the time King David brought the ark of the Lord back into Jerusalem. The ark of the Lord was the place the people associated with God's presence in the Old Testament. So the ark represented bringing God's presence back to Jerusalem. As you can imagine, quite a celebration broke out in the city as the ark came in.
It says in 1 Chronicles 15:28 "...with shouts of joy, the blowing of rams’ horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres." In verse 29, it says in the Amplified Bible that King David was "...leaping as in sport..." I especially love this visual because often time the joy of life and the Lord causes me to jump in the air and click my heals together! We are created to celebrate! Yes, bad things happen, but in the mix are many reasons for joyous celebration!
In this New Year, I am going to take the opportunity to demonstrate the joy in my heart! There are so many moments worthy of shouting, singing, and jumping for joy! God has filled our lives with reasons to celebrate! And the greatest reason to celebrate is His presence in our lives! And maybe in the exuberant celebration, someone will learn all the Lord has done for me! So join me this year in the celebration!
1 Chronicles 16:8-13. "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones."
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