February 1st, 2024
by Pastor Mark McAdow
by Pastor Mark McAdow
By Pastor Mark McAdow
What’s your first response to that question? “You bet – I’ve done some really terrible things!” Or “Of course not, why would you fear God?” Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So … if you want to be wise, you must fear the Lord.
What does that mean? Really mean? When we think of the word “fear,” the first thing that comes to mind is “to be afraid.” Is that what the Bible means, we should be afraid of God? Well, He is all powerful and all knowing, but don’t neglect to remember He is all loving, too. So, what does it mean to “fear the Lord?”
I‘ve always understood that to mean we should respect the Lord, have reverence for Him (that’s the last point of the Boy Scout Law, in fact) and to be always in “awe” of Him! That’s why I prefer to reserve the word “awesome” for God alone. He is like no other.
This week in our Be Transformed Bible study, we discovered that there’s even more to it than that. Pastor Rick Warren wrote this: “To fear God means you love what He loves and hate what he hates. It means you appreciate who He is and you do what He says. To fear God means you ask for his advice and don’t just depend on yourself. To fear God is to treat Him with reverence, respect, and awe.” - Transformed, p.54.
Wow! What an incredible description of what it means to “fear God.” That is the best understanding I have ever read. I’m so glad to still be growing in my understanding of God’s Word as we all are in this study and our Getting Healthy Together message series on Sundays.
Obviously, fear has many forms: Godly fear, natural fears, and misguided fears. When we face real fear, there’s one verse I find myself going to or declaring aloud. It’s found in Isaiah 46:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Let’s “fear God” and let the other fears drop to our side.
Yours for a fearless future in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Mark
PS: Thanks to Truman Landwehr for staining our fence on the north side of the church with rich new redwood stain. It looks fantastic.
What’s your first response to that question? “You bet – I’ve done some really terrible things!” Or “Of course not, why would you fear God?” Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So … if you want to be wise, you must fear the Lord.
What does that mean? Really mean? When we think of the word “fear,” the first thing that comes to mind is “to be afraid.” Is that what the Bible means, we should be afraid of God? Well, He is all powerful and all knowing, but don’t neglect to remember He is all loving, too. So, what does it mean to “fear the Lord?”
I‘ve always understood that to mean we should respect the Lord, have reverence for Him (that’s the last point of the Boy Scout Law, in fact) and to be always in “awe” of Him! That’s why I prefer to reserve the word “awesome” for God alone. He is like no other.
This week in our Be Transformed Bible study, we discovered that there’s even more to it than that. Pastor Rick Warren wrote this: “To fear God means you love what He loves and hate what he hates. It means you appreciate who He is and you do what He says. To fear God means you ask for his advice and don’t just depend on yourself. To fear God is to treat Him with reverence, respect, and awe.” - Transformed, p.54.
Wow! What an incredible description of what it means to “fear God.” That is the best understanding I have ever read. I’m so glad to still be growing in my understanding of God’s Word as we all are in this study and our Getting Healthy Together message series on Sundays.
Obviously, fear has many forms: Godly fear, natural fears, and misguided fears. When we face real fear, there’s one verse I find myself going to or declaring aloud. It’s found in Isaiah 46:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Let’s “fear God” and let the other fears drop to our side.
Yours for a fearless future in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Mark
PS: Thanks to Truman Landwehr for staining our fence on the north side of the church with rich new redwood stain. It looks fantastic.
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