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Reverence

What does it mean to revere the Lord? Revering God is being unaware that he is observing your life while you carry out his will and respect his judgments. Yet in not doing his will should we be apprehension for his wrath can flare up in a moment?

When I was younger I was a stubborn and obstinate child who wanted to do things my way. I think all of us were that way to some degree. I also had a father who reminded to doing things his way or I would be rewarded with a black belt and it wouldn’t be for advancing in karate. Because of my actions my father’s disciplinary role inflicted pain where I sat so I would remember the incident and not do it again.

As I said I was stubborn and obstinate but I learned the hard way he meant business because my father constantly reminding me with a black belt. Furthermore I did not really appreciate a surplus of spankings. His discipline said I was his son and I was going to do things his way and what was right to everyone else. As an adult I learned my children had the same attitude and I learned why my father spanked me. I still remember some of the spankings but I have learned the ways of my father and forty years later I became the image of my father. What I mean is I am still doing things his way with one exception. My children are doing things my way.

The bible tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12. In the same way our human father had our best interest in mind when disciplining us and so does our heavenly father. The difference is God wants us to share in his holiness. However to achieve holiness we must learn to obey him in the way we deal with our affairs. That includes treating the person who harms you the same way we deal with the people we love.

While we speak to our fellow Christians about the Lord we seldom mention our awesome God to sinners. The bible tells to go into the world and make disciples of them.  If we are to obey God the least we could do is to tell them what God has done for us? Every Christian has been forgiven of their sin and has been made holy in God’s sight. That alone is a miracle showing we have become sinners saved by his grace.

Have we forgotten that we cannot forgive the sins committed against God or that there is nothing we can do to be forgiven except to ask God to forgive us? Forgiveness is a grace of love that God excels in.  Again, forgiveness is the central point of the gospel and the reason why Jesus came as the Lamb of God. His atoning death on the cross was the only means by which man’s sin could be eradicated. His death on the cross meant man was reconciled to God the father through the love of our savior.

The gospel story is difficult to inspire when our lives do not reflect the gospel story through a changed life. Our lives need to reflect the gospel because when we live like the world our God is hidden under the proverbial bushel. At the same time putting God under the bushel is a sign that you are ashamed of Jesus and what he has done for you.

What kind of disciplinary action do you think God should give us for not taking the gospel to the world? The world needs God more than we do and yet are we demonstrating the love of God by remaining silent? Remaining silent means that we know we are out of place; being self-conscious, humiliated or ashamed of God. The world on the other hand is boastful and doing everything in their power to drive God out of their lives and for the most part it is because they lack of knowledge of God’s salvation. They have not experienced the love of God and do not know the future God wants to give them.

In the Same way God has given us the command to go into the world to make disciples of them. Ezekiel was given a similar command but God made Ezekiel responsible for the lifeblood of those whom he did not warn. By the same token being ashamed of Jesus and his words (Luke 9:26) gives Jesus reason to be ashamed of you.

As Christians we must understand the world’s intimidation that puts you to shame for what is foolish to them. To us the gospel is the power of God so why don’t we use the truth to overcome the ignorance of the world?

 Reverence is closely associated with trembling. I am not talking about shaking in our boots but having the knowledge that God loves the world and wants all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Reverence is also being aware that God could call us to account as to why we sat on our duffs and let sinners go to hell without warning them. If we love the sinner as God loved us the world would know God’s plan of salvation. The world would be a better place and God’s wrath would be stilled.  Love with reverence makes us responsible to God as to why we did not show the love of God to those who need his love. December 3 2015

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