November 17, 2019
Greetings and blessings to all of you. In I Peter 1:17 it says, “And remember that your heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge you with perfect justice for everything you do: so act in reverent fear of him from now on until you get to heaven.” What is “reverent fear”? Does that mean we should be afraid of God? I even read that God has not given us a spirit of fear? The kind of fear that God speaks of in the verse above is not the same as being worried about the future, or watching a scary movie or even when you are facing a life threatening situation. No the kind of reverent fear God wants us to develop is taking God seriously. You must give Him the appropriate respect, honor and love for His person and His position. Saints do we really know who God is? He will hold us accountable for our actions. Did you know that God has a plan and purpose for your life before you were born? Did you also know that he gave us His only Son to die for us so that we can live forever? Now does He deserves our total devotion? In Matt. 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” That should tell us that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. That is why hearing that someone is God fearing actually makes us trust that person more. If they have the fear of the Lord they are most likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness and wisdom. In Romans 3:18 it says, “There in none righteous not even one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks God….there is no fear of God before their eyes.” God said that. It is in the Book! However, because of what Jesus did for us we can relax and love that much more because “perfect love expels all fear”. It is the kind of fear that keeps us trusting Christ 100% and being obedient. Reverent fear compels me to recognize that this world I live in is just temporary and the mercy and grace of God is all I ever need. Know this...to fear God is to live in the reality of His holiness, His sovereignty, and His judgement of sin.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC