Fear is not fear

‭Proverbs 14:26-27 KJV‬ [26] In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: And his children shall have a place of refuge. [27] The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To depart from the snares of death. https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.14.26-27.KJV

When I say that “fear is not fear”, I mean that the fear of the Lord is being respectful of Who He is. It is not fear in the same sense that you fear a wolf or a bear. God demands our respect and our obedience when He gives us commands. He expects us to be obedient but for most of the history recorded in the Bible, there was more disobedience than obedience. Even in the past two millennia, since Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, the church has had many more problems resulting from pride and greed than we have experienced in following Jesus’ commands.

The church has fractured into many denominations during this time as well. This is not what was intended at the beginning. The church was supposed to be unified in service to those who need Jesus and that ball was dropped. We need to get back to being the Church of Jesus Christ, following His commands and not trying to be better than the church down the street. We are not in a competition but we are supposed to be fulfilling our duty to each other.

If you are His…

Give thanks

Praise the Lord… regardless

If you believe in Jesus as the Savior of the world, you should do this every day and not just at worship services. God began the salvation of mankind on the day that Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge. If you have read God’s Word, there are many instances in the Old Testament where He shows them how He expects them to live. He gives them the Ten Commandments and the Law to point them in the right direction but even as He leads them through the wilderness toward the land of promise they are griping and complaining.

We do it every day as well. We hear a sermon on Sunday and it has some really good points in it but we question some of them. It may be that we don’t like the way the preacher said it or the way he said it. Maybe we got offended at something in the sermon, as many people do, and decided that they’re not coming back to “that church”. Why? Just because of an offense to your pride? Being offended at something shouldn’t stand in the way of your eternity. Speak with the preacher and ask him to clarify the part of the sermon that you found offensive. Ask God to help you to understand how He wants you to serve Him and truly listen for His reply by praying even more and reading the Bible.

You can’t know God for just thirty minutes each week. You have to seek Him every day, a little bit at a time. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship and we should treat it as such. Visiting with God once a week is a very limited way to begin a relationship because it should be a daily visit through prayer and reading His Word. Even if you only read one chapter every day. Pray about what you have read and then ask Him to help you to put it into practice in your life.

His compassion doesn’t fail

The lesson for us…

The people who make a difference in your life are not those with the most credentials, money, or awards. They simply are the ones who care.

Jesus came to take our punishment because He loved us. It wasn’t because He cared about us, although He did that too. His love for us was enough that He came to give His life for you and me, and for anyone who will believe in His sacrifice because He loved us.

Yes, He cared then and He still cares about what happens to each of us just as it says in the Bible, “God knows when a sparrow falls”. How much more does He care about each of us? People in our lives make a difference, especially when they care about us and actually make a difference.

Jesus can make a difference when you ask Him to be your Savior and Lord. I urge you to consider making Him your Savior because, if you’ve been watching the news, the time is drawing near. He is coming for His Bride, who have made Him their Savior. If you have, there is nothing to do but pray and study His Word. Seek Him out. Don’t turn away from His call on your heart. He loves you more than anyone on Earth.

How can I know God?

The first step in knowing God is to find out more about Him. Read Isaiah 53, then read the New Testament books of John and Romans. I know that is a lot of reading but if you really want to investigate and learn about God, those are the books you should begin with. After you have read them, go back to the book of Genesis and read through as much of the Bible as you can. Some books are a little hard to read with the rules of sacrifices and the genealogies that are part of many books.

The more you learn about God, the more you will come to know Him, and knowing Him will bring you to love Him and you will want to obey His commandments and live according to His ways. By doing this you will become a disciple of His and you will want to spread His message to those around you. Being in a relationship with God gives your life meaning and a purpose that you can’t get from anything else on Earth. Seek Him and come to know Him and your life will never be the same. It will be the best life you could ever have.

Wow! What a sight!

Yesterday I was able to see the eclipse and it was humbling to know that God made our two lights so they would astound us when they line up just right. I took a few pictures with my phone. They aren’t the best but they are the best I could do.