SIMPLY BECAUSE HE IS GOD I agree none of us live to the truth we teach. I do not want to be a hypocrite so let me say it upfront that I do not fully live up to the standard of truth. I want to and seek to, but I am not there yet, nor will I ever be completely, in this life. So as you read this encouragement, think of me as one walking along you. I am not on top of the peak calling you to climb up. I am standing with you as we both look to the summit of this great mountain called the fear of God.(Jerry Bridges) We do not worship God for what he does for us. We do not necessarily give to God expecting him to multiply that which we have given. We have to fear God above all. Whatever you do without the fear of God is incomplete. How we fear God should express itself in our character and daily conduct. One dimension we want to look at is the awe of His Person, being in awe of God simply because he is God. Lets look at Jacob and Peter. Jacob was running for his life. He had deceived his father and stolen from Esau, both the birthright and the eldest son’s blessing. His brother was pursuing him. The first night of his journey, Jacob had a dream. Notice carefully the five promises God made to him in this dream (Gen 28: 12-15). 1. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 2. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth. 3. You will spread out to the west and to the east, to the south and to the North. 4. All people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 5. I am with you and will watch over wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Jer 29:11) God said nothing in the dream about Jacob’s deceitful character or actions. God did not reprimand him or threaten to punish him. What was Jacob’s reaction to such a wealth of promised blessings. Did he wake up rejoicing and praising God as we might have expected? When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought,” Surely the LORD is in awesome in this place. This is none than the house of God :this is the gate of heaven. Instead of exaltation, Jacob was afraid. Instead of counting his blessings he said, ”How awesome is this place”. What was it that created such a solemn sense of awe in Jacob and made him afraid? We’ve already seen that God did not reprimand or threaten him in any way. He only gave him promises. The reason for Jacob’s fear was the realization that he had somehow been in the very presence of God. It was not the consciousness of his sin but the consciousness of his creaturehood in the presence of God that created his sense of awe. Peter had a reaction similar to Jacob’s in Luke 5:1-11. .”Master, we’ve worked all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let the nets down. You can hear the skepticism and resignation in Peter’s voice. He thought Jesus could not teach him when and where to fish. He knew the worst time to fish was when the sun was on the water. You know what happened. They caught so much fish that they nets broke. What was Peter’s reaction? Was he elated at such a monumental catch of fish? Did he immediately try to recruit Jesus as his new partner and fishing guide? Why do you jump to partner with someone who has just given you a good recipe for business? Instead of elation, there was fear. “Go away from me ,Lord: I am a sinful man. Aaah!!! Peter had already witnesses another miracle when Jesus healed his mother in law. This one was big in that it was in the field of his own trade. He knew well how humanly impossible, it was to catch fish in these daylight hours. That is why he fell down before Jesus. Note again that Jesus said nothing about Peter’s sin. Peter became acutely and painfully aware of his sinfulness but what made him fall down was not his sin but Jesus’ deity. It was a the reaction of a creature to the Creator. Will we then have “no choice” but to fall down in awe before God as did Jacob and Peter? That might happen to us on occasion. When this happens, choose to bow before Him in worship and adoration. The God who revealed himself to Jacob and Peter, is the same omnipotent and holy God today. He has revealed to us in his Word all that we need to know of Him to properly fear him. Though we may not have direct encounter with God as did these men, we can encounter Him in his Word as the Holy Spirit opens it to our minds and hearts. Perhaps the Holy Spirit has brought other questions or applications to your mind. If so, heed them. Remember, the truths of God’s word are not to be simply admired. They are to be applied in specific ways in our lives. I leave you this question: Is your fear of God so shallow that you tend to be overly familiar with God and fail to show the reverential awe that is due to him? Just thought I share with somebody the other side of God. He is SIMPLY GOD. Be encouraged today and stay blessed.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 08:23:45 +0000
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