Reading: Hebrews 11
My Verse: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (11:6)
This chapter parades the great men and women of faith before us. Faith - that allusive concept for so many. We are called to "draw near" to You, Lord God, but this we cannot do unless we believe in Your existence, unless we believe You will keep Your promises to us. We cannot believe without faith. Thank You for reminding us here of those giants of faith that went before us - these men and women who stepped out in faith for You. They had the right kind of fear - fear of You.
I just heard a lovely talk about fear. This lady pointed out the two kinds of fear. It made me question which fear rules my life? Fear the unhealthy, unreasonable kind is that which causes us to fear unknown things - things we have no control over. This fear can paralyze us, stunt us. And then there is the good fear - the healthy fear that warns us to take precautions. This is the kind of fear we need to have of You, Lord. For You are a holy God and we can take steps to avoid falling into Your dreadful punishment. "It is a fearful think to incur the divine penalty and be cast into the hands of the living God!" (Hebrews 10:31).
To have a healthy fear is to be aware of what is really happening around us. So many live in denial - pretending there is no eternity - pretending You Lord are not real - pretending You do not call us to "draw near" to You.
There is another side to this healthy fear of You! If we but recognize You for Who You are You will help us in our daily unreasonable fears. I think of Moses here who was so fearful of going to Pharoah, yet Lord, You took him through every step of the way. We too can experience this step by step process.
O, Lord God, You tell us to "Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold You with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
The giants of faith knew this healthy fear. They recognized that You, Lord God, are who You say You are. This enabled them to step out in faith and be the men and women You wanted them to be. So I need to consider this question of which fear rules in my life. I think too often I allow the wrong kind of fear to have sway in my life. I look to Your wonderful promises here.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (II Timothy 1:7).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (11:6)
This chapter parades the great men and women of faith before us. Faith - that allusive concept for so many. We are called to "draw near" to You, Lord God, but this we cannot do unless we believe in Your existence, unless we believe You will keep Your promises to us. We cannot believe without faith. Thank You for reminding us here of those giants of faith that went before us - these men and women who stepped out in faith for You. They had the right kind of fear - fear of You.
I just heard a lovely talk about fear. This lady pointed out the two kinds of fear. It made me question which fear rules my life? Fear the unhealthy, unreasonable kind is that which causes us to fear unknown things - things we have no control over. This fear can paralyze us, stunt us. And then there is the good fear - the healthy fear that warns us to take precautions. This is the kind of fear we need to have of You, Lord. For You are a holy God and we can take steps to avoid falling into Your dreadful punishment. "It is a fearful think to incur the divine penalty and be cast into the hands of the living God!" (Hebrews 10:31).
To have a healthy fear is to be aware of what is really happening around us. So many live in denial - pretending there is no eternity - pretending You Lord are not real - pretending You do not call us to "draw near" to You.
There is another side to this healthy fear of You! If we but recognize You for Who You are You will help us in our daily unreasonable fears. I think of Moses here who was so fearful of going to Pharoah, yet Lord, You took him through every step of the way. We too can experience this step by step process.
O, Lord God, You tell us to "Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold You with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
The giants of faith knew this healthy fear. They recognized that You, Lord God, are who You say You are. This enabled them to step out in faith and be the men and women You wanted them to be. So I need to consider this question of which fear rules in my life. I think too often I allow the wrong kind of fear to have sway in my life. I look to Your wonderful promises here.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (II Timothy 1:7).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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