Learning to fear the Lord yields great results in our daily walk with Him. Some facets of man’s relationship with the Lord change over time and through the seasons. Yet, one thing that has remained constant from the very beginning concerns God’s call upon His people to fear Him. How vital is the fear of God? The Bible refers to it as “the whole duty of man.” Some Bible teachers have tried to lessen the severity of this truth by saying that this fear merely refers to reverencing God, yet Hebrews 12:28 presents the fear of God and reverence as two separate and distinct actions. God’s people are to fear the Lord as the Creator of all things and the One who will one day bring all things into judgment. As saints of God, we will never please the Lord until we first learn to fear Him (Deuteronomy 4:10).
Fear introduced is faith attacked. As such, we should not be partakers of the world’s fears. Instead, we should “sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be” our fear (Isaiah 8:13). Throughout scripture, the Lord admonished His people not to fear the world. Why? The answer is twofold: (1) the Lord was with them (Genesis 26:24) and (2) fear of the world yields bondage (Proverbs 29:25). This worldly bondage never originates with the Lord (Romans 8:15) for He has given Christians a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We need not fear those who can destroy the body (Matthew 10:28); rather, we ought to say the Lord is our helper, and we will not fear what men will do unto us (Hebrews 13:6).
The devotions on the subject of counsel have thus far dealt specifically with counsel received from another person. Yet counsel received from the Lord is the greatest counsel. In Joshua 9:14, the people refused to seek counsel from the Lord and made decisions that caused them trouble for many years. Though God does not speak to us audibly, we are not left to our own devices. We find a more sure word of consultation through His written word. This is why each decision should be carefully checked against the word of God. The Bible is able to discern our thoughts and intentions (Hebrews 4:12) and can determine if we are making the right choices. No better counsel can be received than that which you will find in God’s word.
Modern usage of the word conversation generally limits the definition to two people involved in a dialog. However, the Bible frequently uses the word conversation in a different sense. In fact, our passage reveals that a conversation can occur without words. Several other verses confirm connecting works to a man’s conversation (James 3:13; 1 Peter 2:12). The Bible’s use of conversation can involve something that others can observe (1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 3:2) and consider (Hebrews 13:7). Obviously, a man’s conversation is more complex than a simple discussion held between two or more persons. Scripturally speaking, our conversation reveals how we live our lives in front of others. Though this world would apply conversation only to what we say, God never intended for its usage to be limited to that single aspect.
Any person who truly loves the Lord has a strong desire to worship Him. Yet, we frequently fail to realize the various opportunities of worship. The Bible closely connects worship to the word worth, much like the word praise is closely connected to the word appraisal. When we worship the Lord, we declare what we think about His worth to us. Perhaps, you never considered that true confession of sins to a holy God declares God’s worth to you. We see this in our passage when confession and worship are mentioned together (Nehemiah 9:3). When we confess our sins to the Lord, we are telling God that we desire His fellowship more than we desire the pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).
We are to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). This battle makes it imperative that we understand “we do not war after the flesh” (2 Corinthians 10:3). Unlike many of the cults, we do not use physical weaponry in our attempts to accomplish the will of God. No physical sword or weaponry can convert the lost to Christ; however, the Bible does instruct us to use the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). In like manner, we do not have to resort to using physical weaponry to bring about our desired results during the spiritual battles. Instead, we flee to God's throne to find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). We must insure that we do not carelessly allow ourselves to believe that the spiritual weapons are inferior to carnal weaponry. The Bible enforces this thought by reminding us that our weapons are “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Carnality becomes increasingly difficult to hide. Eventually, it clearly manifests itself in our daily actions. The carnality of the Corinthian believers showed itself in their relationship amongst their body of believers. They began to envy one another, eventually leading to strife and divisions amongst the group. When Paul learned of their failings, he knew carnality was at the root of the problem. Another action openly revealing the carnality of the people was their relentless desire to associate themselves with particular Bible teachers. They assumed an association with someone as well respected as Paul or Apollos would give them a spiritual boost among other believers. Considering their actions, Paul knew these believers were “yet carnal.”
Bitterness grows from within man much like the root of a plant. If left alone to fester, bitterness will eventually spring up; and when it does, it will “trouble you.” Unfortunately, bitterness is not frequently identified during its infancy. It hides inside the individual with little evidence of its existence. As time passes, our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) feed that bitterness and it begins to spring forth. As it does, it may begin to alarm or even shock us. For instance, we may yell at someone for no apparent reason. Something insignificant can even ruin our entire day. If we are not careful, we can grow increasingly comfortable with our newfound trouble and attitude. As alluded to in the scripture, the solution for bitterness can be likened to the removal of a plant by its roots. Bitterness continues to grow unless removed at its source – from the roots.
Each week, hopefully several times a week, a body of like-minded believers to which you belong assembles for the purpose of worshipping and glorifying God. According to scripture, we are not to forsake this assembling of believers. In fact, we are to gather more frequently as we see the coming of the Lord drawing nigh. In a day when more churches are cancelling Sunday evening and midweek services, Bible-believing Christians ought to counteract the trend by finding ways to assemble with other believers more frequently. Early believers assembled on a daily basis (Acts 2:46). Maybe this is less convenient during our day and time; but nonetheless, we certainly should be careful not to forsake the times already appointed for assembling together. Determine to be in your place the next time the saints assemble.
Far too many believers live with a skewed perspective concerning God's expectations. They desperately desire to do some “great thing” for the Lord. They ponder on thoughts of what would cause God to take notice of them and gain His favour. Would selling everything and going to the mission field help? Do they need to quit their job and go into full-time Christian service? Do they need to travel in order to spread the gospel far and wide? No doubt this serves as the Lord’s will for some, but one's intent needs to be God-focused and not self-centered. Regardless of one's calling, God has given Christians a great way to give Him a well-pleasing sacrifice. Today's passage mentions the fruit of our lips as a means of giving thanks to God and calls it a sacrifice of praise. Maybe the Lord does have “great things” in store for your life, but offering Him a sacrifice of praise serves as the best place to begin.
