MARK 1:21-22 – And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes

THEME OF THE DAY. ARE WE? Christians read their Bibles. Hopefully a lot. Christians study their Bibles. Hopefully with diligence. Christians pray their Bibles. Hopefully with fervency. Christians proclaim their Bibles. Hopefully with compassionate zeal. Christians live their Bibles. Hopefully with sincerity and consistently. But do we read, study, pray, proclaim, and live our Bibles with the response of the people in today’s scripture after they heard Him, who the Bible reveals, teach them – and they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority? Are we in awe of the Lord and His Word like this crowd? This is an important question because if we lose the “awe factor”, then the wonder, the glory, the power, and prevention of a boring Christian life will also be lost. Lose the “awe factor” which is really a drift away from first love for Jesus, and we may still do all the right “Christian stuff” but with indifferent hearts, no spiritual power, and a “ho hum” Christian experience. Let’s shift gears . . .

Many of you are familiar with Paul David Tripp. If you aren’t, please change that. Listen to his teaching and read his books. They will be of great benefit in your walk with the Lord. Of Tripp, he wrote a book titled Awe: Why it Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do. During this pandemic, I hope we are using our extra time since the world’s distractions are removed from our lives to read; first and foremost our Bibles more, but other books for spiritual growth. And please, add this one to the stack. You won’t be sorry. You will be changed. In the preface (I won’t share any of the “goodies” in the book so you will read it), he penned these words, “I wrote this book for me because I am aware that I need to spend more time gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. I need to put my heart in a place where it can once again be in awe of the grandeur of God that reaches far beyond the bounds of the most expressive words in the human vocabulary. I need awe of Him to recapture, refocus and redirect my heart again and again. And I need to remember that the war for the awe of my heart still wages inside me.”

Pretty good, huh? But let me add a couple of things to help us respond to the Lord Jesus and His Word with awe, beginning with the Bible. The next time we pick ours up; stop, hold it, stare at it, and think on one thing. This is the Word of the Living God that is given to me, this very moment, to know Him and walk with Him. If we do this sincerely and consistently, the awe factor will start to grow or be recovered in our hearts.

Now let’s consider three things to prevent losing the awe factor toward the Person of our Lord Jesus. They each require the mental discipline and exercise of faith to “see” them. First, meditate on His birth, becoming the God-man. Remember what He gave up to become like us without sin; to identify in our humanity. Next, linger at the foot of His cross and ponder deeply what He did for us. See His mangled body. His blood-soaked face. The final place is make it regular habit to look to the sky and think of His return. He is coming back. Soon. Go to these places in the mind and heart by faith, and the awe factor of who He is, what He has done, and what He is going to do will flood our souls and prevent a backslidden condition from coming upon us.

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I read Your Word and just that – simply read Your Word without wonder and awe.”

QUOTE: “We cannot know closeness to Christ through His Word and prayer without having the awe factor of who He is.”