JEREMIAH 32:38-40 – And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”
THEME OF THE DAY: CULTIVATING LIFE WALKING IN THE FEAR OF GOD. How would we answer the question, “What is the dominant theme in the Bible running from Genesis through Revelation?” Perhaps the words “grace” and “love” would be high if not the first two on our list. Well, they do run through the entirety of the Word of God and we are grateful they do! However the answer is in today’s scripture and theme – the fear of God. A standard use of a concordance would find references to the fear of God explicitly stated between 150 to 175 times. And if general ideas of the fear of God were added either by illustration or implied the total would exceed 200. For the Christian? It is the fear of God that is the chief mark of being one and that given by the One we are to fear. At new birth, God plants His fear in His children. Today’s scripture describes this work of God under the New Covenant.
It is also by the fear of God we are to live out the Christian life. The Apostle Paul instructs us of this truth in the opening of the seventh chapter in his second letter to the Corinthians – Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). A good question to ask about now would be in one word – “How?” and to answer that, here is a book I highly recommend by Albert Martin titled The Forgotten Fear: Where have all the God-fearers Gone? It is a small paperback, 175 pages, published by Reformation Heritage Books, and might well be, apart from the Bible, the best book we will ever read about the fear of God. In chapter six, the author gives us eight practical steps to maintain a heart and life grounded in the fear of God. Here they are in condensed form.
Martin first states to maintain the fear of God is ensure we have an interest in the New Covenant. Basically, we must know we have trusted Jesus Christ and have been born again. The chief element of assurance of salvation will be this healthy fear of God. Next, feed our minds with scripture. Not a little. Much. Unless we are trained to think biblically toward all things, there will be no fear of God directing our lives. The third step is feed our souls with the reality of the forgiveness we have of God. Read Psalm 130 and we will see this truth. Moving into step four, Martin exhorts us to feed our souls on the majesty of God. Meditate on Revelation 15:3-4 to begin. Step five is to seek to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence and spending time in Psalm 139 is a great place to cultivate this awareness. Step six is to be mindful of our obligations to God. This is a life of purposeful obedience. No obedience, no fear of God. The next to last step is keep close fellowship with others who fear God. It is true. We will be shaped by the books we read and the people we associate with. And finally Martin exhorts us to fervent prayer to increase this fear God has given us.
So the fear of God. It is what drives our love for God and the Christian life, and it is what is lacking not only in the world, but the Lord’s church. May He send revival of His fear for His glory and our good!
PRAYER: “Father, may I learn to live in Your fear, the fear You gave me at my new birth.”
QUOTE: “The true fear of the Lord draws us to deeper love for the Lord and hatred for sin.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim