Understanding the Fear of the Lord

When we have a proper understanding of the Lord, it changes the way we live. We cannot live the way God means His children to live unless we fear Him. Our modern culture has lost the meaning of the fear of the Lord. We have traded the power of the fear of the Lord for the weak imitation of it—reverential trust.

What is the Fear of the Lord?

To fear God means being afraid of Him. This isn't the terror we would feel at facing an unjust tyrant, but rather, a realization of God's holy wrath at sin.

Why Should we Fear the Lord?

We are commanded to fear Him. The Bible so often warns what will happen if we neglect this duty. Because He is holy, fearing Him is only right and proper. 

What Happens When we Fear the Lord?

Dozens of blessings are associated with fearing God. Among them are wisdom, knowledge, long life, blessings for our children, confidence, comfort, and growth for our churches. When we fear Him, He pours out so many blessings upon us. 

Properly understanding the fear of the Lord prepares one to live a holy and blessed life. When we realize that the scope of His love demands that He keep us from things that will harm us and we decide to live in the light of that knowledge, everything changes. There is great comfort and confidence for God's children in walking in the fear of God.

—taken from A Vision of God by Robert Byers. To read this book in its entirety, please purchase your copy here.

Learning From Lincoln

Few people have the tact that President Lincoln had when dealing with a situation that tempts one to use harsh measures.

When the darkest clouds of the Civil War were hovering over the Capitol, many things done by the generals were not approved by either Lincoln or Secretary of War Stanton. Lincoln would take a long time to ponder over new situations, but Stanton would at times lose his temper and explode.

One day, Stanton came to see Lincoln about the doings of a certain general. Listening quietly, Lincoln let Stanton show his anger, and when the latter exclaimed, "I would like to write him a letter and tell him what I think of him!" Lincoln remarked quietly, "Well, why not do so? Sit down and write him a letter, saying all that you have said to me."

Stanton was surprised, for he thought that President Lincoln would object to this. He declared that he would take the president at his word.

Two days later, he brought Lincoln the letter he had written and read it to him. When Stanton had finished, Lincoln smiled and remarked, "That is all right. You have said all you told me you would. Now, what are you going to do with this letter?"

"Why, I am going to send it to him, of course."

"I wouldn't," replied the president quickly. "Throw it in the wastebasket."

"What, after spending two days on it?" exclaimed Stanton.

"Yes, it took you two days to write it, and it did you a lot of good. You feel a great deal better now, and that is all that is necessary."

The letter went into the wastebasket, and Stanton learned an important lesson.

What do you think was the "important lesson" learned from the president? Could it be that he learned the following:

1. Don't react in anger.

2. You don't have to say everything you think.

3. You sometimes can wisely leave well enough alone.

4. Seeking confidential counsel can keep you from making a misstep.

5. Harshness is not a good approach.

6. Kindness seasoned with mercy is always in order.

7. A wrong response to someone else's wrongdoing can make a bad situation even worse.

—Adapted from Capitol Voice

Are You Willing to do What's Right? #Questionable Things

We often receive letters from honest, sincere Christians wanting to know if a certain thing is right or wrong. Sometimes, there is no verse in the Bible that gives a clear answer to these questions, but we must remember two things regarding the Bible.

1. The Bible was written for all people of all ages. Therefore, everything could not be spelled out in detail. For instance, if there was a verse in the Bible that states, "Thou shalt not smoke Camel (cigarettes)," those old rabbis would have had a difficult time interpreting the passage.

2. The Bible is a condensed Book. John 21:25 states "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." So, had everything Jesus did been written in books, no one would ever find time to read them all.

The Bible is not a revelation of what God knows, but a revelation of what God wants men to know. Since the Bible does not give detailed answers to every question the believer will ever face, then what does he do regarding things not spelled out in the Scriptures?  While the Bible does not give all the specific details regarding what a Christian should and should not do, it does give guidelines by which every honest Christian can make the right decision regarding questionable things. In this series, we will share eleven guidelines that will help the believer in deciding whether a thing is right or wrong.

We are the servants and God is the Master. It's not the servant's duty to guess what the Master wants; it's only his duty to obey once the Master makes His will clear. When the believer doesn't know whether a certain matter is right or wrong, he should decide firmly and clearly that he will do God's will even if it goes against his wishes.

We must have the attitude, Lord, I don't know whether this is right or wrong; but if You will let me know for sure, I will do right regardless of what others say or what my preferences are.

The person who wants God's very best for his life and will do what is right can know God's will regarding questionable things. If you're not willing to do the right thing once you know it, then the rest of the guidelines to follow will be useless.