A Healthy Fear and Reverance

Believers can take great confidence that we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved. Hebrews 12:28 says let us have grace, whereby we may serve God Acceptably with reverance and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.



What is this grace? It means graciousness in action-Divine influence upon the heart and the hearts reflection upon our life. This grace is to be a lifestyle. The reverance spoken of is a modesty and awe before God-almost a bashful, downcast eye before Him; minus an arrogance or haughty spirit in service to God. In short, to remember Whom we serve, remembering His position and our position in the equasion.



The fear here spoken means a caution, a reverance, a piety or dread of who He is. It is spoken of again in Isaiah 8:13 - "Sanctify the LORD of Hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." Sanctify means to set Him apart; one must not mix Him into the equasion as though He is to be considered most of the time, but that He is Supreme all of the time!



King David had a full understanding of this when he penned "Thou, even Thou, art to be feared, and who may stand in Thy sight when once Thou art angry?" (Psalm 76:7)



Job cried out, "Withdraw Thine hand far from me; and let not Thy dread make me afraid."



This is such a serious issue that a man who has been described as the meekest man in the Old Testament, Moses, was forbidden to enter the Promise Land. The punishment came because God said "because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." Moses was told to speak to the rock so water should gush out to give the people drink; (Numbers 20) but he became angry with the people and he struck the rock instead and chastized the people in a harsh manner.



As Believers we must remember this story. It is given as instruction and for reproof and knowledge for these days. As things start to fall apart there will, by the grace of God, be millions groping and searching for a strong anchor in which to depend and put their faith. We must reach out in kindness, gentleness, grace and a healthy fear of God to assist them into the Kingdom. Anger, recrimination, guilt and chastizement is the last thing these dear souls need. They know what they have done, they realize they are in a hopeless condition unless they change. We would not throw an 80 pound bag of concrete to a person who is drowning; we must throw out the lifeline of salvation instead.



The dread, fear and reverance of our Father goes hand in hand with the assurance that we can enter into His presence and come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need; which is every day for me. We have been instructed to enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise. We have full confidence that He hears. We serve a God who sees all things, hears every request, and who answers our petitions in His way, in His time, and in a way that will only bring glory to Him.



As Christ instructs us to pray, not our will, but Thine be done. It is recorded that we should pray; Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.



An elderly minister friend keeps reminding me that "we are on the winning side", "we are in there", and when I say the economy or the nation is in trouble, he remindes me that "they are in trouble, we aren't!!!"



We belong to a Kingdom that is not going to be shaken or taken by surprise by any event. As we enter into His presence with grace and reverance, we can thank Him for who He is in us, for what He does for us, and for what He will do through us to this lost and dying world.



May the God of grace and peace be with us!