Love and Fear

There are numerous commands and principles highlighted within the Bible. Some of them are black and white do’s and don’ts, and others are righteous guidelines that we should follow. Some come with earthly consequences, and others we may not feel this side of heaven. But if we are able to understand the character of God and the spirit behind what we are taught, there are instances where our heart, over our actions, protect us from the wrath or the judgment of God. It is true that we are to confess and repent when we sin, by First Peter also teaches that “love covers over a multitude of sins”, because as one of my Bible commentators put it, love can turn away the wrath of God. Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 6 goes on to say:

“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.” 

And earlier it says in chapter 14, verse 27:

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.”

Love and reverent fear are attributes of the heart that influence God. I believe that if we have love in our heart, our sinful and selfish desires are stripped away. We begin to take on the likeness of Christ which can soften God’s heart and soothe his anger. After all, God is love. And when we reflect more and more of his nature, our confessions of sin are authentic and transparent even before we open our mouth. Likewise, when we fear and reverence the Lord, with a humble and contrite heart, we are inevitably able to avoid evil. Because this, too, helps us to have the right heart; a heart of obedience. And the act of obedience, by definition, is the opposite of sin. I don’t believe that these verses are saying that love and fear, in and of themselves, can wipe out sin. But they are necessary ingredients if we are to truly repent and to truly obey.

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Love and reverent fear are biblical attributes that every believer should try to attain and maintain. Proverbs reminds us that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. And it also reminds us that through love and faithfulness, sin is atoned for. So I would challenge you to examine your heart today. We should all ask ourself, “how much love do I have for others?”, and “do I reverence the Lord as almighty and sovereign?” These are things that shouldn’t occasionally be on our heart and in our mind. They should be ever present, from when we rise in the morning to when we go to bed at night. Because the absence of these attributes mean that we are out of step with the Spirit. When we try to live life without love, we are inevitably selfish, which leads to sin. And when we try to live life without the reverent fear of the Lord, we become prideful and arrogant which also leads to sin. So I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to remember that love covers over a multitude of sins and through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

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Correction

I like the sentiment behind the phrase, “we learn from our mistakes”. Because when we make a mistake and are corrected, or even disciplined, our minds are able to catalogue the experience in a way that almost shoots up a “danger” sign when we are about to make the same mistake again. And since we have been disciplined, or corrected, the reminder of our punishment helps us to know what might happen if we choose to take the incorrect path. But, if we are always able to do right, we miss out on the training, or knowledge, we gain from failing. We don’t quite understand, the same way we might if we made the mistake, what consequences arise when we fail. So we are left unaware of the danger. It is kind of like when we were children and we didn’t know the dangers of fire. If we were able to experience the pain of touching fire, we would know why it is dangerous. But if we never experienced the pain of the fire, we may remain unaware of its power. That is why it says in Proverbs chapter 12, verse 1: 

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” 

It would be to our benefit if, as a species, we’d always learn from our mistakes. But there are some who reject correction. This proverb labels those individuals “stupid”, because they either resist the truth, or invite the consequences. Believers should take this proverb to heart. We should love, or at least value, discipline because if we do, we will learn from our mistakes. We should not be resistant, or hate, correction because if we do, we haven’t learned a thing.

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Discipline is not only meant to correct, or punish us, it is meant to teach us. And if we value discipline, we will be wise. I can attest that when I was a child and was punished by my parents, I thought they enjoyed giving me what I deserved, as if it were a mechanism for them to take their anger out on me. But now that I’m older, I understand that the main goal of their punishment was that I would learn and not make the same mistake again. So I would encourage you, as this proverb does, to love discipline. That is one way we can grow. That is one way we are able to allow the Holy Spirit to mold us into the people we are meant to be. Because if we are resistant, we are only being stupid.

Reverence Revealed

I’m a fairly big NFL football fan. I love the Detroit Lions, even though they rarely make it to the playoffs. And even if they do, they are usually eliminated right away. But as much as I like the Lions, there are tons of fans who like them even more. They will buy season tickets, go to the game wearing blue and silver face paint, and will proudly display Detroit Lions gear on flags, furniture, clothing and bumper stickers. If you encounter fans like these, you will have no doubt as to where their allegiance lies. There is no question which team they love. Why do I bring this up? Because although believers don’t have to wear clothes emblazoned with the name of Jesus, or display Christian bumper stickers covering the back of their car, the world should clearly be able to see where our allegiance lies when it comes to ours faith in Christ. Proverbs, chapter 14, verse 2 puts it this way:

“He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him.”

Our fear, or reverence, for the Lord inevitably comes out in the way we live, or as Proverbs puts it, the way we walk. So if you reverence God, it should be just as evident as if you don’t. Do you know of anyone who would vehemently argue that they are a Christian, but their actions, words and lifestyle reflect something different? I’ve watched movies where drug lords who secretly kill, run sex trafficking rings, and bribe officials would in public, give money to the poor and support charitable foundations. Inevitably they are exposed, but I have to believe that their heart has already done that work among those who really know them. Likewise, our allegiance is clear to those who know us, whether we want to hide it or convince them otherwise. By our lives, or our walk, people will know where our allegiance lies, but more importantly God will know as well. So my question to you is, how is your walk? Do you fear and reverence the Lord? Because if you do, the proof goes far beyond your words.    

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“He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him.” Do you fear the Lord or do you despise him? Your walk, or your heart, will reveal the truth. If your allegiance is strong, your countenance should be as obvious as if you were wearing a neon sign. But even if you aren’t outwardly expressive with our walk, the Lord will know because he knows your heart. He knows if you fear him, or if you despise him. He knows if your walk is upright or if your ways are devious. It may take time for your reverence for the Lord, or lack thereof, to be revealed to man, but it is as clear as crystal with God. So I would encourage you to take the faith you claim to have seriously. I encourage you to pursue an upright walk with the Lord.

The Lord Works

Are you one who believes in fate or do you believe in coincidence? Do you view the world as a series of random events that chaotically intersect, sometimes producing positive outcomes and sometimes negative? Or do you believe that things happen for a reason; that events, even some that seem small, are part of a master plan? If you are a believer and have witnessed God’s hand at work, I hope you believe that he is in control, that he has a plan, and that he works everything out for his purposes and for his ends. I sometimes view the world as a complex chess board where God moves pieces around for his good. He places the right pieces in the right places at the right times to produce the right results. You may have heard the term, “divine appointments”, referring to the notion that God can arrange for you or I to connect with specific person at a specific time for his purposes. I believe in divine appointments. I believe that God has a master plan. And I believe that we can all play a part. Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 4, says:

“The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

This verse implies that God is at work in our lives advancing our destiny for his own ends. He may have had a hand in your career path. He may have played a role in your relationship path. He may have even placed someone in your life at just the right time to lead you to himself. Proverbs says that the Lord works out everything for his own ends. It even offers and example by saying that he even works out the the day of disaster for the wicked. I’ve often prayed for divine appointments in my life, especially when I go on mission trips. I know of several who have prayed for God to bring them their future mate. You may have prayed for God’s hand to arrange a situation in your life. Proverbs reminds us that God is in the background working things out in ways we cannot see. He is moving pieces around and arranging connections that would confound the most masterful of chess players. Our job is to listen to, and obey, the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Who knows, God may use you to help someone in need, change the trajectory of someone’s life, or even lead someone to Christ. Are you ready to be on the same page as the Holy Spirit? I hope the answer is “yes”.

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“The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster.” Timing is everything, and with God everything works out at just the right time and in just the right way. If we are not willing to walk in step the Holy Spirit; if we are not willing to follow his plan in his way, God will choose someone who is. I pray that you and I will pray with expectation that God will use us for his ends; that we will play a role in his master plan. After all, the Bible tells us that he made us for his purposes. It would be better for us if we didn’t resist, but would be on the same page as God. I encourage you to make that declaration today. I encourage you to seek God’s plan for your life and to be used for his purposes without resistance.

Drop It

During my college years I remember listening to a song by a secular group who called themselves the “Spin Doctors”. The song was, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”, which talked about a girl who felt she always had to be right about everything. In the song it was clear that the artist found this trait to be quite annoying, and I have to confess, I’m sure I would have also. Do you know anyone like this? In college, I certainly did. For them, it seemed as though being proven right was of primary importance. I admit that there are times when defending an idea is important, but I would submit to you that believers should choose their battles wisely. Proverbs, the book that provides both practical and godly advice, says this in chapter 17, verse 14:

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.”

I can attest that in my life, pursuing peace in a relationship is more important than being proven right. Arguing a point that doesn’t really matter is like breaching a dam. Proverbs says that we should drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. In doing so, you might save yourself a major headache and you might even save a friendship. If you find yourself arguing with your friends, family or significant other over things that really don’t matter, consider if being right is really more important than maintaining peace. Because if you start a quarrel, before long, you may find yourself in the middle of a heated dispute where words can be said and feelings can be hurt just because you’ve opened the floodgates to needless contention.

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Often times quarreling can be avoided. And more often than not, there is no benefit to starting an argument or pushing someone’s buttons. Needless arguments only lead to anger, pain and sometimes, regret. If you have a problem in this area, it may take an added level of self-control, patience and maybe even a bit of understanding to stop a quarrel before it starts. It is worth praying that the Holy Spirit help you to guard your tongue. Because even though we can say something, it doesn’t mean that we always should. Our words can be a weapon, so you might want to be careful who they are aimed at. So why don’t we take this proverb to heart? “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” I think that is good advice.