How do I fearfully worship the Lord???

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael Vernon McEntire on January 11, 2011 at 10:27am

Wicus, your attitude of reverence toward the LORD is right.  You don't need to be afraid.  "Perfect Love casts out fear."  Enjoy his Perfect Love, brother.  The unrepentant should be very afraid.  Reverence is for true believers who have become children of God.  Disobedient children who won't humbly tell Abba that they are sorry should be afraid, but obedient or penitent children can't snuggle-up in Abba's arms if they're afraid of him.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carla on January 11, 2011 at 1:24pm

Hi Wicus,

 

The Reverence is like an Awe..  Even though there is so much we don't understand...we know He is Awesome....He is worthy of all our worship, allegiance...all that you are and all that you have is for Him and goes back to Him.

God does not want us to be afraid of Him, that would be contrary to all that He has revealed to us through Christ Jesus our Lord and Master..

 

Blessings. Carla 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Martha on January 12, 2011 at 10:06pm

God is our Abba Father (Daddy) but He is also Almighty God. It is rightly said that we shouldn't "fear" Him but rather reverence and be in awe of Him. After all, He made everything and controls everything. That warrants supreme awe and amazement on my part. But His LOVE and GRACE and MERCY; now that draws me to His Father Heart and loving arms. Like looking at the cosmos: awe, reverence, wonder! And then looking at a baby in their parents loving arms: tenderness, gentleness, protection. It is a contrast but all a part of the many facets of Almighty Father God. YHWH

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by lazurm on January 12, 2011 at 11:41pm

I think you may be taking the expression "He's a God fearing man" a bit too seriously. But, if you'd rather identify with it, you can just start focusing on your fear of God not being in your life, thinking that you'd be setting yourself up for something to actually fear, thereby. I don't see how you'll feel much better that way, but who am I to understand the many facets of irony, eh?! :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carla on January 13, 2011 at 6:54am

Hi Lazurm,

 

Do you mind explaining your comment..  It sounds like you might be saying something like this:

if a person fears God and focuses on that fear they are worse off...they would feel worse not better.

Also, what do you mean by 'irony'?

 

Blessings, Carla

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by lazurm on January 13, 2011 at 7:02am

Hi Carla,

I noticed, by his words, that Mr. Reed's only association with fear and God is his idea of losing God in his life. So, I simply encouraged him to focus more on that and, thereby, establish more of the fear he seems to value. I suppose I was being somewhat joking in my advice. My advice had some irony in it because the logic was: to Love God means not to fear Him. To lose God is fearful. I need to fear God (as in "being God fearing"). Therefore, if I fear His loss, I am God fearing.

It's desperate but workable in an ironic way, sorta. It's also funny, by some perspectives (mine).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carla on January 13, 2011 at 7:32am

Hi Lazurm,

 

It sounds a bit like overthinking...   :-)

 

To lose God would be fearful.  However, it has to do deeper than that because God has told us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5)

 

Look at this scripture: 

Deuteronomy 10:12 (NAS)

12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

 

The question becomes---How can you Love Someone and be afraid of them?  Do you see how this is faulty? 

I suppose a person may think it is ironic to love someone and fear them at the same time.  But this fear is not to be afraid..  This fear is a Reverence for who He is.  God is perfect.  God is Holy.  God hates sin--He cannot look upon it.  this causes a problem for us, because all we have ever done is sin.  Also, God is the judge.  How can we stand before Him in Love, knowing we have sinned against the only true God who is Holy Holy Holy.... the answer is found in Jesus Christ. 

 

I think this has to go deeper than just fearing His loss in order to be God fearing.  Because Scripture tells us that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38) (John 10:28,29).  God does not want us to fear that we will loose Him, rather, He wants us to be assured of our Salvation;

1 John 5:11-13

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

So to fear Him means something much deeper than that..  I understand it to be an Awe...  since God is perfect and Holy, and cannot look upon sin, He is also judge..He is Creator, He has always been and He always will be.  I am in Awe of this.  I also love Him because of what He has done for me, so that I may be made right in His sight.  He took the payment on our behalf...he paid our debt for sin (which is death). 

Rom 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is God telling you as you pray to Him for understanding? 

Jesus died to pay for our sin.  The wages had to be paid according to God's perfect, Holy nature--and to satisfy His wrath and Judgement upon sin. 

 

There is a song:

Jesus paid it all

all to Him I owe

my sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

 

Pro 9:10

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.

Blessings, Carla

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by lazurm on January 13, 2011 at 7:38am

Well, Carla, it WAS overthinking. I guess I was trying to view the humorous, ironic notion of his quest and question. I was replying in a comically light way and my message was really, you don't have to fear after all. But your answer was interesting and, well, very much overthunked (to coin a newly invented word).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carla on January 13, 2011 at 8:06am

Lazurm,

 

Are overthinking and depth the same thing? :-)

• ▶ Reply