Scripture: 2nd Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
Thought for the Day: Ok…let’s just deal with the “fear” issue right here and right now. There are plenty of scriptures that speak of people fearing God. Many of those passages are found in the Old Testament, but there are some in the New Testament. Over and against those passages, we read in how the perfect love of Jesus casts out all fear. So are we to fear God or not? There are plenty of religions and traditions within Christianity that will give a hardy, “YES!” to that question. It sure appears as if Paul would agree, yet I would suggest that fear is probably not exactly what most of the writers of scripture were suggesting. In some passages, they are speaking about standing in the presence of God’s holiness and grandeur. Is it fear…maybe, but I think it is something more like breath-taking, knee weakening awe. It is the moment where you realize who you are as compared to the One who formed all of creation. If it is a competition or comparison, then we should be afraid. But it is not. It is a moment of enlightenment where the genuine care and love of God is made real for us, and in that moment, the response is that breath-taking, knee weakening awe. Do I believe we are to fear God in the sense of being terrified. NO! I believe that kind of fear before God is in fact detrimental to a healthy and life-giving relationship with God. Am I in awe of God to the point that it, on occasion, boarders on fear? Maybe. But it is not fear that God will strike me with a lightening bolt. It is more of that emotion a person feels when s/he stand with his/her toes curled over the edge of the Grand Canyon.
Prayer: As I stand before your gift of grace, O Lord, I am in awe. Your breath-taking love has my knees shaking. Thank you for such a wonderful gift. Amen.
WE STILL NEED
A FEW MORE CHILI COOK-OFF
CONTESTANTS
