HOLY IS THE LORD

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”   (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

The idea of holiness is so central to biblical teaching that it is said of God, “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:49). His name is holy because He is holy. He is not always treated with holy reverence. His name is tramped through the dirt of this world. It functions as a curse word, a platform for the obscene. That the world has little respect for God is vividly seen by the way the world regards His name. No honor. No reverence. No awe before Him. 

-- R.C. Sproul in “The Holiness of God”

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GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence]. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  (Psalm 103:11-12 AMP)

The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you; not that you can know God but that God already knows you! He tattooed your name on the palm of His hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave His mind, escape His sight, flee His thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise Him; He sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before His eyes and been calculated in His decision. He knows you better than you know you and He has reached His verdict: He loves you still. No discovery will disillusion Him; no rebellion will dissuade Him. He loves you with an everlasting love. 

-- Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”

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LOYALTY TO KING JESUS

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'" (John 18:37)

We have two kinds of kings in this world. The first is the parliamentary monarch, such as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. As the object of great reverence, she was encircled by grandeur and gilded with tradition. In terms of real power, however, she had little; her opinions were heard with politeness and patience, but her office was primarily ceremonial. The British prime minister holds the reins of government.

The other kind of king is the absolute monarch whose office is both ceremonially impressive and politically powerful. He is head of state, he leads the nation, and his authority is supreme.

Many Christians treat Jesus like a parliamentary king. Once a week -- if it's convenient! -- they hold court with Him and make Him the object of great reverence. He is heard with politeness and patience, but in terms of daily life He has little influence.

Our Lord is an absolute monarch. He would rather have one person who is 100 percent committed to Him than a hundred people who are 80% committed. John Wesley said, “if I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.”

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

-- Adapted from Robert J. Morgan in “He Shall Be Called”

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REVERENCE AND AWE

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

“Fear GOD.” Reverence might be a better word. Awe. The Bible isn’t interested in whether we believe in God or not. It assumes that everyone more or less does. What it is interested in is the response we have to Him: Will we let God be as He is, majestic and holy, vast and wondrous, or will we always be trying to whittle Him down to the size of our small minds, insist on confining Him within the boundaries we are comfortable with, refuse to think of Him other than in images that are convenient to our lifestyle? But then we are not dealing with the God of creation and the Christ of the cross [and the Spirit of Pentecost], but with a dime-store reproduction of something made in our image, usually for commercial reasons.

-- Eugene H. Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”

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WITH BOLD ASSURANCE

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”  (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

Prayer is our approach to God, and we are to come “boldly.” Some Christians approach God meekly with heads hung low, afraid to ask Him to meet their needs. Others pray flippantly, giving little thought to what they say. Come with reverence because He is your King. But also come with bold assurance because He is your [Loving Father], your Friend and Counselor. 

-- Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation

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HIS CALL IS TO FOLLOW

“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.  ‘Follow me’, He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9 NIV)

Unfortunately, many of us start [our faith] journey with enthusiasm but fail to sustain it. Our faith goes on cruise control as we start seeking comfort and not a calling. It doesn’t help that too often in our churches we pigeonhole Jesus safely behind the altar rails and communion tables of our tame religious traditions, teaching people to revere Jesus instead of following Jesus sacrificially every day in the trenches of life. Jesus’ call is not to revere; His call is to follow. When we do so, reverence will naturally result. 

-- Mike Slaughter in “Renegade Gospel: The Rebel Jesus”

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LETTING OUR COMMITMENTS GUIDE US

"It is the LORD your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him."  (Deuteronomy 13:4 NIV)

When I was a kid I loved playing with a little toy train on the carpet at my grandmother’s home. I would pretend that the patterns in the rug were the tracks. I knew that the train’s power came from the engine. So I would hold onto the engine and pull the multi-car train along the lines in the carpet. If I wanted to back up the train, I would hold onto the engine and push the cars backwards. The only problem was that the caboose kept going all over the place, like the tail of a dog.

Commitments are like the engine that pulls the train. Feelings are like the caboose that follows behind. If we let our commitments pull the train, the feelings will follow. However, If we let our feelings, rather than our commitments, guide us, we may soon be off track. We should never live by our feelings, but rather live by our commitments.

-- David T. Wilkinson


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REVERENCE, HONOR AND AWE

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.”  (Proverbs 14:26)

“The remarkable thing about fearing God,” said Oswald Chambers, “is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” In other words, when you give God the reverence, honor, and awe that He deserves as your First Love, then all of a sudden you realize that nobody -- and no circumstances -- can ultimately harm you. “The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?” asked King David. (Psalm 27:1) You’re reminded that God is in control and that your eternity is secure…

On the other hand, if you allow God to slip from preeminence in your life, you will find yourself afraid of every uncertain circumstance. Everything beyond your control will generate anxiety and fret within you. “When I set God at the center of my life I realize vast freedoms and surprising spontaneities,“ said Eugene Peterson. “When I center life in my own will, my freedom diminishes markedly. I live constricted and anxious.”

-- Leslie Strobel in Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage

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LET US WORSHIP AND ADORE HIM

The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture and not alone by their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Psalm 95:6) They did not come with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of His greatness and majesty, and came with a sense of privilege to His house.


-- H.H. Rowley in Worship in Ancient Israel




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A GOD OF MIRACLES

Mere weeks after the greatest failure of his life, a transformed Simon Peter assumes the stage in the middle of a bewildered Jerusalem crowd. Moments before, a man crippled from birth had leapt to his feet at a mere word from Peter: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6, NIV). A few simple words, and a beggar turns dancer. No wonder the crowd responds with amazement bordering on reverence toward Peter.

Peter wastes no time in setting the record straight He knows the healing had nothing to do with human words or abilities and everything to do with a crucified and resurrected Savior. Peter too had been crippled -- with fear, pride, and ignorance, three flaws that led to three denials when Jesus needed him most.

But God is a God of miracles, for beggars crippled from birth and for prideful disciples. Peter’s Savior, raised from the grave, offered Peter forgiveness, restoration, and a second chance either to deny or proclaim the good news. In that moment, Peter’s prior failure becomes a platform for triumph as he testifies boldly to the truth of the one true healer -- Jesus Christ.

-- Michele Cushatt, from The Upper Room Disciplines 2012: A Book of Daily Devotions. Copyright © 2011 by Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission.


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STANDING AMAZED AT GOD'S HOLINESS AND LOVE

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

What does it mean to "fear" God?  It certainly goes beyond simply being afraid of God.  It is a profound sense of reverential awe toward God.  But really it is even more than that.  The fear of God is better described than defined.  It is displayed in a person's character and conduct.  A person who fears God recognizes God's authority over every area of his life.  He has desire to obey God's clear commands in Scripture.  He recognizes his complete dependence upon God for everything he has and everything he is.  He approaches every aspect of life with an aim to glorify God …

If you want to fear God, you need to know Him.  Knowing Him requires a consistent, comprehensive study of God's Word.  As we regularly encounter God in His Word, and as the Holy Spirit works it into our lives, we see God's majesty and power, His holiness and wisdom, and His love expressed in His grace and mercy to us.  We come to admire His attributes and stand amazed at His Love. 

-- Nancy Guthrie in Holding on to Hope


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RESPONDING TO GOD'S SALVATION

Those who have received God’s great salvation and are now in the family of God must live their lives with an awesome [reverence for] God. After all God has done on our behalf, we must respond with complete submission to His will. We will, and must, always see as God sees. For God’s salvation came at a high price; it cost Him the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through the death and Resurrection of Christ we now have faith and hope in God. Since we have received such love, we must now fervently love all people for whom Christ died. For a Christian consciously to refuse to love the children of God for whom Christ died is to dishonor His death and ridicule His love. But when we walk in a loving relationship with God’s people, the testimony to the world is profound. John 13:35 says, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." 

-- Henry Blackaby and Melvin D. Blackaby in Experiencing God Together: God's Plan to Touch Your World

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THE FEAR THE LORD

We have no need to be afraid that God will do mean or destructive things. We do not need to be afraid that God's love is not fully trustworthy. Cold Comfort Farm, an English film, featured a sect called "the quivering brethren," who constantly shook from their fear of God. Their favorite hymn ended with the words, "The world will burn, but we will quiver."

When the Bible says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," it does not call us to be quivering brethren. One of C.S. Lewis's characters expresses fear at the prospect of meeting his Christ-figure, the great lion Aslan, and wonders if he is quite safe. "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he's not safe. But he's good."

This fear involves reverence and awe, a healthy recognition of who God is.

-- John Ortberg in If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat


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