Holiness

We are called to revere a holy God and fear Him only. In our culture, we either see God as a distant absentee landlord or think of him as a Santa clause who can’t wait to shower his prince and princesses with everything they desire!! Both of those perceptions don’t line up with the truth of the Bible describing him as a holy, loving, and mighty God! He is an all-present God who loves people and has great expectations of those who call Him Lord.

 God is the preserver

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:18-19

The Lord keeps His eyes on those who fear him. Isn’t that awesome!? In a world that people go to great lengths to get the attention of others and keep people’s eyes on them, we can have the eyes of our creator on us all the time. God loves those who fear Him, and he pays special attention to them. He knows that we choose to live life vulnerable and without self-preservation. We resolve not to hurt our enemies or gossip about them because we fear and love God. We choose not to lie or steal to make provision for ourselves. Unless the Lord preserves us and provides for us, we will have no protection or provision in times of difficulty or famine in our lives!!

Joseph is a great example of a man who feared God, and when he had the opportunity, he didn’t sin against His God!! While he went through years of difficulty, God’s eyes were on this man. God’s favor was on him everywhere he was sent and finally in the time of famine, he became the resource/answer through the Lord for saving many lives including his own family!!!

Fear of God is foundational to wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. Psalm 111:10

Wisdom is having good sense and discernment to navigate through life, making Godly decisions, and getting along well with other people. The fear of God gives us the open door to walk through wisdom and learn to become a skilled, wise person. If we don’t fear God, our decisions are based on trial and error rather than keeping in mind God’s boundaries in our lives. The fear of God gives us the caution not to get ourselves involved needlessly in things that could cause problems in our lives. It keeps our path clear and narrow.

Just as we desire for our children to be successful in life and make good, Godly decisions, so our heavenly father desires for us to have a successful life in Him. We can pursue this by following His commandments and taking them seriously.

He is the final judge of our eternal state

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

The Lord is ultimately the only one we need to fear. He is the one who has the power to choose where we will spend our eternity. In light of that, we shouldn’t fear anything or anyone else because He is the one who holds our lives and our eternity in His hands!! We still honor and respect people, but there is no need to fear them.

Christian history is filled with stories of persecuted and martyred believers for the sake of Christ. They understood and lived the above truth very well. Most of us will never be faced with that type of opposition, but we are called just as Jeremiah was: “Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:8

Holiness is the fruit of fearing God

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2Corinthians 7:1

The Lord, through His love covenant gives us many promises. In order for us to enjoy the benefits of our relationship with the Lord, we need continually be motivated to keep ourselves from corruption, and seek His holiness in our lives. That means we don’t justify our actions, make excuses for them, or think because God loves me so much, he’ll look the other way. As the scripture tells us; “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” 2Peter 1:3a  We have no excuse before a holy God not to pursue a pure and holy life!!

We live in a culture that trains people in self-esteem and confidence. However, the only true esteem and confidence is established on our relationship with a holy God. Everything else is paper-thin and has no substance to hold up under pressure or conflict. Fear of God develops a true confidence in the one who is worthy, and He esteems us because we are rightly and closely connected to Him!! Thank you Lord!!

It is a blessing to fear God!! Please examine yourself in the light of above scriptures and see if you truly have reverence and a healthy fear of God in your life.