I remember years ago, when I was old enough to sit in church without being right beside my parents, that sometimes the temptation to misbehave was more than I could bear. Maybe I was sitting with my sisters or with friends when a fit of laughter would overcome us, or we would pass those infamous notes back and forth between us. Suddenly I would hear it…the sound of a man clearing his throat. But this wasn't just any man. This was my dad, and that familiar clearing of his throat carried a clear message to me.
He was telling me that I better turn from my wicked ways, so to speak, and straighten up and listen to the preacher! If I didn't, I knew that I would answer to Dad when we got home. And that my accounting would not be pleasant was guaranteed!
Did I fear my dad? You bet I did in that moment! But it wasn't a fear born of any hatred from…or for…my dad. Instead, it was a fear that came from my dad's love for me, and my deep love and respect for him. He loved me enough to teach me to do right, even if it meant he had to discipline me when I disobeyed.
I have been studying through the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon spent much time pondering life's puzzling questions. There was so much he didn't understand about how the wicked seemed to prosper or how unfair life sometimes was.
But there was a truth that Solomon held onto by conviction and strong faith. He stated it in Ecclesiastes 8:12-13:
"Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God."
What does it mean for me to fear God? How does that look in my daily life?
I love what William Barrick says: "A true God-fearer lives with a full awareness of the omnipresence of the omniscient and omnipotent God. He or she goes through life more conscious of what God thinks or knows, rather than of what people might think or know."
We are bombarded today with what many people think or know…or think they know, as is often the case.
Sometimes the pressure to conform to our culture is strong, and at other times it's quietly insidious. I know some wonderful people who are living lifestyles that are directly opposed to what God says. It's easy to condone them because I love them, or I am drawn in by their sincerity and kindness.
But I, as a follower of Christ, must be conscious of what God thinks…of what He clearly says in scripture as to what is right or wrong.
Peer pressure is as sharp in my life today as it was when I was a teenager. I don't want to appear mean in any way. And I shouldn't be.
But sometimes today we are told we are hateful if we don't fully embrace lifestyles or actions that God clearly defines as sin. Yet God says that those who do live in sin are living that way because they do not fear God.
I believe this is what it means to "fear God openly." It means to stand strong for truth…GOD'S truth…even if all around us are those who do otherwise. We stand for God because we fear Him out of our love and respect for Him.
But more importantly, because of His great and eternal love for us who are His children.
Sometimes I think of God clearing His throat when I start misbehaving…when I stray into thoughts or activities that He knows are wrong. I need to straighten up at His urging and turn from what He is telling me is wrong.
God loves me even more than my dad did all those years ago.
And that's a lot!
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