I walked into Costco the other day and a fifteen-foot electronic witch assaulted me. Man, was it ugly! I guess if you’re going to buy scary witches in bulk, Costco is the place to go.
It’s funny because the witch isn’t meant to bring joy. People buy it in the hopes of scaring people. But who would be afraid of such a clearly fake thing other than a small child?
What a silly thing it is to fear a witch. What you should fear is the Lord. But what does that mean?
A healthy fear of the Lord means to walk in reverence of him and to be in awe of him.
Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Some think that to fear God means to walk around afraid, expecting him to strike you down at any moment. But a Christ follower doesn’t have to fear God’s wrath. Jesus took that upon himself, on the cross, in our place.
The Bible says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)
And “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:8-9)
Even though, as Christians, we don’t need to fear the wrath of God. We should have a healthy fear of the Lord’s discipline. Not to simplify it too much, but it’s like when you were a child and didn’t do something because you knew it was wrong, and your parents would discipline you when they found out.
The same goes for us. When we walk in the fear of the Lord, with reverence and awe, we begin to understand who he is. And therefore, we love to please him instead of walking in disobedience.
We begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates. In other words, we seek to please the Father and know that his discipline is done in love. It keeps us from living in rebellion against his word.
As the ancient proverb teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)
Not so with the unbeliever, the one who rejects Christ. Jesus said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” (Luke 12:5)
Those who do not have a relationship with Jesus should fear the wrath of God and eternal punishment. It is a very real thing, and it should cause everyone to tremble at his word.
But those who have a relationship with Jesus walk in the fear of the Lord as an act of worship. Always remembering who he is and striving to do things that please him.
Do you know why God doesn’t strike you down this very second? It’s because he’s being patient with you. He wants you to repent and receive his grace and forgiveness instead of his wrath.
The Bible says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
But his patience won’t last forever. Today is the day you should turn to Jesus and be saved.
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