Hope and the Fear of the Lord By Paul Chappell Sunday, Jun 23, 2013 "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off." Proverbs 23:17-18 Many people lose their faith in God when they do not immediately see good rewarded and evil punished. · Instead of continuing to believe and fear Him, their hearts turn away from following God and seek satisfaction elsewhere. But even · If we do not quickly see what God has promised come to pass, it is still certain. o Think of Abraham who waited some twenty-five years for the birth of his promised son, Isaac. o Though there was a moment when his faith wavered with Hagar, he continued to believe until the promise was fulfilled. o Then after Isaac was born, God instructed Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. Rather than struggling against God’s direction, Abraham obeyed. · The level of his belief and fear of God commanded his obedience. · Though no one had ever been raised from the dead at that point, Abraham believed that if he did what God said, Isaac would not remain dead. · The Bible tells us that Abraham acted in faith, “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure” (Hebrews 11:19). We should demonstrate that same level of hope and fear in our obedience and consistency as believers. · Though hope and fear may seem like opposite traits, our belief that God will do what He promises is reinforced by our fear of His holiness and righteousness. · Thus, we can depend on His unchanging nature and unfailing love no matter what the circumstances may seem to be. · Therefore, we should never allow those who are doing evil and seem to be doing well to make us doubt the goodness of God—or His judgment of sin. Today’s Proverbs Precept: Knowing that you can completely rely on God for everything, He gives you the hope to continue fearing Him no matter what happens.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 18:01:03 +0000
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