STUDY II. THE FEAR OF GOD

  

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your entire time on earth as “foreigners in the land.” 1Pet 1:17

The apostle Peter tells us that our time on earth must be lived in reverent fear of God for God show no partiality. God does not His children to go astray because He is just. If a non-beliveer dies and his mouth was full of lies, and another child of God dies but has spoken lies which He Never repented of, do you think that God would send one liar to hell and the other to heaven simply because one went to church and the other didn't? God would be unjust to do so .

Peter tells the brethren that 

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2Pet 3:9. He is writing to believers telling believers to repent.

The last message of Jesus to the church in revelation 2&3 is for the church to repent. 

Paul says that But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1Cor 11:32

The discipline God gives His children is so that they may repent and walk in holiness and stop sinning.

God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Heb 12:10b-11

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Heb 12:14

God wants His children to walk in righteousness and holiness and that is why He disciplines us when we leave the life of holiness and righteousness.

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 2Cor 7:1-2

The only way we can become truly holy from inside is when we walk in the fear of God. The evidence that we are in this path is that we will wrong no one intentionally. We will not seek to corrupt anyone and we will never use our position or authority to take advantage of anyone.

The reason you wrong others and don't think it's a big deal is because you don't fear God. The reason you encourage others to compromise or force them to compromise for them to get a favour from you, it maybe to get money or sex, it's because you don't fear God. The reason you take advantage of those under you or the weak, and swindle them their labour, it's because you don't fear God. 

It's unfortunate today that even majority of preachers have no fear of God in their hearts. They use their position to take advantage of their members to enrich themselves or force submission, threaten curses to those who leave their churches and so on...

If those leading have no fear of God, how can those following have the fear of God. You cannot give what you don't have. 

The time we are living on earth, we must live in reverent fear of God.

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 2Pet 3:11

Jesus told His disciples, not unbelievers, but those who left everything to follow Him, 

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. Luk 12:5-6

“It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. Isaiah 8:13

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@Blessed Mshindi Mambo