How Would You Feel

One of the things I want to ask, may appear a bit as a guilt trip. I don't mean it like that, I'm just not sure how to ask it without that appearance. The question is one that reveals much and whose answer can cast a long shadow on the person. Since it's a process related question it will be fragmented and various parts of the question may or may not apply to you. In consideration of the answer, I want you to feel that I'm encouraging you only to do, what God desires you to do; which is know HIM.

How would you feel if Christ returned and you have never attempted to read the whole Bible?

How would you feel if you had all these years so far to learn about him and never took that as a challenge?

How do you think your husband would feel if he returned after a long trip and there was a stack of unread letters that he'd sent you?

I'm convicted and have been encouraged that a reading of the entire Bible, no matter how arduous, is necessary. Because fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Knowledge to be specific, of him.

It's obvious that we're trapped in this world and we surround ourselves with things that take our eyes off of our heavenly father. In my case it's music...I tend to get wrapped up in the creation or performance of music, or wasting countless hours on the internet. Go read my loyalty post...yikes! But I've been challenged, and praise God he's given me the faith to undertake a reading of the entire Bible. And for the first time in my spiritual life, it's easier to list the books I haven't read yet, than the ones I have.

My knowledge of God has increased dramatically and this has done one of many things...helped me to KNOW GOD. If I know God then I can easily see how he's in my everyday life, rather than have to convince myself that he is. If you have to convince yourself that God is in your life because you don't see the evidence of him, that is likely because you don't know him fully. He wants you to know him fully.

I want to encourage you that the most important thing you can do with your life is SERVE GOD...and at that, it should be your first priority and the capstone from which all things flow.

FROM THE BEREAN WEBSITE:

Romans 3:18 (18) " There is no fear of God before their eyes." Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Why are people lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (II Timothy 3:4)? Why are people so indifferent to the state of their spiritual well-being? Why has the Bible been relegated to little more than a coffee table display? Why are people so defiant toward heaven and so little concerned about sin? Romans 3:18, following a long list of sins prominent among men, says in summation, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Do today's churches of this world teach the fear of God, or has their teaching turned Him into a divine, snugly teddy bear, a benign but doddering grandfather, or maybe an absentee landlord busy doing other things? God's Word says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7), adding later, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). These two verses, even without any other confirmation, reveal that the fear of God is very important, yet so frequently the ministry of this world tries to blunt the force of the word "fear." Nevertheless, it means in Hebrew exactly what it means in English, encompassing everything from a faint but grudging respect to outright terror. However, neither outright terror nor faint respect produce a good relationship. Neither will win another's heart. God wants more from us, more than a mere healthy respect. He wants us to have a deep, abiding, and reverential awe for Him. Being all-powerful, holy, just, good, kind, careful, encouraging, inspiring, merciful, patient, loving, forgiving, and wise, He is far more than One we should simply respect. Americans, especially, have been taught to be familiar and casual in our attitudes toward others, and this carries over into our attitude toward and relationship with God. It is a form of the "I'm just as good as you, and you will just have to accept me just as I am" approach. A disrespectful and sometimes even defiant attitude is born. But what is the Bible's counsel? Paul tells us that even among ourselves, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Philippians 2:3). What about familiarity with God? Peter tells us to honor all people, love the brotherhood, and honor the king—but we are to fear God (I Peter 2:17). Do we hear much teaching that will incline us to revere God's majesty? Do we unconsciously think that the fear of God is something only the unconverted need? Since Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," and since wisdom in its simplest form is skill or right application, who needs wisdom more than God's children? Reverential awe is wisdom's foundation, because it moves us to obedience, and God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out you ownsalvation with fear and trembling." We need this quality more than anybody does because our eternal life is on the line. It used to be that someone known to believe in God was referred to as "God-fearing." This was obvious to others because they knew the person obeyed God and were very concerned about what God said. It marked their relationship with God and set them apart from others. Fearing not only makes a great witness before others, it also pays great dividends, as Psalm 103:13shows. "As a father pities His children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him." We all want God to be compassionate toward us. In I Peter 2:21, the apostle instructs us to follow Christ's steps, suggesting that He is the model after whom we must pattern our lives. Did He fear God? "[Jesus], in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear" (Hebrews 5:7). Notice especially the link connecting His being saved from death and being heard because He feared. Christ acknowledged God's sovereignty through a deeply held reverential awe, showing that answered prayer, eternal life, and the fear of God are intertwined. This is true because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is right application, and right application is obedience. Jesus Christ obeyed God perfectly. His fear was not an occasional burst of deep respect—as ours so often is—but sustained and built throughout His entire life. It had to be this way because His trials intensified as He aged, and His need of godly fear became ever more urgent.