~ Nehemiah Feared God
~
God
does not want His children living in fear.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”
(2 Peter 1:2-3). However,
God does want His children to have a proper respect and reverence for Him. We are told in many places in Scripture to “fear
God.”
This Week’s Passage ~ “Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor
in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of
King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s
provisions. But the former governors who
were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine,
besides forty shekels of silver. Yes,
even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Indeed, I also continued the work on this
wall, and we did not buy any
land. All my servants were gathered
there for the work” (Nehemiah 5:14-16).
Comment ~ The
fear of God causes careful attention to our daily actions.
Fearing God Results in Salvation
~ “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews
10:31). “A wise
person fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident”
(Proverbs 14:16).
This does not mean the Christian is to live a fearful life—but a life
which reverences God and seeks to do His will.
Fearing God Results in
Fearlessness ~ “The Lord
is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the strength of my life; of whom shall
I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). The answer is: only God. With the gift of salvation comes
responsibility.
Fearing God Results in Witnessing ~ “Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will
declare what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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