3 Fs

~ Commands for Anxious Times ~       

Fear Not  ~  “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you. Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,’ says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:13-14).  ~  FEAR NOT is a word of pardon!

Fret Not  ~  “Fret not because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb” (Psalm 37:1-2).  ~  FRET NOT is a word of peace! 

Faint Not  ~  “Therefore we faint not. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).  ~  FAINT NOT is a word of power! 

summary:  Can you trust the details of your everyday life to the Creator who knows the number of hairs on your head? If you worry too much could it be a theological problem?  What do you think? Comments please!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Quote: Jim Elliot, 10

~ Fear Not ~ 

An Interesting Paradox…

The following is an excerpt from a book.

Interesting paradox.  A man who has made God his enemy, that man has a chance with God.  A man who admits that he has offended God and has terribly outraged His law, that man has an opportunity to lay hold of the compassion in the Godhead.  But conversely the man who refuses to admit his sin, the man who says everything is all right between him and God, the man who recognizes no breach of fellowship between his Creator and himself, that man never hears the word of Christ, “Fear not.”  

But let a man once confess that he is a sinner, that he is disobedient, that he is an unbeliever, and that man hears from Christ the word as Peter heard in great mercy, “Fear not.”  

Do you know, Jesus Christ showed Himself patient with Peter not only in his original call but also throughout his whole life.  Peter, though he showed signs and strokes of brilliance often—he showed in many cases that he had perception above others of the disciples—yet he blundered.  In those particular instances, where Jesus Christ singled out these three men to deal with them personally, even on those occasions Peter showed himself misunderstanding, proud, even foolish.

Remember the time when the Lord Jesus was transfigured.  The three fishermen, Peter, James, and John, were selected to behold the glory of the Lord.  They were taken up into a mountain by Christ Himself, and there they were sleeping.  As they were sleeping, all of a sudden there appeared to them two others with the Lord Jesus.  They were counseling with Him about His death that He should accomplish at Jerusalem.  Remember that as soon as Peter saw them, he blurted out right in the midst of that august company, because he recognized them as Elijah and Moses, “Lord, let us build here three little tabernacles.  Let’s keep this thing going, Lord.  This is too good to let go. Let’s build three tabernacles, one for You, one for Elijah, and one for Moses.  Let us set them up right here.  Let’s make this little mountain the throne room of the kingdom. Let’s establish the kingdom right here, in terms of three little tabernacles, Lord, You and these other great prophets.”

It was at that moment God Himself rebuked the apostle Peter, for the Scripture says a great cloud overshadowed them and the voice came from the most high, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”  The other two were blotted out, and with the cloud removed they saw no man save Jesus only.  Why?  Because God will not tolerate comparison with Christ.

~ from “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You, pgs 56-57  (ISBN: 9781615797646)

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Faith vs. Fear

~ A Matter of Trust ~   

Christianity has many paradoxes—dueling truths. Some find such a conflict in having faith in God while having a fear of God. The “fear” of God is better considered a reverence for Him, His majesty, and deserving of our respect and trust. “Faith” in relation to Christianity could be defined as “trust.” For example, you may have faith in someone you do not know. A person may purchase something over the phone from a person they’ve never met and have faith that they will do as promised. But can you really trust a person you do not know?

Trust is a relational term. This is one reason why those who do not have a loving earthly father may find it hard to trust a  heavenly Father. We fear a person or trust a person based largely upon what we have heard and believe about that person.

Example 1  ~  Consider the account we find in Numbers 13. Moses had sent twelve men to scout out Canaan (13:17-19). Ten of the twelve came back with a negative fearful report. The result was predictable. Most of the Israelites became fearful. Later in the account we find that Joshua and Caleb, the two scouts who trusted God in that same situation, were rewarded by God and entered into the promised land. This is a beautiful picture of Christians who have trusted God and will one day enter the promised eternal New Jerusalem.

God’s people are called to trust God with their everyday life and their future. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is rewards those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, I suggest you read the rest of Hebrews 11). 

Example 2  ~  Remember the account of the disciples out on the Sea of Galilee when the storm arose. “But He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:40-41).

the heart of the matter:  Bad things happen when there is a lack of trust. This all started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve did not trust God at His word. In this account we find Satan’s first lie to mankind. 

“And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:2-6).

application:  Are you fully trusting God and His Word? Are you fearful? If so, can you identify the area of your lack of trust? 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW