Original: 11/26/02
"Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the LORD , and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage, and may the LORD be with those who do well."
2 Chronicles 19:11
It took four weeks in a hinge-cast on my left elbow (86), a hairline fracture of the Fibula bone in my leg (86), torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (85), severe second degree (third degree is paralysis) C5/C6 nerve damage in my neck (87), and a near death experience due to an anesthesia overdose during one of two knee surgeries in 1985 to bring me back to God.
Like a Pavlovian dog I get a little nervous whenever I am injured, which is far too often, “Is that you God or just me being dumb again?”
Shanna would say that lately it’s just me being dumb again! She is right.
Do I fear God’s potential to go to the extreme to reach His children? Heck yes, I do!
Do you have a healthy fear towards God? Does the knowledge of Who you serve bring fear and trembling into your soul? If not, it should. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
At this point you may be questioning my theology, and that is completely okay. You should. Even now you may be quoting scriptures against my statements. Let me help you. How about, “Perfect love casts out all fear (1John 4:18)”. But doesn’t love that is perfect also call us out on our fear in order to respond with acts of courage. Didn’t Jesus do that in Matthew 19:21, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
To love God is to fear Him but, the fear is not in condemnation (Romans 8:1) but in disappointing Him. The fear of disappointing our King (because we love him) should motivate a man to act. Don’t you agree? It has nothing to do with the object of our love and everything to do with our passionate hope to meet all the expectations of the One we love. We fear God not because of what He can do to us, but for who He is in us.
I am faithful to Shanna out of my love for her and not my fear of her. However, fear of embarrassing or disappointing her inspires me to act on my life t build guard rails around my marriage
The judges were appointed by Jehosephat and commissioned to “fear the Lord” (7 and 9). Fear gets us off the couch and into action. To be commissioned by God to join in co-mission with Him. To fear God is to love God and to love God is to serve God. Jesus taught us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).” But a man’s heart has not fully embraced God’s kingdom until he acts on God’s will. God is with those who “do well” (11) with courage to do His bidding.
The implication here is that God is not with those who do not serve Him well. He is not with those that refuse His will because they have turned and ran from the very God who calls them out.
How could God be a part of a life that turns away from seeking His kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6: 33)? How can God be with those that do not do his will on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6: 10)? God partners with us when we partner courageously with His will. Subsequently, God let’s us go when we run cowardly away from His intentions. Cowardice has no place in God’s Kingdom. The turning from God in fear is the pursuit towards rebellion and sin. “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins (James 4:17).”
