Fear

READ: Proverbs 1

"The fear of the Lord brings wisdom..."

THINK: I am convinced that the majority of our problems with sin, with people, with ourselves, is that we devalue "the fear of God" and we overvalue our next breath. We focus more on our feelings, our desires, and our future, while forgetting Who owns the next breath we breathe. Christians have presented God as loving, kind, patient, full of grace, and forgiving... All true. But look at any character in the Bible who came face-to-face (or even close to it) in the Old Testament AND New Testament, and here is a common theme... FEAR. Not the kind of fear like "God is awesome and unimaginable but He loves you and won't hurt you" fear. But a crippling, blinding, mess your pants fear... The kind of fear that makes you fall to your knees because you are going to die.

Think about this... You want wisdom? Do you want to be considered "wise" or "foolish"? Well if you want to be foolish, then chances are you will probably understand the fear of God at the worst possible moment and probably too late to do anything about it. But if you want to be wise, then maybe it's time to imagine what God is really like. So take a deep breath... Because it may be your last.

DO: Stop what you are doing... Turn off the music... Shut off the TV... Get out your Bible and read Revelations 4-5. Imagine what John is describing... That is the very God who holds your every breath, every heartbeat in His hands.