THE FEAR OF GOD

If an alien from another planet (hypothetically speaking) were to visit our planet and returned to their home planet; how would they describe earth? What would capture their attention? I believe in one word they would say ANGER! Anger is manifested everywhere - home, school, on the job, toward our government, on our highways, in our stores; everywhere. 

I know anger is as old as man (Genesis 4:8) himself. Though anger has always been with us it seems to be escalating. People are killing each other over the most trivial things. The most obvious question is why. Secular psychologists suggest a variety of reasons.   

• Unstable home environment 

• Being abused 

• Poverty  

• Peer pressure 

• An absent father 

• 
  

The list goes on and on. While I do not discredit those facts, I believe there is one fact that many have not considered. The absence of a fear of God. More people are living as if there is no God, so what happens when the fear of God is missing? The fear of God is not completely understood by those outside of the church, but even some in the church. The fear of God is not a fear of being struck down by God when you sin, or of having the dread of hell hanging over your head, although that is a real fear for non-believers, but rather the fear of God is a deep, holy, reverential respect and awe for God, for God’s Word, and for obeying God’s commands. 

Believers don’t obey God out of fear, but out of love, however, fearing God is living in obedience. When sin increases, it’s because there’s no fear of God in the land, or in the people’s heart, and where there is no fear of God, there is no limit to the evil. If a people do not fear God, then anything goes.      The Apostle Paul described today in Romans 3:14-18 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” Their feet are swift to shed blood; in paths are ruin and misery and  the way of peace they have not known. 

As a Christ-follower, I firmly believe that God's Word was given to us to show us how we should live. When we disregard and disobey there is consequences. The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, said this. When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.  Ecclesiastes 8:11 People have spent most of their lives on death row awaiting execution. The result? No deterrence to evil.  

Now all has been heard;

    here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

    for this is the duty of all mankind.

Ecclesiastes 12:13