Read through "The God Who Raises the Dead" and it made me think back to Darrell's sermon on the 1st commandment---how he calls us to ask ourselves tough questions---what gives us security and hope? What do we fear? The potential God substitutes we make for ourselves arise have their origins in the answers to those questions, DJ says. It's true---fear, fear of the loss of just about anything, haunts me at every step, and tries to rule every decision; heck, like NT says, I can't shed even told to. Why? The reading made me realize just how irrational every fear I have really is---God himself telling me not to be afraid, and I'm still worried about how that last test went? God, who created all that's around me, who's conquered death itself, who's freed ME from eternal death?
God's made his offer of freedom: and every day, I struggle with even remembering that it's there. Lord willing, I pray that faith will win out and allow me to take it. Take it and let it soak through and permeate the rest of my thinking, feeling, and worrying life.
It makes me think of Peter and the other Apostles when they are persecuted by the Sanhedrin. They are threatened with death and beaten, but they don't show fear; rather, they rejoice in the suffering! The Apostles know that whatever scary stuff comes their way, it's all subjugated by the power of God, who loves them and will not give them away to evil forces; he's already established as the one who raises the dead---"we can trust him with every lesser task that comes our way."
Indeed---trusting so that I may truly believe and be free. Makes me think:
"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
Thanks for your post Ben. Your final reference reminded me of a sermon/lecture I heard over 20 years ago at UC Davis from a religious studies professor named Lincoln Hurst. I remember vividly Professor Hurst saying that Romans 8:15 expresses the core of Paul's understanding of being filled with the spirit. Simply recognizing that we can have intimacy with God as His very sons and daughters is big time spirit-filled livin'. I'm persuaded that God wants us to pause when we read "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." God is perhaps shouting "FEAR ME" because he wants us to take all that we fear (which is pretty much our whole selves - I believe that most of(nearly all)my activities are fear based/driven) and cast it upon Him so that His perfect love can drive that fear away and we can live free. Simply said, fear is a very major, fundamental spiritual problem. Glad God is working in you and your mindset regarding fear. Here's a bit from Revelation 12 - I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
ReplyDeleteFear Not! not only the most frequent command in the scriptures from Genesis to the Revelation but also a great christian 80's youth group song! The word "fear" in the greek/hebrew carries the nuance of "Cause to run away". When we fear God speaks to us and says, "Fear Not" - "Don't run away" God says. But we run away in our fear and as we have been dicovering in the Revelation study is that we run into the arms of other lovers...NON-GODS. There is no nuetral act in worship. We are either running into the arms of YHWH or false idols! Our Father in heaven desires children...kingdom kids, not slaves, not robots, but kids who trust Him to take care of EVERYTHING so that they may play/dance/rest/labor with Him and Through Him!
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