Growing in the steadfast love of God…

We often hear everyone say “Fear the Lord”! But what exactly do u mean by “fear” in this context??
Is it that u have to be scared of the Lord during each and every moment of our life??
Is it that he is going to strike us down with an axe or something when we do wrong??
Or is it that we should always tremble and shiver upon remembering that God will punish us???

Well, let’s think about it from a different perspective… There are certain curfews that I have kept for my kids which I didn’t want them to do… Irrespective of how much time I warn them not to do so, they always do it… And when they know that they have done what mamma has told them not to do, they get scared and tries to hide it, just like what Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden of Eden… It is because they know that they are going to be punished… And here comes the real question. When I come to know that they have done this, Do I doom them to hell?? Will I disown them?? Will I stop loving them from that moment??? It’s an absolute NO….

That is what it is with God as well… 1 John 4:18 says “perfect love expels all fears”..

The love that I have for my kids is nothing compared to what God has for me even though we take Mom’s love as the perfect definition of love… Will a God who loves us so much would ever want us destroyed over our sin?? Again it’s a No… Nevertheless, He would lovingly punish us, to tame us up to His perfection out of His outpouring love….

So fear is not that kind of feeling we have always believed about, rather it is a complimentary sentiment to that of Love… For if you love someone you should always have the fear not to let Him down no matter what…

by Geni Shavoz