Be Afraid part 5
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, right? Which means reverence of love is the beginning of knowing the truth. Because God is love. And the Father loving the Son (you) is the ultimate truth of the universe. But it's so easy to get caught up in other things that we seem to miss this truth completely. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says it like this, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Now THAT is something to fear. Don't fear God. Fear losing the simplicity that is in Christ. Fear being beguiled. Fear trying to earn something that can't be earned, and in that way rob yourself from the gift you've already been given. Fear looking for love in all the wrong places instead of going straight to the source. Look at Hebrews 4:16, "Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Simple, right? In order to find grace we approach the throne of grace. Where else could it possibly be found? Noah found it in the eyes of the Lord because he was looking God in the face. That's what happens when we look in the mirror with an unveiled face--with the veil, or the stone, of the Law rolled away. We don't see a sinner. We see the glory of God. And what we behold is what we become. So we are changed into that same image FROM glory TO glory. I say this all the time: If you believe in the idea of "a sinner saved by grace" then you need to understand that you are NOT a sinner anymore. If you've been saved by grace, then you've been transformed FROM sinner TO saint. And, by the way, that transformation took place 2,000 years ago on the cross when the body of sin was destroyed. When the Old Man died and the New Man came forth to walk in newness of life. When Jesus gave His life FOR us and gave His life TO us. When Jesus took up abode IN us. And if the perfect One lives inside you... that makes you perfect. If you have been born of God--and you have--then you CANNOT sin because His seed remains in you. And if you CANNOT sin... then what is there to be afraid of? If God will never leave you nor forsake you--if He moved into the neighborhood and is never moving out--then you don't ever need to be afraid. You don't need to be afraid OF Him, because He would literally rather die than be without you, and you don't need to be afraid of anything else either because He is your strong refuge. Jesus said it like this, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). You WILL go through things. We all do. That's part and parcel to life. In other words, life happens. But be of good cheer. Don't worry. Don't let your heart be troubled. Because Jesus gave us HIS peace. A peace that comes--not from overcoming but--from the truth that Jesus has ALREADY overcome. There is nothing left TO overcome. We aren't conquerors. We are MORE than conquerors through Him that loved us. HE finished the work and we get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. The fruit of the Spirit. Love. Knowing and believing that Jesus loves us is what allows US to love. To live!