Some boys were tempting a young lad to pull a prank with them. The three young men taunted the other lad: "Come on, do this with us. Nobody will find out." Finally, the boy mentioned his father. So they taunted him further. They said, "Oh, you're just afraid because if your father finds out he might hurt you!" And the boy looked back at the others and said, "No, I'm afraid if he finds out, it'll hurt him."
The more you fear God-the more you spend time in His presence-the more you dread displeasing Him. His presence in our lives shouldn't be a heavy yoke around our necks. But we need to have a healthy dread of displeasing or hurting or disappointing Him.
If you could stand before God today in His throne room and watch a video of your life with Him, would there be a smile on His face? Would He be nodding His head in approval, saying, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant?" Would you like to have the confidence right now that God is smiling? You can...by beginning to respect Him, to practice the presence of God daily and to make your choices on the basis of what pleases Him.
At any point of time during the day, I would like to be ready to be ushered into the presence of God and see a smile of approval on His face. I don't want Christianity to be a spare tire, fire insurance or something that is just there to bail me out of trouble. I want to walk with Jesus Christ moment by moment, yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.
The fear of the Lord, then, should be a powerful, motivating factor in our lives. We shouldn't be legalistic about it-viewing God with a giant flyswatter in the sky, ready to crush us when we displease Him.
Let this new concept of a healthy fear of God refresh you. Let the presence of God refurbish you. Practicing Christ's presence in your life will set you free.
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