Fear God

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  (Matthew 10:28)

Thought For Today: 
One of the biggest reasons there is no transformation in people's lives is that they no longer fear God. You know, when I first got saved, they preached so much about hell that people said they were scaring people off. The word fear refers to respecting, reverencing, and honoring God. And that is true. But we also need to be afraid of God as well. We've made God out to be this loving, compassionate, forgiving everybody God, and no one fears Him anymore. We look any way we want to look, we do anything that makes us feel good, and then we approach God with our hand out. Many people no longer fear God. But I do. Did you know that Jesus preached and taught more about hell than He did heaven, so that you and I would understand the importance of needing to change?

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man aimed to inspire people to change their mindset and actions. People today are somewhat like Hezekiah, thinking they are alright and ready for heaven. Yet when God sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to set his house in order because he was going to die, Hezekiah suddenly feared God, turned his face to the wall, wept, and repented, praying for God's mercy and forgiveness. When the hand came out and wrote on the wall before king Belshazzar, he feared and quaked (See Daniel 5).  

Jesus said we need to fear him who can cast us into hell.  Fear is meant to keep you away from things that could hinder your transformation while also keeping you pure and holy for Christ. If you don't fear and respect God, you will never transform into His likeness.  As the writer of Hebrews admonishes, "It's a fear thing to fall into the falls of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).