Awe and Obedience
If your
life is filled with self-gratification, fear of man, condemnation and pride,
then these, and things related to these will fill your mind and be your
greatest concerns.
From this
passage, we know just a few things about Cornelius, but it is enough. He experiences an unusual vision, and though
he is afraid at first, he receives instructions and proceeds to obey.
Most of us will say that we want to
obey God, but in our weakness, in our “passions of the moment”, or in our
discouragement, or our fleeting “feelings”, we sometimes stray from what we
know to be a good and right response:
obedience.
A healthy fear of God combined with
a desire to know and fellowship with God, leads to obedience. But how do we foster a good growth of a
healthy ‘fear of offending God’? How do
we nurture a desire to really know God better?
The more you know another human
being, the more you will know both their strengths and weaknesses. Depending on what you do with these, you may
begin to care more deeply for the person, or you may grow to dislike them. The outcome ironically, will not be based so
much on what the other person is really like, as on how you choose to think
about the things you perceive. If your
information is filtered through the “truth sieve” of grace (both toward
yourself and toward others) in the midst of God’s creation, you will probably
love that person more than before.
How much more might we appreciate
the comfort of God if we call on the Holy Spirit to help us!? How much more might we grow into love with
Jesus if we take the time to get to know Him and his character better!? And the Father—how much greater our awe will
be if we begin to understand more of what He is like, what He has done, what He
is doing. If our sense of appreciation, grace, awe and trust in what He has intended, can all grow, then our
desire and ability to respond appropriately will increase as well.
There are at least three things we
can do to foster this good growth. Like
Cornelius:
- Become better acquainted with God’s power and
intolerance of sin
- Become better acquainted with God’s character and
nature
- Spend time in prayer, praise, and silence with God.
Read and Pray: Psalm 5, Romans 11:33-36,
Colossians 1:15-23
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