Albert (my hubby) grew up on a farm with
only one field between him and the one room grade school he attended. The benefits were hot lunches and short walk
to school, but the negatives were no snow days and being the only grade 8
student. Anyway, before he started
school (grade one in those days) he ran through the field with his little tool
box one day to bring home a prize.
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| This before a holy God... |
In those days, most county kids rode
their bikes to school; a few bikes which had colourful tassels that captivated
him, coming out of the handle bars. So Albert
took his little saw and cut those tassels off, then dodged through the field to
get home without getting caught. He hid
those tassels under his bed but unfortunately didn’t realize the evidence he
left behind- his little saw.
The teacher dealt with it, Mom dealt
with it, I’m sure his brother gave him grief, but none of those were as bad as
waiting for Dad to get home from work.
Sure enough, Dad didn’t speak much, but the spanking he received put a
little more fear in him for breaking rules.
And he didn’t get to keep the tassels…
Who is the man who
fears the LORD? God will teach (direct, show, instruct) him the path he should
choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and
his seed shall inherit the earth. Ps. 25:12 ISV, 13 MKJV
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that
cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear*, for also, "Our God is
a consuming fire." Hb. 12:28 ,29
(*caution, dread)
Fear isn’t always a bad thing. To fear not only means to be afraid but to
reverence. In Albert’s case, it was both
respect and afraid to do wrong with his Dad.
Somehow I think today we try to revere God, but fail to be afraid to do
wrong. “Oh, God will forgive me…” God is a holy God (1Sm. 2:2) and one day judgment
will fall, either here on earth in the form of natural consequences to our
choices (ex. fornication-pregnancy) by God- on the Judgment Seat (2Cr. 5:10) or
the Great White Throne (Rv. 20:11-15).
…all shall stand
before the judgment seat of Christ. …each one of us will give account
concerning himself to God. Rm. 14:10,12
…every idle word,
whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.
Mt. 12:36
For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the
things done through the body, according
to that which he has done, whether good
or bad. 2Cr. 5:10
each one's work
shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try each one's work as
to what kind it is. … If anyone's work shall be burned up, he shall suffer
loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by fire. 1Cr. 3:13 ,15
In Rv. 20:11-15,
those who are unsaved (not true Christians) are judged.
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| Or this... |
June Cleaver and many other tv parents
used the line often, “wait til your Father gets home” as a threat to curb bad
behaviour. In our case, it’s “wait til
you stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
What if we lived our lives thinking ‘would Jesus approve of me doing
this’ before we did something? I’m sure He wouldn’t approve of where my thoughts go sometimes. And idle words… How much will I have to account for? How much of what I did will be burned up as
worthless?
At the very least I should treat
God with great respect but also consider that sin is judged and do what I can
to become or remain pure.
And everyone who has this hope on him purifies
himself,
even as that One
is pure.
1Jh. 3:3