What or Whom Do We Fear?

“If you do well, will you not be accepted?…”

Genesis 4:7a NKJV

Have you ever looked at what you’ve done and felt like you didn’t measure up?  Truth is, we all have, ’cause truth is, we all don’t measure up…to God’s standards.  Thank the LORD for Jesus, Who bridged that gap between us and the Father, so we could be made right with Him! 

Last post, we looked at the above verse. 

If we look at Judges 13:22, we see that Manoah was, probably, focused on the holiness of God and the whole of his life decisions, as he realized he and his wife had come face to face with God!  That can be a pretty scary thought!  He said to his wife they, for sure, would die!  Is it good that he was aware of God’s presence and responded with fear and respect?  Absolutely!  We know in Exodus 33:20, the LORD said, “You are unable to see My face, for man does not see Me and live” (LSV).  Yet, sometimes we get so zoned in on His holiness and our sin, that we miss the previous verse (Exodus 33:19 LSV), “and He says, ‘I cause all My goodness to pass before your face, and have called concerning the Name of YHWH before you, and favored him whom I favor, and loved him whom I love.’ ” When we don’t look at the whole truth, we can believe a lie that the LORD, YHWH, doesn’t have the power to make His goodness pass before our face, be gracious to those He wants to be gracious to, and love those He, indeed, loves.

Take a look at Manoah’s wife’s reply.  I love it!  She heard her husband’s response, confirmed to him she was listening to what he said, yet drew his attention to the whole Truth.

“…If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”

Judges 13:23 NKJV

The fact was…their offerings weren’t commanded to be given; they gave them freely, from their hearts, out of a desire to communicate with the LORD, have a relationship with Him, show Him their thankfulness, honor, excitement, and, ultimately, please Him. The LORD was pleased with them; He accepted their offerings! So, why would He kill them?

If you take either of these thoughts and separate them, a lie could be bought.

1. “God is so holy (which is Truth), but I’m not (this is true, if we are separated from Christ, but not true, if we have accepted Him as our sin sacrifice and received the Father’s forgiveness); therefore, God would never love someone like me (not true).  Look what I’ve done (or not done)!”
2. “Look at everything I’ve done!  I have served well!  Look at my amazing faith!  It’s THAT kind of faith God wants, and He obviously has looked on me with favor and shared His insights with me (seated in pride)!”

Thankfully, we have a good example in Manoah’s wife of how to not look from a vantage point of comparison OR pride, but how to look at the whole and focus on Truth.

We aren’t intended to sit idly by, thinking we have a “free pass” because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We DO need to act!  This is obvious, if you’ve read previous posts about Manoah and his wife, yet what we need to remember is that it’s because of our ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ, that the Father is pleased with us, forgives us, and accepts us.  It’s because of what Jesus has done for us that we don’t sit idle, but want to actively show our gratitude and live for God.

So, where are you?

• Are you afraid the weight of what you’ve done exceeds the weight of His glory and holiness?  Do you feel you’re unforgivable OR maybe not worth much?
• Are you afraid you don’t measure up?  Are you measuring your worth by your actions (what you’ve done for or to yourself, other people, the church, or God Himself)?
• Are you living in confidence and looking at Jesus and His ultimate work, which proves the worth He sees in you?  Do you see unholy actions you’ve done as forgiven because of Christ’s sacrifice? Is what you do intended to thank and serve Him?  Do you see your value in Him and want to, therefore, physically, emotionally, and spiritually do what He created you to do?

Because of our faith in Jesus, which leads to our living out His character as a Light to others who live in fear, the Father shows us acceptance, forgiveness, and will show and tell us things that the Spirit of God, because of our faith in God, prepares us for.  Now, THAT’S a Show and Tell I get excited about…not one that showcases me, but what HE has done and is doing through me!