No question about it, my mind has lost its focus on the continuation of this topic. That new baby (our grandson born Mon.), and keeping my own family at our home on track, through this birth, the visit of another daughter and grand-girls (LOVE to have them!), and a relative’s funeral today (that car trouble on the way there prevented our family from attending) has got me a little off track the last couple of days. I have plenty more to say -as always, but no guarantees of a nice smooth continuation Hopefully I have laid the foundational understanding of the fear of the Lord – what it is and why it is so important to begin there with our children.
In beginning to build upon that, start by reading James 1:22-25:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
What we are looking at here is the idea that we began with in laying the fear of the Lord as the depths of our foundation. To fear God is really to trust His faithfulness. It is to believe Him, and act accordingly.
We are either Believers or Doubters. Either we know that God says what He means and means what He says, or else we doubt Him – “maybe not”. Maybe “I” can get away with it. “I” don’t have to obey.
When we say that we are Believers, then we believe what God says and act accordingly, because He says we will reap what we sow. And we believe Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. because without faith it is impossible to please him. Without belief it is impossible to please Him. If we think we can hear His Word and then not do it, we don’t really believe it. We don’t really believe Him. We have no faith.
We cannot be a believer without being a doer. If we are not a doer we are a hearer only and “forget” what manner of man we are. We forget we are sinners and deserving of the judgement of God. We forget that we will reap what we sow. We forget that God is not a man that He should lie. We do not believe God. We do not fear Him.
Perhaps this sounds negative, and a harsh thing to teach. But again this is not the end! But it is the foundation. We must know and teach that God is God and we are not. That He makes the rules and we are to follow them. Until our children see that they are in a sorry, helpless state, they will see no need for a Savior. As long as they think that if there is a God, He won’t hold them accountable, they will do as they please, then whine or blame others when they suffer the consequences of their actions. This is not harsh negativity. This is Truth, and as we build on it, they (and we) will see just how much we can trust God. How His unchanging faithfulness to His Nature, Name and Word is a glorious thing for us. Because He is also Love. His Love, He, is unchangable, unrelenting, unstopable. And everything He allows in our life, He has under control. Nothing catches God off guard. Nothing is unpreventable by Him. So we will be OK, because He is watching out for us. He died for us. Not because we are so good. Not becuase we deserve it. But because He is who HE IS -I AM!
He is God and I am not! A good life principle to believe.
