Wait on God

Isaiah 64:4

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.


Good morning ladies,

Yesterday at church we sang Chris Tomplin's song "Everlasting God." Most of you probably know it, but just in case the title is not familiar the words, Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord" reference one of my favorite passages in Isaiah:

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

But do we really wait upon the Lord? Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about that.

The other morning I was eating breakfast. Joshua and Abigail, my beggar dogs, had joined me. They were sitting, one on each side, waiting for their share of my Raisin Bran.

Since I do this every morning they had every reason to expect that I would give them a flake or two. But after a very short time of waiting Abigail got impatient and started sniffing the floor.

She had decided I was too slow in producing the desired flake so she went to look elsewhere.

I immediately recognized myself.

I ask God for something, and I wait for a while, but if He doesn't produce it within a reasonable amount of time I go get it for myself.

Of course I still give God the credit, but deep down I know I manipulated the situation.

That's how I got huskies and a bunch of other things that have caused me grief. None of which would have happened if I had just waited on God

In this society of fast food, fast cars, and fast Internet we really don't like to wait, but we will never know what God had planned to give us unless we do.

Love,
Jill

Looking Odd

Deuteronomy 12:4

You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.

Good morning Zebras,

I prayed that you would wake up this morning thinking about how much God loves you and I hope you did. But if you didn’t, it isn’t too late. God does love you, He made you, He saved you and He called you to be His own. How much more proof do we need?

In Bible study we are finishing our study on Joshua where we have had the opportunity not only to look at the faithfulness of God as He fulfilled EVERY promise He made to the Israelite, but also at the commands He gave them on how to live in the Promised Land.

And although I have read Deuteronomy numerous times I never noticed today’s verse before. Look at what Moses is telling them: do not worship YOUR God THEIR way.

Isn’t that what we have done?

I don’t know how many of you remember the excitement that came when you were first saved. Personally I couldn’t stop talking about it. I was bold beyond bold. But slowly that changed. Why?

I think part of the reason was I got subtle and not so subtle hints that I had gone way overboard. I mean worshiping God is fine, but don’t get carried away with it.

But is that what the Bible teaches?

No.

The Bible teaches us to boast upon the Lord, to dance, to sing praises to God, to be joyful always, and to rejoice,

But in our world that looks odd. But why do we care?

David didn’t. Remember that great scene out of 2Samuel 6 where David, the king of Israel, danced before the Lord. Remember what he said when his wife rebuked him?

If not I suggest you look it up and read it for yourself. And when you do, remember David is the only person in the entire Bible referred to “as a man after God’s own heart.”

So dance little Zebras, dance.

Love,
Jill

Changes

Act 26:19

"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

Good morning ladies,

Those of you who only read this on the internet are probably not aware that about two weeks ago my computer crashed. According to the young man who tried to fix it my hard drive “fractured.”

Because of that I lost all my files including everyone’s e-mail address so I have not been able to send out my morning z-mail to my friends and the ladies from my church.

I post on the blog by using my daughter’s computer while she is at school. And although not everyone is happy with the change, I think this is the way God wants it.

Only one time in my life have I felt the need to fall flat on my face during prayer and that was when God called me into women’s ministry. My original prayer was for the women at my church, but God said that vision was too small. Then I prayed for the woman at a neighboring church and again He said it was too small. It wasn’t until I prayed for all of God’s women that I felt Him say “Now you’ve got it.”

I know what it is like to be an odd ball for Christ, to be consumed with the desire to know Him. To watch things that used to matter fade away in light of knowing Him and wonder if you are losing your mind. And I know it can be lonely.

That’s why God had me start Zebras. He wanted all of you who have the same desire to know Him to know that you are not alone and you are not crazy. God wants us to know Him, love Him and serve Him and He wants that to be the driving force of our life.

He wants us to get past ourselves and start looking at Him and He wants us to learn to get along. He wants us to support each other, encourage each other and He wants us to grow in our faith.

To quote Tozer: “Are you contented with the nominal Christianity? If you are, I’ve nothing for you. Are you contented with popular Christianity that runs on the authority and popularity of big shots? If you are, I’ve got nothing for you. Are you content with elementary Christianity? If you are, all I’ve got for you is to exhort you earnestly to press on toward perfection. But if you’re not satisfied with nominal Christianity, with popular Christianity and the first beginnings of things and you want to know the Triune God for yourself, read on.”

Love,
Jill

Man vs Ant

Isaiah 55:8-9:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Good morning ladies,

If you haven’t been following along I have been on a personal pursuit to understand what it means to fear the Lord.

One of the aspects of fearing God is getting the right perspective on who He is.

We often use comparisons and word pictures to help us understand God and our relationship to Him. One common comparison is that the difference between us and God is like the difference between an ant and a man.

I’ve learned the difference between man and God is even greater.

The difference between an ant and man is finite, it can be measured, but the difference between us and God is infinite, because God is infinite, and therefore beyond measure.

But what does it mean to be infinite?

Infinite is defined as: having no boundaries or limits; immeasurably great or large; boundless and endless; inexhaustible and subject to no outside limitation.

Therefore when it is applied to God it means there is no limit to His power, knowledge or love. It means there is nothing that is too hard for Him to do, no one who is beyond His reach. It means that no matter how great we think God is He is actually greater. It means no matter how much we think He loves us He loves us more. And it means that we cannot understand with our limited minds the majesty and splendor that is God.

Thinking this way may, as Tozer said, give you a “charley horse in your head” but I think you will find it is well worth it.

Love,
Jill

Honoring God

Matthew 15:7-9

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you.” “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain their teachings are but rules taught by men."

Good morning ladies,

Sunday Gary and I had to run some errands so we left Katherine and Nick home by themselves.
As we were walking out the door Nick asked what he should do while we were gone.

I told him to bring us honor.

“Exactly what does that mean?” he asked.

“Do what you are supposed to do and don’t do what you aren’t.”

“Oh… "

Finally Gary jumped in. “Do your homework and don’t play video games all afternoon."

Then he got it.

But did he really? Did he understand that every decision he made while we were gone should be evaluated in the light of: “Will this bring honor to my parents?”

Some people want to reduced the Christian faith to a “to do” list. If you do these things and don’t do these things you are a “good Christian.” But it is so much more than that.

God has commanded that we honor him with our body.

And when you really think about “bringing honor” to someone, it is not limited to a few specific actions. It is a mindset that involves everything you do.

God does not want our lips or our actions if our hearts are not attached.

Part of learning to fear the Lord is realizing that God is deserving of honor and glory and ordering your life accordingly.

Love,
Jill

Perfect Love

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Good morning ladies,

Some mornings I have to pray for hours to figure out what to write to you because I feel like I have nothing to say, this morning I had to pray because I have so much to say I didn’t know where to start.

Learning what it means to fear God has been an incredible experience. I feel like God has taken a growth spurt.

Of all the verses in the Bible about fearing God this is the one that is often quoted to prove that God does not want us to fear Him, He only wants us to love Him, because doesn’t it say “perfect love drives out fear?”

However, that is not consistent with the rest of scripture and since scripture does not contradict itself this verse must not mean that. So I started praying, I told God I didn’t understand and I asked Him to explain it to me.

And I think He did.

I love the hymn Amazing Grace and I am so glad Chris Tomlin incorporated into one of his songs. It gives me a chance to hear it more often.

But I have a confession to make; I never understood these two lines:

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.

What the heck does that mean? Grace taught me to fear and Grace relieved my fears? It never made sense, until Friday.

I was driving to Sacramento for an Awana event, listening to my music and Chris Tomlin’s song came on. When he sang the second verse I felt a light turn on.

God’s grace He taught me to fear Him. And because I fear Him I have nothing else to fear.

That’s why John can write “perfect love drives out fear.”

It is not the fear of God it drives out it is the fear of everything else.

Love,
Jill

Good Grades

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Good morning ladies,

This is an often quoted verse, but I think that it is better understood if it is rearranged: Knowing that everything that happens to you is God’s will allows you to be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.

Last night our family had a small chance to test whether or not we believe this.

Katherine, my daughter, was really sick the last week of April and the first week of May. She missed seven days of school.

Wednesday when she checked Power School she realized that she had not turned in all of her missing work in one of her classes. Yesterday she tried to turn it in and the teacher refused to take it.

When she got home from school she was really upset. Because of the missing work her grade dropped from a “B:” to a “D-“ and with only two weeks of school left she doesn’t have much of a chance to bring it up.

That is not good news, especially to a child trying to get an academic scholarship, and I was upset too, but God allowed it so there is a reason, and lessons to be learned.

First dealing with a person who has no grace is unpleasant. The teacher had a rule and they were being absolutely fair about not letting Katherine turn in her work. It is funny how “unfair” “fair” feels.

God has rules too and when He returns the next time He is going to be enforcing them. People who think He won’t are foolish and they don’t know God. Only God’s grace is going to save us from His wrath.

Second, there is way more at stake in this situation than Katherine’s grade. Everyone at school knows she is a Christian so lying and trying to sneak by, although tempting, was out of the question, but so is whining and complaining.

If we really believe that everything that happens to us comes from God then we need to stop complaining. God has a reason for everything and even if we don’t understand it He does.

Third, God’s goals are not ours. Katherine’s goal is to get good grades; God’s goal is to save souls. Maybe God has ordained this situation to allow Katherine to finally reach her two unsaved friends, both of whom are in the class.

And finally, God allows everything that happens in our life, the good and the bad. And even at seventeen Katherine realizes that God has given her an opportunity to bring Him honor by the way she handles it.

Love,
Jill

Blessings or Forgiveness?

Numbers 14:20-24

The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Good morning ladies,

I am reading a wonderful book: The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges and I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to grow in their faith and understand how important it is for Christians to fear God.

God wants us to fear Him for our own good. Because if we fear Him there is a better chance we will obey.

God loved the Israelites. They were His chosen people. He wanted to bless them beyond their understanding but they didn’t get it.

Even though He did great and miraculous things in their presence, they never grasped the fact that following God was the only way to blessings.

They would follow for awhile and then get distracted and fall into sin.

We are just like them, maybe worse because we have grace.

We do not take seriously God’s command to put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature, partly I think because we know we are forgiven.

But look again at today’s verse.

Moses has appealed to God to forgive the Israelites for their disobedience. God had commanded them to go into the Promised Land but they were afraid and rebelled.

Note what God says: I have forgiven them…but they will not go into the Promised Land.

He forgave them, but they did not get the blessings.

Only Joshua and Caleb, who followed God wholeheartedly, went into the land.

Love,
Jill

Just a Dream

2 Timothy 4:2-4

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Good afternoon ladies,

I had a bad dream last night and I can’t seem to shake it so maybe I am supposed to share it with you.

Before I do, let me reassure you I do not think I have the power to interrupt dreams nor has God ever spoken to me in a dream. Sometimes I pray He would, but He never has.

This is just a dream, nothing more.

I dreamt that I was in a room with a whole bunch of ladies. It was a “herd” meeting and there were a lot of new women. We were all excited and praising God for the large turnout. But there was something not right. The conversation wasn’t about God at all. It was the same old conversation I hear every day in the world.

Then men and children started coming in and it got kind of crazy.

Since Zebras is currently only for women I asked the men and children to leave. They weren’t happy but they went. Then I went over the guidelines for being a Zebra starting with “You have to believe that the Word of God is true.” And suddenly people started leaving. “This isn’t fun anymore.” they said and out they went.

I ended up in a room with about five other women wondering what I had done wrong.

Love,
Jill

Accept or Pursue?

John 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Good morning ladies,

Isn’t it amazing the difference one word can make in the meaning of a sentence. For example: “Do you accept God?” is vastly different than “Do you pursue God?”

Accept and pursue are both verbs, but one is far more passive.

According to Webster’s accept means: to take what is offered, to receive or believe. Pursue means: to strive for, to have as one’s study; devote oneself to.

Anyone who has dealt with kids knows the difference between a child who accepts school and one who purses it. They are both students, because they both go to school, but they are not the same.

The same is true of Christians. All Christians accept God; they must to be Christians. But not all Christians pursue God.

And that is where the difference is.

Christians who pursue God develop a far deeper relationship than those who just accept Him.

A.W. Tozer is his classic The Pursuit of God writes: Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night in season and out…

Does that describe you?

Do you want it to?

God has given us an amazing gift.

Tozer: We are able to purse God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. “No man can come to me, “said our Lord, “except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.”

But it is our job, once we have been called, to pursue.

Love,

Jill

High Expectations

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Good morning ladies,

For the most part I don’t care for Christian bumper stickers. I think it is very difficult to convey the truth of God’s Word in a cute little phrase that fits on the bumper of a car.

But other people seem to like them.

One bumper sticker that I particularly disliked, which fortunately seems to have fallen out of fashion was: “I’m not perfect just forgiven.”

To me it seemed the height of arrogance.

To presume upon the grace of God by openly declaring that you can act however you want confident that God will forgive you just seemed wrong.

Today I realized why.

The Bible says in Hebrews: by one sacrifice He (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The footnote says: We have been made perfect, yet we are “being made holy,” Through His death and resurrection Christ once for all, made His believers perfect in God’s sight. At the same time, he is making them holy (progressively cleansed and set apart of His special use) in their daily pilgrimage here. We should not be surprised, ashamed, or shocked that we still need to grow.

In God’s sight we are forgiven and perfect. We just don’t act like it.

One thing I have learned from dealing with children is they live up to your expectations. High expectations and support get the best results.

God already knew that.

Love,
Jill

For the Man Who Has Everything

Psalm 147: 1, 7, 10-11

Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!...Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp… His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Good morning ladies,

It is ridiculous how much joy I get from my moodles.

I mean they don’t do anything, they’re dogs. They don’t cook or clean, or make money. All they do is sit around and adore me.

But that is enough.

This morning Gary and I were talking about them over breakfast. And I wondered aloud if God gets this much joy when we adore Him.

Does God need joy? I wasn’t really sure,

Later, during my quiet time God led me to Psalm 147.

The theme according to my Bible is: What gives God joy? God created everything, his greatest joy comes from our genuine worship and trust.

Isn’t that cool?

We have the ability to bring God joy!

I love it!

Dear Heavenly Father, let me be like my moodles. Let my life bring you joy. Let me remember to: always be excited to see you in the morning, dance with joy in your presence, never be satisfied unless I am as close to you as possible, trust You completely in all situations and wiggle with gratitude at all the blessings you bestow. Amen.

Love,
Jill

Draw Your Sword!

Ephesians 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God…the belt of truth…the breastplate of righteousness…the gospel of peace…the shield of faith…the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Good morning Zebras,

It is another one of those mornings when I am having trouble writing.

I never know what the cause is and I am always willing not to write, but I refuse to give in if it is only Satan trying to trip me up.

So I am going to give it one more try.

Anyone who has seen Raiders of the Lost Ark probably remembers the scene where Indy is facing a sword wielding bad guy and rather than get into a long fight, he just takes out his gun and shoots him.

Rumor has it that Harrison Ford wasn’t feeling well that day and he didn’t have the strength for a fight scene so he asked Spielberg if he could just shoot him instead.

It is a great scene which imbedded in our mind forever that swords are far inferior to guns when it comes to warfare, which is probably true when you are fighting men, but it is absolutely not true in the spiritual arena.

In a spiritual battle, the sword is an excellent weapon.

The Bible says that the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword.

But we don’t take it out enough; sometimes we even forget we have it.

Today, if you are having a day where it feels like the enemy is winning, stop, find your sword, and kill him!

Love,
Jill

Honey, We Shrunk the LORD!

Psalm 115:11-13

You who fear him, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.

Psalm 31:19

How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You.

Good morning ladies,

I feel like I have been cheated.

Do you remember the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids? It tells the story of a professor who accidentally shrinks his kids and his neighbor's kids to 1/4 of an inch with his electro-magnetic shrink ray and sends them out into the backyard with the trash.

That’s what I feel like we have done with God. We have shrunken Him to an acceptable size, something we are comfortable with, and then because a small God is rather worthless, many people just threw Him out.

In 1679 John Bunyan wrote: Christian let God’s distinguishing love to you be a motive for you to fear Him greatly. He has put His fear in your heart and may not have given that blessing to you neighbor perhaps not to your husband, your wife, your child, or your parent. Oh what an obligation should this thought lay upon your heart to greatly fear the Lord! Remember also that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favorites, and to those who are greatly loved.

Notice that fearing God is referred to as a blessing, a treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favorites and to those who are greatly loved.

Is that how you think of it? Is that what you were taught?

I have been told many times by well meaning Christians that God does not want us to fear Him. But that’s a lie. God does want us to fear Him. He blesses those who do.

Love,
Jill

Bad Advice

James 3:17

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere

Good morning ladies,

I woke up this morning with an urge to read the book of James. If you haven’t read it recently I encourage you to do so, it is a wonderful book that was written not to a specific church, but to all the tribes of Israel for the purpose of exposing hypocritical practices and teaching right Christian behavior.

It is full of wisdom on such subjects as, taming the tongue, the purpose of trials and temptations, the importance of understanding and applying the Word of God and showing your faith through good works just to name a few.

Life changing wisdom IF it is applied.

Contrast that with the advice columns in the paper.

I don’t read advice columns anymore; although I confess they used to be my favorite part of the paper. But this morning they were on the kitchen table when I sat down to eat breakfast so I read them.

What a load of rubbish, no wonder people are depressed.

My favorite was about the vegetarian who did not want to serve meat at her graduation party. Her parents wanted to serve one dish with meat since the entire guest list, except for one, were not vegetarians.

I think God’s advice would have been it doesn’t matter. Eating meat or not eating meat has no eternal value. Honor your parents by agreeing to their request, think of your guests instead of yourself, and do what glorifies Me.

Obviously, that is not what the columnist said.

What she said in effect is: It’s your day do what you want. It’s all about you.

ARRGHHH!!!!

One of the biggest hindrances we have to living the full and abundant life that God has for us is to quit worshiping self and start worshiping God. Advice like this doesn’t help.

Love,
Jill

A Word of Encouragement

Deuteronomy 30:15-20a

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

Good morning ladies,

Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I didn’t know what to say. I told God I didn’t want to tell you to fear Him anymore, it seemed rather negative, but then I couldn’t think of anything else to write.

Nothing has changed this morning.

I want to tell you that God loves you and that He will bless you no matter how you act because I think that is what you want to hear.

But that’s not true.

God does love you. More than you know but He can’t bless sin. He just can’t. He can redeem it, He can forgive it, but He can’t bless it.

God blesses obedience and punishes sin. He always has. He always will.

But that’s not encouraging. Or is it?

Think about it, God has given us a way to be blessed.

It’s not like we are children stuck outside the candy store with our noses pressed to the glass unable to get in. God wants us to come in.

That’s why He sent His Son.

To me, the people in the Old Testament were given an impossible task. They were told to obey God yet they lacked the power. They were subject to the same temptations we are but they didn’t have the Holy Spirit. Their obedience was dependant upon their own self-control. They often failed and were punished.

Thank God that is not us! Christ’s work on the cross changed everything.

We are no longer pitiful powerless creatures at the mercy of the world and our sinful desires. We are the daughters of the KING, indwelt with the Holy Spirit, empowered by God to live a life pleasing to Him. Reaping blessing after blessing as we obey.

Now that is encouraging!

Love,
Jill

Hair or Heart?

1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Good morning ladies,

Yesterday I told you to look up the benefits of fearing God. Hopefully you did because the list was amazing.

My personal favorites were: Psalm 25:14a The LORD confides in those who fear Him and Psalm 34:7a The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him. But on a practical note you have to love Psalm 111:5a He provides food for those who fear him.

Then I asked to think about whether or not you feared the Lord. This morning I am going to make it practical.

Would you rather get up and go out into the world in your pajamas without brushing your hair or putting on your makeup and OR would you rather get up and go out into the world without quiet time and prayer. Do you spend more time, money and energy on how you look OR do you spend more time money and energy on developing your relationship with God?

One is motivated by the fear of men; one is motivated by the fear of God.

The Bible says that God does not care how we look. He cares about our heart. We care about how we look. 1Samuel 16:7b The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Now I am not saying that we should all walk around unwashed and ungroomed, I just think we need to get it in the right perspective.

We need to be more concerned about the condition of our heart and less concerned about the condition of our hair.

God promises us the most amazing list of blessings IF we will only put Him first. The world does too.

Which one do you trust?

Love,
Jill

Blessings of Fear

Proverbs 16:6

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

Good morning ladies,

This month my goal is to understand the Fear of the Lord, the righteous fear that God demands of His people.

I think we spend so much time in the New Testament looking at the love of God that we forget that He has other aspects to His personality. And I think just like we don’t really understand the love of God, we don’t understand the fear either.

Reverential fear is defined as: The fear of God as a controlling motive of life, not a mere “fear” of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him.

Do you fear displeasing God?

Today I want you to discover for yourself what blessings God has is store for those who fear Him. I could tell you, but I think it will mean more if He does

Look up the following scriptures and then ponder do you REALLY fear the Lord? I know I don’t, not like I should, but I want to learn.

Psalm 25:12,
Psalm 31:19-20
Psalm 33:18-19
Psalm 34:7, 9
Psalm 85:8
Psalm 103:11, 13, 17
Psalm 111:5
Psalm 112:1
Psalm 115:11, 13
Psalm 128:1
Psalm 145:18-19
Proverbs 22:4
Luke 1:50
Acts 10:34-35

Love,
Jill