The Fear Of Man
One of the greatest hindrances to being like Christ and doing His will is the fear of man. God drove that point home to me again this morning in my unhurried time by the devotional in Experiencing God Day By Day and from my reading in Isaiah. It is something for all of us as believers to consider regularly. Why do we do what we do? Is it fully because it is God's will for us, or do we compromise some because we are listening to people?
Sometimes, we are tempted to "respect" people more than God. We fear them by respecting their wishes more than the will of God. We want to be accepted by people, so we do what they want, and we do not do God's will. This is tragic! We are not loving the Lord with all of our hearts. In fact, Jesus is not Lord of our lives, because the other person is lord at that point.
Also, we really fear people. We fear their insults and attacks for doing God's will. When we have fear like this, we are not trusting that God knows our needs. He is All-powerful. He is the One who protects us. We do not need to fear man, because God can take care of any person. Even if they do harm us or kill us, it is better to be faithful to God and have His favor than the favor of men.
There are many variations of the fear of man, and none of them are good. God is the only one we should respect and fear. He loves us so. He sent Christ to die for us. The least we can do is to live for Him.
Today, I read Isaiah 51-53.
Sometimes, we are tempted to "respect" people more than God. We fear them by respecting their wishes more than the will of God. We want to be accepted by people, so we do what they want, and we do not do God's will. This is tragic! We are not loving the Lord with all of our hearts. In fact, Jesus is not Lord of our lives, because the other person is lord at that point.
Also, we really fear people. We fear their insults and attacks for doing God's will. When we have fear like this, we are not trusting that God knows our needs. He is All-powerful. He is the One who protects us. We do not need to fear man, because God can take care of any person. Even if they do harm us or kill us, it is better to be faithful to God and have His favor than the favor of men.
There are many variations of the fear of man, and none of them are good. God is the only one we should respect and fear. He loves us so. He sent Christ to die for us. The least we can do is to live for Him.
Today, I read Isaiah 51-53.