“That Dread Of The Lord” ( Psalm 103: 17, WYC ) by Carley Evans

English: Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similarly carved stones either side of the west entrance to St Leonard’s Church. 32432 “Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.” Deuteronomy 10:20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seems such a paradox that we should expect and obtain mercy from a God we dread.

“But the mercy of the Lord is from without beginning, and till into without end; on men dreading him.”

Our fear of the Lord might consume us if we did not know He desires mercy rather than judgment. We might still be hiding ourselves from His sight if not for His own sacrifice, so that we might approach His throne of grace where He always lives to intercede for us.

“And his rightfulness is into the sons of sons; (But the Lord’s love is without beginning, and without end; for those who fear him/for those who revere him. And his righteousness shall never fail the children of their children,) to them that keep his testament. And be mindful of his commandments; to do those. (yea, they who keep his covenant; and who remember his commandments, and who do them.)” (Psalm 103: 17-18)

That dread of the Lord makes my heart leap into my throat and my stomach drop into my bowel. My fear of being separated from Him for all eternity keeps me shaking and quaking when I read His Word: “be mindful of [My] commandments; to do those.” No way I can honestly say to Him, “Oh yes Lord, I keep all Your commandments.”

I look to the cross. I kneel at the throne of grace. I rely on Him, always. Otherwise, I’m stuck in that dread of the Lord.

“All Were Dead” ( 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, KJV ) by Carley Evans

Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus takes the cup, blesses it, gives it to His disciples, tells them to drink of His blood in remembrance of Him. He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, shares it with His disciples, tells them to eat of His body in remembrance of Him. The last supper with His followers is here.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

As we remember Him, His love “constrains us” — we are reminded that “if one died for all, then were all dead.” We remember He “dies for all, that [we] which live should not henceforth live unto [ourselves], but unto Him.”

What makes us live for Him? His love, and the power of His resurrection from the dead. As we die with Him in weakness, so we rise with Him in power. He dies for us. We live for Him.

“Live In Love” ( 1 John 4:18, WYC ) by Carley Evans

(Photo credit: epSos.de)

In perfect charity, neither fear nor reluctance exists. If we fear or are reluctant to love — or to accept love — then we are still concerned with pain and punishment. Dread means “to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of; to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience.”

Are you afraid to love? Are you reluctant to receive charity? Do you fear punishment? Are you wary of rejection? Are you reluctant to give of yourself? If you live in dread, then you are not perfected in love.

“Dread is not in charity, but perfect charity putteth out dread [but perfect charity sendeth out dread]; for dread hath pain. But he that dreadeth, is not perfect in charity.”

Jesus says, “Be not your heart afraid [Be not your heart distroubled], nor dread it; ye believe in God, and believe ye in me.” (John 14:1)

Don’t live in dread. Live in love. Jesus’ love is perfect.

“For Him, Through Him, Because Of Him” ( Romans 8: 35, 37 ) by Carley Evans

“Who then shall separate us [Who therefore shall part us] from the charity of Christ? tribulation, or anguish, or hunger, or nakedness, or persecution, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overcome, for him that loved us.” (WYC)

^“35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
Can affliction or anguish or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than victorious
through Him who loved us.” (HCSB)

^“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (ESV)

^“35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (KJV)

^“35Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword? ³⁷But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us.” (DRA)

We overcome; we are victorious; we are more than conquerors despite tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. We overcome all things for Jesus, through Jesus, because of Jesus who loves us.

“Walk In Love” ( Ephesians 5: 2, Wycliffe ) by Carley Evans

“Be ye together benign [forsooth be ye together benign, or of good will], merciful, forgiving together, as also God forgave to you in Christ. Therefore be ye followers of God, as most dear-worthy sons; and walk ye in love, as [and] Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, into the odour of sweetness.” (Ephesians 4:32-5:2, Wycliffe)

The oath a nurse takes, for example, is to do no harm to the patient under her care. She is “benign, or of good will.” All she does for the patient provides mercy in a time of suffering. No act of her patient changes her demeanor or her approach to her task. Her heart is always filled with forgiveness.

God, of course, is the best example of this loving mercy as He forgives us in Christ. Therefore, says Paul, be “followers of God, as most dear-worthy sons.” In following God, we “walk in love” showing mercy and forgiveness to others; being benign in our actions.

Be benign — do no harm.

“What Is Good” ( Micah 6: 7 – 8, KJV ) by Carley Evans

“⁷Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

⁸He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Look at what God calls good. Look at what He requires of us. We are to “do justly.” We are to “love mercy” — notice, we are to love mercy, not judgment ( which belongs only to God ). We are to “walk humbly.” Essentially, we are to be just, merciful, and humble — the opposites of prejudice, judgment and pride.

God is not seeking the sacrifice of our bodies, our firstborn, our valuables. Rather He desires that we show His love and mercy to others.

Sanctity

“Sanctity can never abide a merely speculative solution to the problem of suffering. Sanctity solves the problem not by analyzing but by suffering. It is a living solution, burned in the flesh and spirit of the saint by fire. Scripture itself tells us as much. ‘As silver is tried by fire and gold in the furnace, so the Lord trieth hearts’ ” (Prov 17:3). (“Saint John of the Cross” by Fr. Thomas Merton)

“Why Is My Freedom Judged?” ( 1 Corinthians 10: 27, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

If an unbeliever invites me to dinner and I want to go, I “eat everything that is set before [me], without raising questions of conscience.” “Everything is permissible,” says Paul although he admits that “not everything is helpful.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

That’s a perfect way of looking at consumables  — whether meats, vegetables, breads, milks, sodas, coffees, teas, beers, wines or liquors. All of these are permissible; not all are helpful. Some definitely offend others’ consciences. When my consumption of any one of them offends, I “do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who tells [me]” for the sake of their conscience, not my own. “For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience?” (1 Corinthians 10:29)

“If I partake with thanks, why am I slandered because of something I give thanks for?” (1 Corinthians 10:30) “Therefore, whatever I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I do everything for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) On top of this, I “try to please all people in all things, so that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33)

How is it that pleasing others in all things leads them to salvation? Paul says that he does not seek his own profit, “but the profit of many.” (1 Corinthians 10:33) Seeking the good of others by imitating Jesus, according to Paul, enables salvation. After all, something attracts unbelievers to Christ. We may as well be attractive. As Paul says, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

“For God Loves The World This Way” ( John 3: 16, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

I admire and appreciate the way in which the Holman Christian Standard Bible words John 3:16. The verse we know from childhood as beginning with “For God so loves the world” is translated in the HCSB version as “For God loves the world this way” and proceeds to tell what God does to reveal His love for the world.

Clearly, God loves the world a lot. He loves the world so much that He gives His only Son, Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to wash away its sins and justify it before Him. The wording of the HCSB version emphasizes not how much God loves the world, but how God loves the world.

God’s method is espoused. His motivation is clear — to avoid His own judgment against the world. His method is simple. The Light comes into the world, and those who “live by the Truth come to the Light.” The works of those who come to the Light are subsequently revealed as “accomplished by God.” (John 3:21) From beginning to end, the work is God’s. For this is the way God loves the world.

“By Faith He Condemned The World” ( Hebrews 11: 7, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Noah condemns the world by his faith in God’s Word. God tells Noah to build an ark, to gather two of every kind of fauna, to put his family into the ark, and to wait while the world drowns via non-stop rain for forty days and forty nights. When Noah obeys God, he condemns the world — the world which does not believe and obey. “The waters surge upon the earth 150 days.” (Genesis 7:24) And, “[God] wipes out every living thing that is on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they are wiped off the face of the earth. Only Noah is left, and those that are with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:23) For over ten months, Noah waits in the ark for God to release him and those with him. Forty days after the tops of the mountains are finally visible, Noah sends out a dove who returns. The second dove he sends out returns with an olive leaf; the third dove does not return at all. Noah waits a few months longer before God tells him to exit the ark with those saved through Noah’s obedience to God’s Word.

The world drowns in God’s rain; and by his faith, Noah condemns the world.

I’m not completely sure I understand why it is that the faith Noah has condemns the world except that his faith leads him to obey God in spite of the world’s derision. That Noah does not stand on a pedestal and shout, ‘repent for the end of the world is at hand!’ is revealing. Rather than striving to save the world from its destruction, Noah strives to do God’s will, continuing to build the ark in preparation for the flood he has been told is coming upon the whole world. Noah regards God as more important than his neighbors and friends, building the ark even as the world goes about its business of ignoring God.

By his faith, Noah saves himself and his family.