Welcome to The Turnaround!
Introduction
I agree with Saint Francis de Sales when he said, “We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.” Though it seems a paradox, fear and love go hand in hand. Could we even go so far as to say that they are inseparable truths; that wherever one is, you will find the other also?
Insight
When we experience God’s great majesty and boundless perfect love, our holy fear of God grows. Today we also read that there is a generational blessing attached to fearing the Lord and delighting in His commands. We must help our children grasp that through obedience and respectfully fearing God, we are blessed, they are blessed and it continues on through the generations.
In Psalm 139 we learn that God’s thoughts of us are like the sum of all the sand. Let’s put it in perspective. If I had a thought about you every eight seconds for 40 years that would not even be enough sand to fill a standard-size shoe box; God’s thoughts towards you amount to all of the sand in all of the world. What a great image God gives us. Almost every kid loves to play in sand. Here, God gives us an example that even a young child can get an idea of. God thinks about us a lot!
Mind blowing!
Even more amazing is that every one of those thoughts is for your good!
Not only are all of these thoughts loving and good, but they are coming from the All-Mighty, All-Powerful Creator and King of, well, EVERYTHING! When Isaiah relates what he saw of God in the year king Uzziah died, we catch a small glimpse of His awesome greatness. In Isaiah 6:1 we learn that God is sitting on His throne, high and lifted up, and that just the hem of His robe absolutely fills the temple. God also calls us, His people, His temple. Consider the fact that He is so majestic, glorious, and great that we are not even able to contain the power that dwells in the hem of His robe. This is our God. May we tremble at His greatness and fall at His feet completely undone by His unfathomable love; may we be compelled to obey, which is true worship.
“The Bible reveals not first the love of God but the intense, blazing holiness of God, with His love at the center of that holiness.” – Oswald Chambers
Turnaround Question
We seek to please whom we fear. Only God is worthy of that fear, adoration, and obedience. We know how often God thinks of us, How often do you think of Him?
As a believer, our fear is having reverence and awe of God. How can we teach children to be in awe of God?
Prayer
Almighty God, our Father, we submit to You, our rightful King. We thank You for Your love for us and for Your thoughts towards us. Please quiet our hearts and minds and guard them with Your peace; give us ears to hear Your voice, eyes that behold Your glory so that we would truly stand in awe of You and immediately, joyfully, completely obey You — for Your honor, glory, and praise, and for our good. Make us pure as You are pure. We ask this in the all-powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
