Reverence: March 23, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 23, 2011.

REVERENCE

DEFINITION:

A feeling or attitude of deep respect; profound adoration; tinged with awe; the state of being revered.

SCRIPTURE:

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” Psalm 89:7

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him.” Psalm 33:8

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

All across our world today there is a lack of reverence seen or felt when one talks about God. Most people have lost their deep respect for God and do not sit back in awe when they think about God. The problem is simply they have their own god. It is a “ME” generation and their god is “ME.”

On any given day you can hear the word “GOD” spoken. Unfortunately, it is most often spoken irrevently rather then with reverence. The third commandment of the Ten Commandments is: “Do not misuse the name of the Lord for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” This commandment is broken on a regular basis by many people and when broken they show irreverence to God.

When we understand who God really is then we will not misuse the name of the Lord. But until that change comes in our lives we cannot be in awe of Him and have reverence for Him. Even though we cannot see God, we can know Him and when we get to know Him we will stand in awe of Him.

Moses spoke to God and God spoke to Moses face to face but Moses never saw God. Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18) but God told him no man could see His face and live. It is God’s glory that demands reverence. God’s glory is His majestic splendor.

There are many words referring to God in the scriptures and these words characterize Him: God is Holy, Majestic, Pure, Just, Almighty, Merciful, All-knowing, All-powerful, Ever-present, Eternal and our Creator. When we stop and think about these attributes of God we can begin to comprehend who He is and we cannot help but revere Him with awe and Godly fear. The most fundamental description of God is “HOLY.” God’s holiness is more than just an attribute; it is the essence of who He is. Our response to God’s holiness can only be reverential awe.

Our sin nature keeps us from seeing God as He really is. The scripture tells us that Adam and Eve communicated directly with God before they sinned against Him. Because they sinned, we all are sinners and God sent His Son Jesus, into the world to be the one who would pay the penalty for our sins. In Jesus, God showed us His mercy, His grace, His forgiveness, His justice and His power. Unless we know Jesus we cannot comprehend or know God.

As believers in Jesus we should desire to worship Him with reverence and in awe, and serve Him with Godly fear and respect. Many believers today get caught up in the “things” of life and forget to daily revere and serve God with fear and respect as the scripture tells us. With reverence for God comes obedience. We must let nothing in life interfere with our relationship with Jesus and being obedient to His commands.

Reverence for God will compel us to live our life with caution, carefully, with discretion and circumspection so that our life honors God. God is to be held in awe because He is Lord. We must serve Him in an acceptable way --- bearing fruit of the Spirit (love, gentleness, joy, faith, goodness, peace, meekness and self control). We also must be active in seeing others find Christ.

These thoughts that we have just mentioned --- reverence, obedience, honor, service, bearing fruit and telling others about Jesus is a list that all of us must work at daily with diligence. But evidently most believers do not think this way. Do they think it is too hard or will cost too much? What is your response?

We live in a generation where individuals are concerned only about their own activities. They have no belief system of any kind so the act of “REVERENCE” is irrelevant. As Christians we must worship God with REVERENCE! We must serve God with GODLY FEAR! Reverence for God solidifies our relationship with God and controls our actions and keeps us from disobeying God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 14:21.

But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord that You are a HOLY and awesome God. Thank You that You love me in spite of my sin and unfaithfulness. Give me the desire and the firmness of conviction to serve You with reverence and Godly fear. Help me to lead my family to revere God through every issue that we face each day.