Fear or Love of God

                                   LOVE


After I wrote my last post, "Motivated by Fear or Love" (check it out here if you missed it,  http://stacyneus.blogspot.com/2013/01/motivated-by-fear-or-love.html), I asked myself, "What about my relationship with God?"  Do I relate to Him out of fear or love?

You can ask yourself these same questions.

1) Do I feel secure that God loves me?

2) Do I know God wants the best for me?

If you answered "yes" to #1 and #2 you may be relating to God out of love.  If you answered "no", you probably relate to God out of fear.

Steps to relate to God out of love.

1.  Understand God's LOVE
When you realize the Bible describes God's character of love, you will understand how you can love Him back.  God absolutely wants the best for you.  That doesn't mean what He thinks is best for you always matches what you think.  But, the God who created you, loves you enough to provide a way for you to have a friendship with Him.  You can relate to God with love.

When you don't understand God's love, you may try to please Him by "doing" good.  And you try to please God because you are afraid of what He might do to you, fearful He will harm you.  You may think, "If I just pray more, or if I just give more to the poor, then God will be pleased with me."  You only ask for God's mercy (not punish you when you deserve it).

2.  Understand God's GRACE 
In reality, God says you can never do enough good works to earn a relationship with Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).  It is a gift (grace).  When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for your sin.  If you believe in the Jesus of the Bible (the God of love) you too can relate to God with love.

But wait!  Doesn't the Bible say we should fear the Lord?  Yes, it does.  And sometimes the Bible says "Do not fear."  Does the Bible contradict itself?  No.  The word "fear" can be used in different ways. 

3.  Understand God's positive "FEAR"

Proverbs 14:26 and 27 says, "In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

Here,the Bible uses the word "fear"very positively and differently than what we might think of when we use the word "fear".  We think of cowarding in the corner because we are frightened.  The word "fear" here means, "fear, terror, fearing; awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear); fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety; revered."*   According to these verses, the result of this "fear"is "strong confidence, refuge, fountain of life, avoid the snares of death."   This is definitely not cowarding in a corner.   We should fear God, respect and revere Him, because of who he is (all-powerful, perfect, hates sin) and not for what He might do to us.

I shouldn't leave out the "Do not fear."  One of the first "Do not fear" messages (over 70 x in Bible)**, God says to Hagar regarding Ishmael (Gen. 21:17) God heard the lad crying ; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar ? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Hagar was not to fear because God saw her and would take care of her and Ishmael (HIS LOVE, AND GRACE). 

So we've come full circle.  When we "fear" God as He deserves, we can know His love and grace and relate to Him out of love, not duty or negative, cowarding fear.

Lastly, because we can relate to God as a Father/daughter (or Father/son) relationship, I think of my girls.  I want them to obey me, but not out of duty, or obligation.  I want them to respect me, not because I demand it (which I wrongly do sometimes), but because I deserve it (probably don't sometimes, but I am their mommy).  I want them to obey me out of love and respect.  God wants the same for us.  He deserves love because HE IS GOD.  Yet, He does not demand it.  We choose to obey him, or not.  He would love our lives to reflect His love in this fearful world. 

What about you?  Do you act out of love or negative fear?
How can this change?  Remember His Love, His Grace, and positive Fear.
 

*http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/yirah.html

** http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=Do+not+fear&c=&t=nas&ps=10&s=Bible

 Linked up with:Jolene Engle, http://www.lauraboggess.com/, http://www.thebettermom.com/, Kathy at cornerstoneconfessions; A Holy Experience

Motivated by Fear or Love

A friend of mine told me her mother that lives out of state is coming to town soon.  I thought that was great news, but she didn't agree.  I'm still trying to figure out her relationship with her mom.  But I've gotten the feeling her mom puts pressure on her to be perfect.  The last time she visited, her mom commented that her kleenex box had dust on it.  Her Mom may have meant nothing by it (or maybe she did?), but my friend took it as, "Great.  Even the kleenex box is inspected."  My friend had a list for her home to be "perfect" when her mom arrived.

Can you relate?  It may not be a clean house, but you have some perfection pressure.

Maybe at work your boss is hard to please.  Haunting, unrealistic deadlines leave you frustrated.  You work so hard, yet rarely feel you've accomplished enough.  Or, maybe it's not a boss.  It's perfection pressure you've dumped on yourself.

Or at home: If you are married, the pressure of a "perfect" marriage.  Children bring "perfect" parenting nightmares.  Single, divorced, or widowed have pressures of their own.

Physically: You must have the "perfect" body.  You must eat healthier, drink your water, cook more and eat out less, exercise, blah, blah, blah.

I could go on and on, but it stresses me out too much. 

It hit me today.  The pressure I put on myself to have life together comes from one of two different motivators.  I'm either motivated by fear, or motivated by love.

If I'm motivated out of fear I:

1) Expect recognition
2) Expect perfection
3) Experience frustration

For example, when I clean my house for my family and I'm motivated by fear, it may look like this.  I work hard thinking, "I need to get this all done to please my husband (which he usually doesn't care about perfection, and would rather have clean underwear).  If my house isn't perfect, he won't love me as much (exaggerated fear, of course).  I work only to get the job done, wondering what else I could be doing with the time, grumbling and complaining.  I scrub with a bad attitude trying to meet the perfection standard.  If my husband gets home and doesn't say anything about my clean house, I've failed.  My perfection standard leaves me frustrated.  Again.  No wonder I get defensive if he notices the one chore I didn't finish.  I  say, "but I did ____, and _______, and ______."  Why?  Motivated by fear.

However,
If I'm motivated by love I:

1) Don't need a pat on the back, or words of affirmation.
2) Don't strive for perfection, but satisfied with a job done with my best effort.
3) Don't freak out about work that seems redundant or mundane.

So my cleaning effort looks like this:  I clean my house because I love my husband and girls.  I use my time to sing praises at the top of  my lungs, pray for others, and practice scripture memory.  When I dust, I ask God to show me what parts of my life He wants to clean.  When my husband comes home and asks me for clean socks when I didn't do whites that day, I say, "I'm sorry.  I didn't wash whites, but I would love to do them for you."  No excuses.  No bad attitude. (My husband is still waiting for the day of no excuses). Why?  I want to be motivated by love. 

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

You can apply this motivation question to any task at home, work, or school, and even church.
What about you? What motivates you? Fear or Love?


Linked up with:Jolene Engle, http://www.lauraboggess.com/, http://www.thebettermom.com/, Kathy at cornerstoneconfessions; A Holy Experience

Louie Giglio's Exclusion

The headlines that Louie Giglio will not pray at President Obama's inauguration didn't surprise me.  Why would it?   Addie Whisenant, the committee’s spokesperson stated "As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans”**  (emphasis mine) What she really should have said, "We want someone to say a prayer to a god that accepts what we have defined or undefined as sin.  We don't care what God defines as sin.  We have taken homosexuality off the list.  We want everyone to accept it now."

Also with this controversy,  I suppose Addie Whisenant should've added a parenthesis to her quote regarding "vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans."  It should say, "vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans (except for Jesus followers who accept the Bible as truth and agree with God that homosexuality is sin: you are not accepted).  With Louie Giglio's withdrawal from praying in the inauguration, Bible believers are obviously excluded.

The administation must realize that Louie Giglio did not define homosexuality as sin, God did.  They are not against Lou Gigio's beliefs, they are against the God of the Bible.  They, however, agree with God that sex trafficking is wrong and want to make a stand against it (Louie Giglio's stance against sex trafficking drew the commitee to ask him to pray in the first place). 

I'm kind of confused.  So does the administration's "vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans" include the sex traffickers?  Many of them are Americans, right?  We should  include and accept them?  What about the murderers?  Many are Americans that we must include and accept?  I suppose the administration gets to pick and choose which Americans are included as "all Americans". 

Now what?
As Jesus followers, we must
1)  Stand for truth even if:

We lose the popularity vote.
 
The truth of the Bible has not and will never change.

Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever".

People will always have a choice to accept the Bible's truth, or reject it.  But truth is not democratic.  We can't vote on what we believe is truth, or not.  God defines truth.  He IS truth.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the TRUTH, the life...(emphasis mine)" in John 14:6.   The majority vote doesn't change this truth., or any other truth.

We are persecuted for the truth.

The morals the Bible teach will always be misunderstood by our society.  When people choose to ignore one part of the Bible, they reject the whole Bible.

"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1 Peter 4:14

 "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:19

 

2) Pray for ourselves.

 

You may not be a homosexual or a sex trafficker, but we all have sin that separates us from God. 

We are not perfect.  We need God's forgiveness.  Ask God to point out personal sin.  1 John 1:9 says, " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

 

3) Pray for our nation.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 says,

^{14 "}and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Even though God spoke these words to the Israelite, His chosen people, He cares that all nations obey Him.   
 

** Quote from http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/10/pastor-bows-out-of-obamas-inauguration-over-anti-gay-sermons/

What are your thoughts on Louie Giglio's controversy?




 Linked with my friend Kathy Gossen at cornerstoneconfessions and Time Warp Wife and The Better Mom

My First and Last "How to Cook" Video

As I stumbled through Pinterest tonight looking for a new recipe, I had a major flashback. I ran across a "how to" video for grilled cheese sandwiches.  My memory:  as a second grader, my parents got and a new video camera for Christmas (Beta, I believe.  Yes, I'm dating myself.)  We had another family over to visit.  With video camera rolling, all of my siblings (older brother and two younger sisters) had "camera time" sharing what we got for Christmas.  When we ran out of gifts to display, the question was asked, "Can you cook anything?"  As I proudly began to share how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, I quickly realized my wrong word choice.  Instead of using "sliced the cheese" (may have been before sliced cheese, or my family wouldn't pay for the presliced), I used "cut the cheese".  I had no intention of talking about bodily functions.  Immediately, the room erupted into a roar of laughter.  I tried to change my words, with no hope.  No one could hear me.  I remember laughing so hard I could barely breathe and my side hurt.  

What I realized:
1)  I will never make a "how to cook" video.  Been there, done that.  I only made people laugh. 
2)  I don't need to make a "how to cook" video.  God has gifted me in other areas.
3)  I'd rather write, than cook. Too bad my family doesn't get fed with my writing.
4)  I still laugh about "cut the cheese".  I may never grow up. 
5)  I sometimes say words I wish I could take back.

  Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

New Year Focus

(picture from Power Point clip art)

You may make New Year's resolutions every year.  That's great.  I'm not good at it.  I guess I don't like the pressure that comes with making a list of goals.  I don't think it's wrong, it's just not me.  Don't misunderstand me.  I have plenty of areas in my life that I would like to be different.  I would love to always have a clean, organized, decorated house; new, delicious recipes every night; spend two hours a day at the gym to reshape (or kill) my body; write a blog every day; put in a garden.  Ok.  I've gone a little too far.  This list actually stresses me out.  Maybe that's another reason I don't have a list.  I also don't want to fall into the trap.  You know:  the list, the failure, the quitting, the not starting again until the next year. 

So I'm trying something new.  I'm changing the word "resolution", hoping to change my focus.  I'm changing the word "resolution" to "relyution".  Yes, I made the word up.  When I think of resolution, I think of what I can do in my strength to make me happy.  I'm using the term"relyution" to mean "relying on Jesus to use His strength to please Him."     

World vs. the Word

This idea of relyution goes against everything you hear from this world.  You hear, "Rely on yourself.   You can do anything you put your mind to do.  If you work hard enough, you will succeed."
 
However, the Word (Bible) says in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

Long term vs. Short Term

With resolutions, you make long term goals.  You may decide to do this.  That's great.

But relyutions are daily goals.  Actually, moment by moment goals. 

Relyution Daily Plan

A-  Ask God what He would have you do today.
B-  Be flexible.  God may change your plans mid-stream.  Always listen.
C-  Call on him for help.  Rely on His strength, not yours. (Isaiah 41:10)
D- Don't get distracted by sin, self, or stuff.  (probably another blog post)
E-  Examine your motives.  Why?  For whom?
F- Fight against comparison.  God has made you unique and for His purpose.
G- Guard your Mind.  Be alert.  Ready to fight against the evil one. (I Peter 5:8) (another post)
H-  HOPE.  Help Others Prepare for Eternity (the whole reason for this blog).  This may be a word of encouragement to another believer, or words of truth to the non-believer.  Look for opportunities to share hope.

As you live out Proverbs 3:5-6 and practice the A,B, C's of Relyution daily, you will please God.

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why, or why not?

If you like this post and want to receive it in your e-mail, it's easy to sign up.  In the right hand column, enter your e-mail address in "Follow by Email".  Or, "Join this Site", if you are a blogger.  Thank You.

Happy New Year!