Suppose you were sitting down for a cup of tea one afternoon,
and while scanning the personal column of your local newspaper you came
across an ad such as this below:
~IN NEED OF A SHEPHERD: I have no shepherd. I want and am in need. I have
no one to feed me in green pastures. I have no rest. I have no one to
lead me to quiet waters. I am thirsty. I have no one to restore my anxious
and despairing soul. I find no one to guide me in right ways. I don't
know where to turn. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
evil surrounds me. I am terribly afraid, for no one is with me to comfort
me. I have no feast prepared for me. My enemies overwhelm me. No one anoints
my wounds or fills my cup. My cup is empty. All the days of my life are
filled with disappointments and deceit. I have no home for eternity. Will
I dwell in the evil house forever?~
Would you be able to answer such an ad? What would you say to this hurting
person? Where would you begin with helping them? This ad is the perfect
description of a lost person, is it not? Their greatest need is for a
Shepherd.... However, as you reread this ad, do you as a child of God
ever experience some of the same feelings listed above? Feelings such
as isolation, unrest, fear, disappointment, emptiness, uncertainty, hunger,
and thirst of the soul? How can this be when we HAVE a Shepherd?? What
is lacking in our lives that would cause such feelings to take over? What
is lacking in the life of the lost person? The greatest need of both is
a proper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, a need for the fear
of the Lord....
Psalm 25: 12-14 says, "What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall
he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease;
and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with them
that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant."
Knowing God increases reverent fear. To fear the Lord is to recognize
God for who He is: holy, almighty, righteous, pure, all knowing, all-powerful,
and all wise. When we regard God correctly, we gain a clearer picture
of ourselves: sinful, weak, frail, and needy. When we recognize who God
is and who we are, we will fall at His feet in humble
respect. Only then will He show us how to choose His way, the right way!
Fearing God leads to knowing Him more fully. "Friendship with God is reserved
for those who reverence Him." God offers intimate and lasting friendship
to those who revere Him, those who hold Him in highest honor. What relationship
could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend??
Your everlasting friendship with God will grow as you pay Him the highest
respect....
Exodus 20:20-21, "And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is
come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye
sin not."
Many people think fearing God means being terrified of Him. Yet, all throughout
the Bible we find this phrase, "Do not be afraid". God wasn't trying just
to scare people. He was showing His mighty power so people would know
He was the true God and would therefore obey Him and sin not! If they
would do this, the Lord would make His power available to them. Moreover,
ladies, He will make His power available to us today in the same way -
through our obedience... God wants us to turn from our sins and follow
Him out of love rather than fear. To overcome fear, we must think more
about His love...
1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
In this portion of Scripture, John is speaking to believers! Believers
experiencing fear and torment?? You mean, some of the very same emotions
a lost person would experience?? Yes, unfortunately, many professed believers
experience both fear and torment day after day. The reason is that they
are not growing in the love of God! When I am afraid, it is because of
something in the past that haunts me, something in the present that upsets
me, or something in the future that threatens me. On the other hand, it
may be a combination of all three! Nevertheless, as believers in Jesus
Christ, we do not have to fear the past, present, or future when we experience
the love of God and this love is perfected in us day by day. This perfection
is a gradual process, not an overnight incident, amen? The more we abide
with Him through the Word, the more we will grow to love God, and the
more we will understand His love. The more we come to understand His love,
the easier it will be for us to trust Him and live for Him.
Psalm 73:28, "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my
trust in the Lord God...."
Ponder that truth for a bit, ladies - we could actually avoid fear! We
could avoid torment! We torment ourselves when we contemplate what lies
ahead, don't we? I sometimes torment myself just anticipating a visit
to the dentist! :-) As a child of God, there is no situation in life today
we cannot face with boldness if we would just trust Him completely. Our
heavenly Father wants His children to live in an atmosphere of love and
confidence, not fear and torment. The Bible says we cannot be separated
by anything from the love of God - that is how strong and powerful His
love is!
Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day
long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things
we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US. For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
That means whatever form your fear is taking the shape of, with God's
love and power in your life, you can face it, you can overcome it! Just
in having the proper relationship with your heavenly Father, when you
regard Him correctly. It says in this portion of scripture above, "For
I am persuaded.." Have you been fully persuaded dear lady, that there
is nothing you and the Lord can't face together? Have you given Him the
proper respect by believing that He will do what He says in His Word and
stick by you through thick and thin? Or has doubt and unbelief crept in
and weakened your view of His love for you - weakened your ability to
place your trust in Him? The lost person lives in fear because He knows
nothing of God's love for him.... However, as a saved person, as you grow
in your fellowship with your heavenly Father, gradually your fears will
vanish and your heart will be controlled by His love alone. A mature Christian
rests in God's love.... Are you resting today, or wrestling? Don't forget
that your ad has been answered!! As Christians, we HAVE a Shepherd that
loves us, proving it at Calvary when He sent His Son to die for us...
There is no greater display of God's love than this!
Romans 8:31-32, "What shall we say then to these things? If God be for
us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
