Profitable Fear
So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. - Exodus 14:30-31 NKJV
Do you really know who God is? Really? Do you realize that He is so powerful that with one swipe of His hand he could wipe out our entire sinful world and start over from scratch if He so chose? We deserve nothing less, Christians included. But in God's infinite grace and mercy, because He is good, He spares us of His wrath and patiently works with us through circumstances in our lives to make us into the individuals He wants us to be.
God was working on Israel. We can see from Exodus that He needed to do a horrible thing by destroying the Egyptians so He could accomplish His will. Following a series of ten plagues on Egypt, God led His chosen people out of slavery and literally parted the Red Sea for them so they could escape. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, they happened to be on the bad side of God's miracles. On the other hand, the Israelites saw the great work the Lord had done. This fear prompted them to believe God.
A healthy reverant fear of God is essential in our role of obedience. Do we really know God if we don't have a proper fear of Him? That healthy fear will prompt us to obey and believe Him even when things aren't going the way we would like. It helps keep us humble and helps us to remember that this life is not about us, it is all about God. Won't you let the fear of God be profitable for you?
From learning to living:
1) How well do you know God? If you knew Him, all aspects of Him, it would change your life.
2) How often are you in His "mind"? Our level of intimacy and knowledge of God is directly proportional to how much time we spend in His Word.
3) What one thing will you commit to today to get to know God better?
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Janna Rust is a Life Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them. For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.