Why Fear?

Written by Jason Haines

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… And our hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." -Romans 5:1-2,5

One of the things that I always had heard about in the past was that following the Bible and God was stupid and you could do everything on your own. Success came from you going out and pushing and doing everything by yourself and no one would make you successful but yourself. This was the thought process of myself and from everyone who hung out with me. Sad thing was I always seen, and I was one of them, so many of us who were unhappy, complaining, worried about what others thought, and never satisfied with anything we had. Always living the life of one upmanship. I was there as well and I never seemed to be happy or have enough.

I recently was talking to my wife and was telling her I understand what Jesus meant by the fullness, because I feel full in what I have and am doing these days and I do not have near as much as I had back when I wasn’t a follower of Christ. I didn’t have a fear of not being enough anymore, but a fear of God to where I wanted to only live in his path. I never thought I would have that because I thought I always had to live the life that people wanted me to. To be better, the best, richer, worried about retirement, the next paycheck, what I looked like, best this, best that, etc. I didn’t need that anymore because I wanted more and wanted to follow God. I want to take up the yoke with him and realize that I am not in this alone because God will always be there with me. Funny thing is I want to bring others with me because the feeling is great. I fear God and that is a good thing.

Why might you ask? Fear in the Bible is really joy. Joy in the Lord and all that he provides us. I have Joy, not happiness because happiness is like motivation, fleeting. But joy that everyday will be blessed to me and those I love. I know there will also be a future and that this isn’t it. Joy in everything.

I read a passage in Timothy Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage, that talked about all that I now understand. It goes as follows: “She heard that the gospel was not what she thought—that we amass a good record, give it to God, and then he saves us. Instead, the gospel is that Jesus Christ amassed a perfect record and when we believe in him, he gives it to us. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died in our place, so that when we believe, our sins are pardoned, and we are ‘counted righteous in his sight.’ Then we are completely accepted and loved by the only One in the universe whose opinion really matters.” -pp 69-70. And yes his opinion is all that matters. Thank you God for accepting us!

I do not write these stories for anything other than to invite you to church with me and see the world from a different view. Regardless of whether we are in the same area or not, I invite you to church to maybe see things in a different light.