Have you ever noticed the kind of response you get when people find out you ride a motorcycle? One of the most common comments I get goes along the line of "Well, I would love to ride, but no way - those are dangerous! Are you crazy?"
Gee, thanks I didn't know that...and yes maybe I am.
Some people express a desire to get on a bike, but show how their fear stops them. Now perhaps for some, that's a good thing! I know many people who should not get on a bike. But don't try to pass your fear on to me.
Fear of riding set a limitation in that persons life. It created a boundary they will not cross.
Reading Psalm 128 this morning this verse jumped out at me.
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him." Psalm 128:1 (NIV)
At first glance this sounds like it goes against Jesus teaching to love God doesn't it? Here we are reading to fear God?
What does Jesus say on the subject?
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:28-31
Jesus teaching here is that it is better to fear God, because he loves us.
Fear sets boundaries. If we fear riding, we won't ride. If we fear man, then we will allow men to set our boundaries. For example, if we fear the rejection of men by telling them about Christ, then we have allowed that fear to create a boundary we will not cross.
But when we fear only God, then God sets our boundaries and we end up walking among men without fear. That is what Jesus is teaching here.
By fearing God, we fear the one who both loves us and who has no boundaries.
Let's ask the Lord to show us when and how we walk in fear of man, and then help us to only walk in fear of God.
