IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THEM THAT FEAR GOD



“Who would not fear Thee, O King of nations? for to Thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto Thee.” -JEREMIAH 10:7 [KJV]

 
How reasonable it is, that this glorious Being, whose greatness is unsearchable, should be regarded with feelings of the profoundest reverence. It is, indeed, His due, and as such He claims it from all His creatures. “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes” [PSALM 36:1]. To have no fear of God before their eyes is at once the greatest injustice, and the most unutterable folly. All who have the impudence to lift up their puny arms in rebellion against Him, are engaged in a conflict, which, if persisted in, is sure to terminate in their utter destruction.

Think of His incomprehensible greatness and majesty. Think of Him as the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity--the heavens His throne, the earth His footstool, the light His garment, the clouds His chariot, the thunder His voice. Viewing Him thus it will be impossible for you to treat Him with indifference, far less with scornful disdain. If you are only brought in some measure, to realize the fact of God's greatness and majesty, you cannot fail to acknowledge that He is greatly to be feared, and to be held in reverence by all His creatures. Just so, with all the other attributes of His nature.

Who can think of His power so mighty, so irresistible - a power which is able to crush us into atoms with infinitely greater ease than we can tread the crawling worm beneath our feet and not fear Him? Who can think of His knowledge, nothing being hidden from His omniscient glance, the darkness of midnight and the splendor of noon, being altogether alike to Him and not fear Him?

Who can think of the terrors of His avenging justice, and not fear Him especially, as when He proclaims from His exalted throne, “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet My glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me” [DEUTERONOMY 32:39-41]. Our God is, truly, a consuming fire! It is most befitting for us to regard Him with reverence and godly fear!

It is not those who can deprive us of our present life, whom we should so much dread. Limited, and of brief duration is the power of all mortal foes at best. “And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him” [LUKE 12:4-5].


-Gospel report by preacher John Ross MacDuff (1818–1895 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more