pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: reverence


by 1 Comment

Kneel and Confess

Reading: Philippians 2: 5-13

Verses 9-11: Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place… every knee shall bow… every tongue confess…

Today’s passage begins with a reminder of how Christ “made himself nothing” and became a servant, made in human likeness.  It still amazes me that He would love us so much that He would become like us.  In the end, this love was demonstrated in humility – becoming obedient to death on the cross.  But the story did not end there.  “God exalted him to the highest place”.  Praise be to God!

God exalted Jesus to the highest place.  Our response to this?  “That every knee shall bow” and “every tongue confess” that Jesus Christ is Lord.  According to our passage today, this is the first task we have as Christians: to sing and offer our praises to the glory of God.  How lucky we are!  Today is Sunday and we will have the opportunity to do just this with the body of Christ!

From this place of praise and worship we are to go out and live with the attitude of Christ – live humbly, serve others, love God – all for the same purpose: to bring glory to God.  Paul writes of this, saying, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”.  To do so, we live our lives in response to our faith.  In faith we kneel and witness that Jesus is Lord.  In daily life we go out and live that faith.  All we do and say seeks to reflect Jesus to the world as we bring God glory through the living out of our faith.

We do this with “fear and trembling”.  This is not a “scared of the dark” fear but a fear that is like holy reverence.  It is God – the creator of the universe, the one who us all-knowing and all-seeing – “who works in us to will and act according to His good purpose”.  Again I return to humility here.  This vast and amazing God chooses to be at work in me, a sinner.  It brings me to a place of fear and trembling to realize that kind of love.  Once here I am led to kneel and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.  And my response?  To praise His holy name!  This day and every day, may my life be an act of praise.


by Leave a comment

Wisdom and God

Wisdom calls out to all people in all segments of society from rich to poor.  To live without wisdom is a much easier way to live.  Living a life that is simple, that enjoys life is sometimes seen as more fun and more carefree than a life that seeks and pursues wisdom.

Wisdom in Proverbs is fear of the Lord.  It is often misrepresented, the idea of having fear of the Lord.  To fear the Lord is not the same as a fear of spiders or a fear of heights.  These come across as aversions whereas a fear of the Lord has a certain and palpable draw to it.  To fear the Lord is more to live in reverence of God.  It is to live life in such a way as to have a deep respect for God in all of the decisions we make.

The writer in Proverbs implies that wisdom will turn its back on those who rejected and ignored her words and pleas.  The writer is implying that the path to God will become closed at some point.  But this is not the way of God revealed in Jesus.  Jesus took all comers no matter where they are in life or where they have been.  Fools lost in love with money, prostitutes trapped in that lifestyle, tax collectors skimming off the top, and many more all came and found love and words of wisdom in the words of Jesus.

In the end Proverbs balances the consequences of avoiding God with the rewards of listening to God.  The writer implies that those who choose God choose security and contentment.  The promise is life without dread of disaster.  It is not a promise of a rosy life or life without trials.  It is a life of security and trust in God.  It is a promise with an eternal future and a living presence in life’s trials.

Scripture reference: Proverbs 1: 20-33