The Journey Readings: Week 102... and... twelve days...

Twelve days until Christmas...
Are you preparing...? or panicking...?
Are you trusting Him...? not only in the things of the heart...? but in the home...? (Questions... not just for you... but for me too...?!)

The reading through of The Journey... affirms... expands... the teaching on fear of the Lord...

And there shall be stability in your times,

an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

the reverent fear and worship of the Lord

is your treasure and His.

Isaiah 33:6 Amp

Fear of the Lord... 

based on knowledge of Him...

is our treasure...

Jesus had it...
showed us we needed it...
Fear of the Lord... a spiritual treasure...

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in

and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys and 

where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also. ..." --- Jesus

Matthew 6:21 ESV

Knowledge of Him...

reverential... awe... fear of the Lord...

is a treasure... that cannot be stolen...

does not fade away... or corrode...

Knowledge of Him... is an eternal treasure...

It is a wealth of knowledge... moving us toward obedience... humility... thankfulness... and... love...

When we know Him... we wonder...

O Lord, what is man that you care for him,

the son of man that you think of him?

Psalm 144:3

The awe of seeing Him... stoop down... in love...

experiencing only a small portion... of His greatness...

melts our hearts... with love... grace... mercy...

It is our treasure... and His...

When His people properly know Him... fear Him rightly... it is a treasure to Him also...

Fear of the Lord in His people... is evidence of... the righting of a wrong... His purpose coming to pass... His desire... His delight... being known... as He knows us...

We... who fear... revere... worship...

are His treasured possession...

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant,

then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

Although the whole earth is mine...

Exodus 19:5

He knows... any other way than knowing Him... and fearing Him... leads us to destruction...

It breaks His heart... to see us on paths leading to death...
He loves us... He loves the world... the kosmos...
the whole rebellious mess...
so when we fear Him... rightly... it is His treasure too...

Jesus came to show us how to fear Him rightly...
came to delight in Him... and in those who fear Him...

Lord... I want to be a treasure to You...

This week's readings...
Monday            Isaiah 39-40
Tuesday            Isaiah 41:1 - 42:9
Wednesday       Isaiah 42:10 - 43:28
Thursday          Isaiah 44:1 - 45:13
Friday               Isaiah 45:14 - 47:15

thirteen days...

Thirteen days... halfway through the twenty-five...
continuing to trust... for revelation and words...
wondering... What's next...?

He not only came to reveal the nature of God...
He came to show us how to live...
what nature to follow...

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear...

Isaiah 11:1-3 ESV

Jesus came forth... as a vulnerable... humble... shoot... from a stump of a nation...

We come forth... vulnerable... humble... from a stump of a world...

Jesus came... as a baby... to live the life of a man... one of His own created beings...

All things were made through him,

and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:3 ESV

He emptied Himself... of all divinity... in order to identify with us...
to show us how this life can be done perfectly...

He came to teach us... empower us... to live... and love... as we were created to...

He came bearing... the Spirit of knowledge... and the fear of the Lord...
His delight... in the fear of the Lord...

God... as God... does not fear Himself...
not in the way we fear something scary... unknown... dreadful...

Fear of the Lord... is not straight up fear...
it's an understanding... of the greatness of Him...
and the reality of our dependence... weakness... littleness...
before Him...

Fear of the Lord is rooted in humility...

Jesus... the exact imprint of God as man... teaching us how to live... possesses true knowledge... of God's power... righteousness... judgment... therefore... He bears... the fear of the Lord... and finds delight in it...

Genuine faith is expressed in, and animated by, a reverential awe, and this is the basic meaning of the biblical idea of the fear of God. Unless there is personal awareness of the awesome and majestic sovereignty of God, it is impossible to have a meaningful faith existing in one's heart...

---Tyndale Bible Dictionary 

Jesus... teaches us first... a proper fear of the Lord...

He... in His perfect faith... teaches us... perfect faith...
not out of dread... or fear of punishment...
but because He knows... has first-hand knowledge... of God...

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you.

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

Psalm 5:7-8 ESV

Jesus... the manifestation...  of the abundance of God's steadfast love...

Through Him... we can enter His house to... worship... praise... commune... live...

If the Spirit on Him... produced fear of the Lord...
it should in us too...

When we know... become aware...
of who He is... even just a little...
awe... wonder... marvel... should fill our hearts...

Do you know Him...? do you fear Him...?

Lord... I long to know You better...

teach me to delight in the fear of the Lord...

I want to know You... not who I think You should be...

The Journey Readings: Week 87... and the beginning of knowledge...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

Fear of the Lord... the beginning of knowledge...

Fear of the Lord is not just fear... dread... terror... even though this is one aspect...

Genuine faith is expressed in, and animated by, a reverential awe, and this is the basic meaning of the biblical idea of the fear of God. Unless there is personal awareness of the awesome and majestic sovereignty of God, it is impossible to have a meaningful faith existing in one's heart (Pss 5:7; 89:7).

---Tyndale Bible Dictionary

Fear of the Lord possesses an aspect of awe... reverence... mystery... as a child to their father...

Listening to an audio-book on a walk... I heard...

We are dependent, fragile, vulnerable, and accountable. ...

Recognizing that I am absolutely dependent on God for every breath and every morsel of food. Seeing that I am accountable to God for every thought, every word, and every action, and realizing how often I fail to honor God in these ways, these should produce a deep and abiding sense of humility. ...

It should produce profound gratitude. Everything good in me or around me, whether spiritual or material, is a gift from God. ...

I am a creature, created in the image of God, fully dependent on Him and fully accountable to Him.  

---Jerry Bridges, Who Am I?

Understanding ourselves as created beings... dependent... fragile... vulnerable... and accountable before our Creator... forms the basis for a proper fear of the Lord...

Without this fear... we will never gain any true knowledge or understanding...

Our culture is one of independence... self-reliance... autonomy...

not only is this a lie...  it is a rebellious attitude toward our Creator...

a foolish stance toward life... and God...

Humility and gratitude... flow from a healthy fear of the Lord...

and prepare us with teachable hearts and spirits...

from here we can begin to gain knowledge... understanding... insight...

because we are ready... to hear what He has to say...

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come

knowledge and understanding...

Proverbs 2:6 ESV

This week's readings...

Monday                   Proverbs 9

Tuesday                   Proverbs 10-11

Wednesday              Proverbs 12

Thursday                  Proverbs 13-14

Friday                      Proverbs 15

fear based joy...

The power of joy I witnessed... came as a response to prayer...

Prayer for joy... and respect for others... a binding up of greed... and pride...

A prayer for a right focus on Him...

And you see... as I prayed... my heart changed too...

The anxiety of watching a son compete... was not present... there was a calm... no real disappointment... with each point lost... or the exuberant pride... at a point won...

There was joy... for me too... no matter the score...

And what I recognized today... found in the treadmill read... the joy experienced... was based on fear... fear-of-the-Lord...

..."fear-of-the-Lord." It is the stock biblical phrase for the way of life that is lived responsively and appropriately before who God is, who he is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

--- Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

A right attitude to His Sovereignty... even on a court... a right attitude toward an opponent... made in His image... one to be respected...

A right attitude toward the potential for spiritual warfare... and His place in overcoming it...

Fear based joy... born of a desire to obey... and glorify Him...

The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

Psalm 19:8-9