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 Dear friends, I am sure that we all know Psalm 11:10 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’. But what is the fear of the Lord? Is it to be afraid of God? No, to be afraid in this sense is slavish fear or apprehension, or fear to do with punishment. The fear of the Lord is the fear of a loving child or a dutiful servant. It is to show respect and reverence for God, that the one who fears Him is gripped by a holy desire to please Him. So why is it the beginning of wisdom? Well, the answer is, simply, that when a man fears the Lord it implies he has started to know God. It’s a healthy balance of knowing what God is capable of doing and what God is. God is holy, God is pure, God judges, but God is a God of love, gracious, kind and tender. For that reason, a man who fears the Lord will turn from his sin and live a godly life as he aims to always please the Lord. Let there’s tremendous blessing in fearing the Lord. When a person fears the Lord he is filled with deep assurance. He knows his sins are forgiven. He knows his provision is from the Lord. He knows the truth and he knows eternal life. This produces true joy and satisfaction. Remember how God has promised great reward to those who fear Him, seen in Proverbs 22:4 ‘Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honour and life’. May we as Christians contrive to live in fearing the Lord with godly wisdom. Yours in Christ, Pastor Tim Dear friends, When I was young, making New Year resolutions was always a given for just about everyone I knew. They said that it was a good time to look to the New Year, kicking the bad habits of the past and starting new habits. Often these habits related to health - like more exercise or less eating. The Bible talks about the importance of keeping check on one’s spiritual health, where we need to kick bad habits and start good ones. Let me suggest some of them: First, the habit of starting the day building your relationship with Christ. The tools God has given us for building our relationship with the Lord are prayer and Bible reading. Bible reading is God talking to us, prayer is talking to the Lord. I know prayer is very challenging. Concentration, time making and living busy lives are battles we have to overcome. Let me suggest some practical ideas. Go out for a walk and speak aloud to the Lord. Write down your requests, things that are bothering you, even your sins (of course don’t let anyone else see them!) Bible reading is God speaking to you and you build that relationship as you hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit and let Him guide, comfort, teach, rebuke, counsel and convict. When this happens, our relationship will deepen and we will grow. Secondly, see the importance of Church life and keep in the habit of worship, corporate prayer, activities and fellowship. Again, these are tools that God has given us for growth. Remember the Hebrew writer was concerned that some Christians had given up on the habit of meeting together Hebrews 10v25. A third resolution is simply put away any undesirable habit, sin or addiction you have. Too many of us start here with our resolutions. We try to treat the symptom without addressing the root cause. The only way that this can be done is by the power of Christ’s blood. That’s why we ask for Christ’s blood to wash us by confession and repentance and then we pray for grace and strength to overcome all sin. The fourth and final habit. Always have it in your heart to tell others about Christ and the gospel. I believe this is not only biblical and good for the unconverted to hear, but its good to keep ourselves alert and always be prepared to give an answer of hope 1Pet 3v15. As we contrive our walk with the Lord, pray that we may continue to dedicate ourselves to live more for the glory of the Master. Happy New Year, Pastor Tim  |
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