How
would you describe your relationship with God?
Would you say that you are His servant and that He is your Master? Would you say He is your Lord; the supreme
ruler of your life? Are you His subject, making Him the Sovereign authority of
all you do, say and think?
Or
do you have a more intimate connection with Him? Is He your Father, your Lover,
or your BFF (best friend forever)? Maybe that’s a little too casual for your
comfort; I suppose that some will think He is too high and holy for anyone to
have such an informal association with the Almighty, Creator God. Perhaps this
relaxed mindset seems sacrilegious to you.
Well
it’s true that God being our Creator naturally assumes the title and authority
of being Master and Sovereign Ruler of every life. And it is also true that we
are eternally indebted to Him. Yet, at the same time, it appears from many
Scriptures that God desires that we respond and relate to Him on more personal
terms as our faith in Him continues to grow and mature. I see this as the
restoration project that is currently underway for those who have been redeemed
in the blood of Christ; less fear (terror) and more faith (trust, honor).
I’m
more and more convinced that God’s desire from the very beginning has been to
have a close, personal relationship with each one of us. Notice in the Garden
of Eden, God approached Adam and Eve to, it appears, enjoy a stroll with them
in the garden (Genesis 3:8); like the song we sing: “I Come to the Garden Alone
. . . and He walks with me and He talks with me . . .” Abraham, the example of
true faithfulness, is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). Moses spoke with
God face-to-face like a friend (Numbers 12:8). And King David was a man after
God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), the sign of hearts joined together in friendship.
These men characterized the close relationship God anticipates to share with
every person.
Doesn’t Jesus call God ‘Father’? That seems
rather personal. Not only that, He calls God ‘Abba Father’ – a term of extreme endearment (like daddy or papa). And
aren’t we referred to as His children (1 John 3:10)? On the night He was
betrayed and executed, Jesus intimated that He wanted His disciples to be His
friends (John 15:16) so He commanded them to love one another as He had loved
them – personally, intimately, sacrificially . . . like a friend.
So
what do we do with all the “fear the Lord” passages (Fear God and keep His
commands; the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, etc.)? The words used for fear in those
passages denote respect, reverence, or to stand in awe of something or someone.
This is similar to a soldier’s relationship with his commanding officer and
his/her commitment to the cause. This grows out of the respect and admiration for
each other as they face deadly peril and mature in their respect for one
another. A natural result is that they become life-long friends.
Therefore,
let’s definitely respect God in His power and might; and stand in awe of His
amazing love, mercy, and grace that caused Him to pay the price of sin that we
owed. Let’s hold Him in the highest reverence as we serve one another in
holiness and humility; for this will bring glory and honor to our supreme Lord
and Master. Let’s serve faithfully because it’s the natural thing for a soldier
of Christ to do; let’s love one another so that we can imitate our King; let’s commit
completely to His cause trusting Him to bring us to final and complete victory.
In
other words, let’s fear our Lord and Master by growing to be known as His
friend.
Doug
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