THE FEAR OF MAN - Proverbs 29:25
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
Do you fear man or do you fear the Lord? What governs your decision making? Is it what others might think of you or is what God thinks of you? You know you fear the Lord when the reason why you do not sin is because you do not want to grieve God.
Think of a child who is instructed by his mother not to eat a cookie. If the boy has his friends over and he takes a cookie in order to show his friends how cool he is, then it is clear that this boy respects the opinion of his friends more than he respects the opinion of his mother. Even if this boy does not take the cookie, it is important to understand why he does not eat the cookie. Does he avoid eating the cookie because he does not want to be punished, or does he abstain from the cookie because he loves his mother and he desires to please her?
We have a choice in how we act. We can do that which is right in our own eyes or we can do what is right in the eyes of God. Even when we do what is right in the eyes of God, we need to make sure that we are serving God for the right reasons. Some people do the right thing because they are afraid of the judgment of God. However, an even better reason to serve God is because of your love of God and your desire to please HIM.
Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive his brother for the same offense. This question was not asked because he loved the Lord with all his heart and desired to forgive his brother in the same way God had forgiven him. Instead, Peter understood that he must forgive his brother and so as to ensure that he did not violate the law of God and thus be liable for the judgment, Peter asked Jesus how many times he must forgive.
We do not want to be like Peter who was looking for excuses not to serve God with 100% of his heart. Instead, we need to be more like Solomon who willingly made 1,000 burnt offerings unto the Lord. Solomon had no obligation to make 1, let alone 1,000 burnt offerings unto the Lord. However, Solomon feared the Lord and he desired to demonstrate his love to God by giving to the Lord above and beyond what was required of him.
Lot is another example of a man who obeyed God so as not to be punished by God. When God sent a couple of angles to remove Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot only left when he absolutely had to leave. Lot requested to go to a small town rather than to the mountains that God requested him to go. Lot was trying to get away with doing the very least amount for God.
Do you trust God and obey HIM? If you obey HIM, why do you obey HIM? It is important to not only obey God but to obey HIM for the right reasons. Too many claim to obey God but because their attitude is not right, they miss out on many blessings that God has for them.
You need to take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. You need to start loving God not because you fear HIS judgment but because you love HIM and desire to please HIM. If you read your Bible because it is simply a chore that you must do, you are not adding any knowledge of the ways of God and you are simply doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. If you desire to receive the full blessings that God has available for you, then you must learn to have the right attitude for why you trust and obey. Until you have the right attitude, your obedience will not gain you the favor that you desire of God.