God's Bias Toward Fear of Him

[S] Acts 10:34-35 --

34 Opening his mouth, Peter said:
"I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.

[O] God's only bias is toward those who fear Him.  However for all those who fear Him, He treats them all the same -- as His own children.

[A] Is my day beginning and ending while my heart fears the Lord?  How can I live my day when I am not doing this because that only means I am doing things all on my own without reliance on God.  So, I must begin my day with the prayer of surrendering my life in fear of Him.

[P] Dear Father, I fear Your presence in my life and I want to order my life by placing You at the core and that I would obey Your words.  May You, just like how you created this world out of chaos through Your word, create order in my own life to glorify You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Fear Of or Having Fear

[S] Isaiah 33:6 --
6 And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

[O] Whatever comes to mind very first after waking up from sleep in the morning is most likely what I fear the most.  Why?  Because as I begin a new day, I want to overcome any obstacles getting in the way and so I would think about how I may plan my day around them.  How to schedule so many activities, manage so much tasks at work (knowing that I won't get through all of them), etc.  In light of this, if I turn my eyes toward God first, then I am actually turning to Him who is greater than any obstacles I will ever face and my fear of the Lord is actually positioned in the right priority.

[A] This fear of the Lord is not because I am scared of Him, but out of respect and honor that I fear Him before any other.  It is the awesomeness of His presence that just brings me to my knees to worship Him.  I want to worship Him just like that throughout the day.  And starting the day with a time with God will be essential in making that happen.

[P] Dear Father, instead of seeking my own ways of stability, may I first seek to fear You from the moment I open my eyes in the morning until I go to sleep at night.  I want to bring out You and You alone in my life throughout the day.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Search Is On 24x7

[S] Psalm 33:14,18 (NIV)  --
from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—
But the eyes of the lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

[O] Can God see every one of us living here on earth?  The answer is a resounding yes even though it is a difficult concept to grasp in my limited way of thinking.  Not only he sees every one of us, but He does that with a clear purpose of identifying those who fear Him and have hope in His unfailing love -- that is to say, those who recognize His amazing love and accept it -- because that's what pleases Him.

[A] Not just because God is searching for those who fear Him, but I want to receive His unfailing love for me as is and to walk fearfully with Him every day.  I want to be found by God because I am sincerely in His presence at all time.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart be always aware of how Your eyes sweep through this world looking for those who had sincerely accepted Your wonderful love so that what I do and say will reflect Your character to those around me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Fear of God is Good

[S] Exodus 20:20 --
20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin."

[O] God allows us to pass through some of His tests not just for us to get stronger in faith but also that the fear of Him will remain with us to avoid sinning.  One cannot have strong faith and sin at the same time so His fear is us is a good discipline for us to keep away from sinning which will lead to a closer walk with God resulting in fruitful life.

[A] Just like whenever I see a CHP on the highway, I would make sure I'm within the speed limit, whenever I know that God is with me, I would make sure I am within the boundaries of godly living.  Good or bad times, I must not forgot to honor God and fear His presence in my life.

[P] Dear Father, I honor Your fearful presence in my life such that I would strive to live my life in line with Your principles.  So many times, when I'm just coasting along, I am bound to make mistakes and be pulled to the ways of our enemy.  I want to be soaked with Your amazing grace at all times.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Got Wisdom? Get Fear!

[S] Job 28:28 --
    ²⁸"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
         And to depart from evil is understanding.'" 

[O] Job covers all the possible places and ways to attain wisdom in this chapter but concludes with this verse that "fear of the Lord" is the only way to get that.  No money or precious gems of this world can bring me wisdom.  To Job, God's wisdom is the key to living out his life because nothing on earth -- as he had the luxury of attaining many things of this world by the way he knows well what they are -- could satisfy.

[A] What is my irreducible minimum in my life to live out a Godly life?  If it is wisdom like Job, then my basic posture should be to fear the Lord from the moment I wake up to the time I go to sleep.

[P] Dear Father, teach me to fear You such that Your wisdom will never leave me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.