A blessing!!

Yesterday, I posted about passing the faith along from one generation to the next. Today I want to look out blessing your house by living in the Fear of the Lord. Again I want to say how grateful I am for the book by John Bevere that really got me thinking and meditating on the Fear of the Lord. Today I want to look at Psalms 112 to see how living in the fear and reverence of the Lord can impact our homes. Verse 1 starts with the words, “Hallelujah! Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience], who delights greatly in His commandments.” (AMP) Notice the first thing the psalmist says is how blessed this person in who lives in the Fear or awe inspired reverence and worship and then goes on in the remainder of the psalm to express how blessed they are. In today’s society where the home is under constant attack from all sides, this psalm should be alive and vibrant in every believer’s house but yet many Christian households are in worse shape than their non-Christian counterparts.

First, the Psalmist says their houses brim with wealth and generousity.  I want to note it doesn’t say rich and living it up, I believe that as we live this lifestyle God will take care of our daily needs and make sure we have enough, not to hoarde up but to share with others who are in need. God doesn’t want to give to you for you to keep, He prefers to pour through you, to touch others.

Secondly, the text rendering in the Message, says “No shuffling or stumbling around for this one.”  I believe this means that a home living this lifestyle, won’t be living in confusion, stumbling and fumbling trying to make things work. I can say, that in my past, my home life had lots of mis-fires, confusion and arguments that resulted from tying to figure out what to do next. The fear of the Lord means we ask Him before making decisions, follow His directions and watch Him direct our steps.

Thirdly, I notice the person living in the fear of the Lord, is “unfazed by rumor and gossip” (Msg) and “unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies”. (MSG) Imagine, living in such a way, the rumors and gossip of others, doesn’t bother or even get your attention. A person living in the Fear of the Lord, worries more about what God thinks than they do about what others think. We see this in Daniel, the prophets, and Jesus, who simply lived lives of obedience to God, and wanted His approval not man’s.

The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the reaction of the world. The wicked sees the results and gets angry, or they “rage and bluster” (MSG). Why? A believer living contrary to the world system, will draw the ire of the prince of this world who only wants to steal, kill and destroy believers every chance he gets. So he has us chasing riches and wealth, living in a world ripe with gossip, and rumors, all the while treating the things of God with a flippancy that cheapens life as a whole. It is no wonder that so many believers are stressed beyond their max, and they are living beneath their privilege as children of the living God.

Today, I want to challenge you to live in the awe inspired reverence and worship of the Lord, put Him first in your life and live to please Him. Let Him handle the details. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” (NLT), the fear of the Lord means we trust Him completely knowing He can do all things simply because of who He is!!!!

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric