Luke 7:37-38 – When a certain immoral woman from that city heard [Jesus] was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. (NLT)

"Fear God" was a command that I often heard in my dad's sermons. And I did.

Some years after my father's death, I uncovered the only recorded sermon that I have of his. I had forgotten what a fireball that he was when he preached. Most of my memories are of him as a Southern Methodist preacher. He was strict — almost legalistic. Fearing God — literally — was a part of his theology, at least as a young preacher.

As a child, I took my father's advice and feared God. Of course, I probably misunderstood the definition of fear at this young age, but I was scared. Scared of committing the wrong sin and having God annihilate me. Scared that I might not make it to heaven after all. Scared that I wouldn't please Him regardless of what I did. It was a skewed interpretation, but mine nonetheless, and one that didn't change for many years.

The sinful woman's view of God must have been quite different from that of the legalistic religious leader. Jesus observed, "I tell you, her sins — and they are many — have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." (Luke 7:47 NLT) She understood more about Jesus than the Pharisee.

Somewhere along the way, my view of God changed as well. No longer was He a faraway deity I couldn't approach. While I still held a healthy fear of Him — after all, He could snuff out my life by issuing a second-long command — I came to understand that He wasn't out to get me. Yes, He has standards, and yes, I was obligated to obey them, but He was after a relationship with me. He wanted me to love Him with all my heart and serve Him consistently.

Fortunately, I avoided the other extreme view of God, that He is the grandfatherly type Who will let me get away with sin. God is a God of discipline, but He is more interested in teaching than punishing me.

In the person of the Holy Spirit, God is as near as the breath that we breathe. He calls us to a holy fear, but more so to a loving relationship.

How does your picture of God affect your journey with Him?

Prayer: Father, may our fear of You lead us to love You wholeheartedly and serve You diligently. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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