“Fear Not”
Someone has made the following observation:
“The secret to neutralizing fear is to embrace the threatened disaster and count it as not too high a price to pay for obedience to Christ.”
“This attitude of faith may not totally eliminate the uneasiness and apprehension. It will, however, allow you to go ahead and act in obedience to Christ.”
“The problem of fear is not the fear itself, but the fact that we allow it to immobilize us. Being afraid is no sin.”
“Shrinking back fearfully from obedience is sin fear can stop you in your tracks as a Christian. but it doesn't have to. You can trust God (and) move ahead in obedience because you understand fear and know how to deal with it.”
In the Christmas story, there are several “fear not’s”:
The “fear not” of salvation: “The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.” Luke 2:10-11 (The Message)
The ”fear not” of the humanly Impossible: “The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you His grace.” Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus…The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God…God can do anything!" Luke 1:30, 35, 37 (NCV)
The “fear not” of answered prayer: “But the angel said to him, "Zechariah, don't be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John.” Luke 1:13 (NCV)
The “fear not” of immediate obedience: “While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, descendant of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit…When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord's angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife.” Matthew 1:20, 24 (NCV)
Celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Pastor Richard and Merleen Strum
0 comments:
Post a Comment