Do you really know God? How do you perceive God? Sometimes I find myself afraid of God. Sometimes I wonder if I am not too lukewarm, and that God is going to spit me out of His mouth. Sometimes I see God like I saw my teachers at school. 

You see, I was constantly on their wrong side. If I wasn’t throwing someone’s suitcase out of the first-floor window, I was busy with a stink bomb or the girl in front of me. Homework was never on my to-do list. That’s why the teachers and I were not in the same corner in the boxing ring, and I kept out of their way. 

My actions (many of them wrong) determined my relationship with my teachers. I suspect fear was the cause of these shaky relationships. In the same way, I suspect that fear hurts our relationship with God – from our side. God is not our opposition. 

He’s on our side. Understanding Jesus’ purpose reveals the heart of our Father. God, so to speak, wept over the countless lives lost and did not turn to Him. 

God’s love for people, His love for us, urges Him, almost forces Him, to make a plan with the lost person. 

God’s love for people led Him to send His Son, Jesus, so His blood could flow in payment for our sins. We no longer have to pay for our sins because Jesus has already paid the penalty for them. 

That is God’s heart and His love plan. In His plan there is no room for punishment – on the contrary, Jesus has already born the punishment. We no longer have to live in fear and trepidation for the things we’ve done. 

As we deepen our understanding of God as a loving Father, our faith grows, and we begin to live differently in an intimate relationship with Him, free from fear. 

Knowledge is power. Knowledge eliminates the uncertainties, and we get to know God. We get to know His heart. We get to know Jesus. We come to know Him as our brother who acts as our advocate before the judge. He always takes our side. Therefore, we have nothing to fear. 

I am burying a friend of my brother’s. It was a difficult funeral, because he made some poor choices and ended up on the streets of our town. Written off by many people. 

What does one say at such a funeral? Well, you deal with the elephant in the room first. We all make mistakes. We all make poor choices. The results of some choices are just more visible than others, but sometimes we all end up on the streets of life because of our choices. 

Secondly, you simply bring the message of Jesus’ great salvation again, because everyone at the funeral needs to know that God no longer notices our sins. We need not fear. 

12I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. 

 Scripture
1 John 2:10-14 

Reflection
What do you fear?
Do you believe that Jesus died for your sin?
What do you do with fearing your actions? 

Prayer
Father, thank you that Jesus could die for my sin. Please help me get rid of the fear. Amen.