A Word From Rick Burgess

Psalm 128 verse 1 tells us, "blessed is the Man who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways!"  David drives the point home again in verse 4 when he says, "Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord." So what does this really mean to "fear the Lord"?  In the original Hebrew, the word we have translated into fear is "yare" which combines awe and dread. It literally means to dread or be afraid of God's ability to bring wrath and destruction on our lives, but it also means to be in awe of God. To look at Him as our master or Father whom we submit to as our authority.  This means that we are to be the type of men who take God seriously, and live like we really believe that God is omnipresent and omniscient. He is everywhere and He knows everything.  We are living as a proper sacrifice to our King. We don't bring The Great I Am our leftovers or throwaways.  If I wanted to find out if you were the type of man who truly fears God and walks in His ways, I would simply look at your calendar and your bank accounts. Would I see that God gets your best, or (based on your calendar and bank account) would I find that God receives whatever is leftover?  The things we truly care about are the things we make a priority in our life. Do you give God the time and money that's left over, or is He first and everything else gets what's left after your time and money have been given to God Almighty?  If you have not surrendered to the Authority of God through the redemption and transformation of the risen Christ, then you likely are not walking in His ways. Until you get to know a King who is benevolent and merciful, you will never have a desire to advance His kingdom due to the love and thankfulness you have for the gift of mercy and grace.  The reason why so many of us do not consider our salvation worthy or valuable is because it has never cost us anything.  Study Romans 12:1-2 and ask yourself this question, "Have I surrendered to God Almighty to the point that my life is now a living and proper sacrifice to the King that I serve?"

Rick Burgess 

John 16:33