Twas Grace that Taught my Heart to FEAR. The women are beginning a book called, From Fear to Freedom. One of the wise women said that the title was confusing because she always thought that freedom led us to fear. Another wise woman asked me what it meant to fear the Lord and thought that sounded perplexing.

Here is what we learned. Click the link below to read more. (Good idea to read it all!) “The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner. Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love. (http://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/throughout-bible-we-are-told-fear-god-what-does-me/)

If this is an area you would like to grow in please study, Lord I Want to Know you by Kay Arthur to grow in the knowledge of who God is. If you know his names,you will grow in the true Fear of the Lord. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” -Proverbs 18:10

Roman 1:19 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them”

Last week, the irreverent comedian Sarah Silverman appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show to promote her new comedy special. It was the first time she had seen Kimmel since he disclosed his son’s heart condition to the world in one of the most moving opening monologues in recent history. Before saying anything, Silverman in a rare moment of complete seriousness said she was glad his son was alive and then followed by saying,“I prayed to the God I do not believe in.” Two weeks ago, Bill Maher made news headlines for using the N-word while interviewing a senator on his show REAL TIME. Last week was marked by public outcries to have him fired. People were curious what he would say this past Friday to try and repair his reputation. Within the first ten minutes of the episode he said not once, but twice that he was a “sinner” and asked for forgiveness. Maher is one of the most vocal atheists in popular culture. He even made a documentary mocking Christians called Religulous. Silverman and Maher frequently deny the existence of God, yet found themselves referring to him in public. Why? Well, Romans 1 helps us understand the life-experiences of many self-proclaimed atheists. In the end there really is no such thing as atheism, just people who prefer living as if there isn’t a God who has authority over their lives. This is more than understandable. It is a weighty thing to know there is a holy and perfect God who knows all that you think and do, and to whom you live in opposition. But, in the end denying God exists doesn’t change the fact that even the most ardent atheist knows in their heart that He is real.So why does this matter to the average Christian? Well, we are often intimidated about dialoguing with non-believers for fear they will never understand us. But, if deep down everyone knows God is real, we can share our experiences with confidence knowing that deep down even the harshest critic of God knows that what we say is true. So the next time you convince yourself not to talk to someone about God, remember they know Him too.

1 Peter 1:6-7

It’s funny how the older you get the more you begin to enjoy places like Costco. Because not only do they have great prices on things we need but the giant wholesale store sets up all these delicious sample stations where people can try and eat things for free. Now I must admit, as much as I love the free samples, for the longest time I thought it was the silliest business model. Because why would people buy a product if they can just get it for free? And the answer I’ve come to realize is, it’s through these free trials/samples that, companies are hoping people will taste and see that their products are really good. In the same way, some of us may be going through hard times with friends at school, coworkers at our office, or maybe with members with our family and we’re just left confused asking “Why God, Why?!” And although the Lord doesn’t always reveal His will to us, still,Scripture tells us“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary,you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith.” That is, just like the samples/trials that Costco gives out for free, as difficult as our situation may seem it reveals the truth about our faith and how true our Savior is! You see, it’s really hard to gauge things when everything is going smoothly. But it’s during the tough times that exposes who we really are and who we can really trust. Thus Gracepoint, although difficulties tend to bring us down, as the opening words tell us“let us rejoice!” Because it’s through these experiences that our faith will be refined and reveal to us and point for us the only true savior who we can trust!