Keep a Healthy Respect for God 

One of my teenage grandsons had an unfortunate encounter with a chainsaw last week. He ended up with a deep gash on the back of one hand that required surgery to repair three tendons. As he explained what happened, it became apparent that he momentarily did something he knew wasn’t wise. Instead of keeping two hands firmly on the saw, he had taken one hand off and placed it on the log he was cutting. Therefore when the tool unexpectedly kicked back, he couldn’t control it, resulting in his injury.

Having heard about numerous serious accidents involving chainsaws over the years, I have always been very cautious around them. While they can accomplish great tasks, they can also inflict great pain and do much damage. That fact should cause anybody using one not to treat it casually, not even for a moment. A person doesn’t have to become careless with one to suffer the consequences but simply not maintain the level of respect such a powerful tool deserves.

It is very similar when it comes to our attitude toward God. The Bible declares that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). This isn’t suggesting that we should be terrified of God anymore than someone should be frightened to use a chainsaw. However, we do need to maintain a proper view of God, never losing sight of His greatness and power. Even as we relish His love for us and are grateful He is such a merciful God, we should also keep in mind that He is the Almighty Creator of the universe, the Holy One whose character cannot tolerate sin, and the Judge who will pass righteous judgment on every soul. He is to be respected at all times.

Therefore we can’t afford to become careless in how we relate to Him. We should not take it lightly when we have chosen to disregard His commands. There are consequences to our disobedience. God may mercifully spare us from some of the results of our sin, but we should not presume on His mercy. Sometimes He may allow us to “face the music”, not just to punish us but primarily as a means of awakening us, teaching us, and helping us see our need to return to Him. We may find forgiveness, but still suffer some consequences of our careless behavior.

Likewise, we have to guard against developing too casual of an attitude toward God. God is love, however, like that chainsaw, He still has teeth. Just because He loves us, it doesn’t mean He is a pushover or that He will let us get away with whatever we do. He is not the huge tough-looking man who can sound harsh but in reality is simply a teddy bear at heart who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Neither is He the jolly Santa Claus giving us whatever we wish for. He is the holy God and we had best respect Him as such.  

The Bible tells us about an incident when the sacred ark of the covenant was being moved. A man named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled as it was pulling the cart on which that object rode. God struck him dead. Why? Not only should Uzzah have considered the ark too sacred for him to dare to touch, but the whole move wasn’t being done according to the manner God had prescribed. God’s judgment came because of both a casual spirit and careless behavior.

Let’s be sure we have a healthy fear of the Lord. While we rejoice in His love and can draw close to Him as our Father, let’s remember that He is still Lord, King, and Judge. He is not only Someone to hug, but to respect, submit to, and obey.