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The Amish Voice 7
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Does the fear of God move you to study
God’s word and learn more about His
salvation, or does your fear cause you to
turn away from God and His word
because you just don’t understand? Let’s
take a look at Proverbs 14:27:
The fear of
the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart
from the snares of death.
So, the fear of
God can deliver us from death to life!
My greatest fear was the fear of the end
of the world, of the time when Jesus
would return, when I would stand before
my Creator and give Him an account of
my life. The thought of dying always
filled me with a great feeling of dread. I
wanted to do what was right. I sincerely
wanted to please God, but I couldn’t get
rid of that fear of not knowing if I was
right with God. I could usually push
those fears to the back of my mind,
especially at work, or when I was with a
group of people; but, when night came
and I would lay in my bed, those fears
would come back and remind me that
tonight could be the night when Jesus
comes back.
How I hoped with all my heart that He
would give me another day. Each
morning I would wake up with a great
sense of relief that I was still here. The
cycle continued every day. I would push
my fears to the back of my mind, only to
have them come back with full force at
nighttime. I remember how I would look
forward to a vacation or another big event
in my life, and I would hope and pray
that Jesus would not come back before
then. How selfish of me to want those
earthly pleasures above the heavenly
kingdom that God has promised to those
who are in Christ.
But, I did not know if I was in Christ. I
considered myself to be a good person, I
knew I was sinful and far from perfect,
but I wasn’t that bad, was I? I mean, I
went to church regularly, I was baptized,
and I followed the rules of the church
most of the time; so, I should be okay,
right? Well, you might think so, but deep
down inside me something still wasn’t
right. I hardly read my Bible and almost
never prayed, because God seemed so far
away. I knew I didn’t have a relationship
with God. I wondered if that was even
possible.
I finally got to the point where my fears
got the best of me, and I became
depressed. I didn’t see anything exciting
in my future. I didn’t know why I was
even here. Life just seemed meaningless.
Eventually, through a series of events, I
finally turned to the Bible for answers
instead of looking within. I opened God’s
Word and read the gospel of John and
several of Paul’s letters.
Before, I would only read the Bible
because I thought I should or because it
made me feel better. This time it was
different. It was like reading it for the
very first time, like it was actually meant
for me! Could this really be true? Read
John 5:24:
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word, and believeth
on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
Wow! Could this be what Proverbs 14:27
is talking about? I could take the time to
try and explain to you what I believe this
verse means, but, I don’t think that’s
really necessary. Let’s read it again, very
slowly.
He that heareth my word, and
believeth on Him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life.
Now, back to my story. The next few
weeks I continued to read my Bible
regularly. It was as if I couldn’t get
enough. Slowly, I began to understand
why God sent His Son to die on the cross
for us. One night as I was talking to a
friend, I finally recognized how sinful I
really was. I knew I could never measure
up to God’s standards. All the good I was
doing was as filthy rags in God’s eyes
(Isaiah 64:6). I realized that I couldn’t
save myself, that it was only through
faith in Jesus Christ and in what He has
done for me (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-
9).
That very night Jesus became personal to
me! I didn’t realize it right away, but all
of a sudden, I noticed that I was free from
all those fears. What a feeling of relief to
know that God was watching over me,
and that He loves me enough to die for
me! What a feeling of peace and comfort
to lie down each night and know that I
am safe in God’s care. I don’t need to
fear death, for death is just a gateway to
eternal life for all those who trust in Jesus
as their Savior.
I pray that if you are bogged down with
fear and worry, that you, too, may find
the freedom and peace in Christ, our risen
Savior, and in Him alone (Acts 4:12).
May God be with you as you search His
holy Word.
The author of the article, Martin Miller,
would love to hear from you. If you
would like to write to him about this
article, you may contact him at:
PO Box 279
Orwell, OH 44076
The Word of God
Concerning judgment, Jesus makes two powerful
statements in John 12:47-48.
He says: a)
I
[Jesus]
judge him not
, and then He goes on to
say b)
the WORD that I have spoken, the SAME shall
judge him in the last day.
Dear friend, the WORD, which we hold in our hands, has
also been etched in eternal stone, and one day the WORD
(not Jesus) will stand as a witness in eternity.
For that reason, we must read the WORD, understand the
WORD, and make a choice to either abide by the WORD
or be judged by the WORD.
Thank you, Lord for giving us the WORD. – Joe Keim